Wicked in Singapore

So, I realised although I blogged about my Singapore trip, but I didn't really go into the details of the main purpose of that trip- Wicked! 

This was mostly because it deserved it's own entry, and I needed the time to compose such an entry. I have so many friends who would have loved to have gone with us to see the show, and who we would have loved to have been able to come, but it didn't work out. So, I wanted this special entry to essentially be able to help them to feel as though they were there with us.

The show of course, lacked neither it's magic or it's brilliance; but seeing it in a new country with a few new cast members brought something new to the show.
And there were a few changes.

Galinda's line about Elphaba in Dr Dillamond's class?
"Well, it seems the artichoke is steamed!"
It's now broccoli. Apparently no one in Singapore knew what an artichoke was.

The exchange with Nessa and Boq at the OzDust about the punch?
"What's in the punch?"
"Lemons, and melons and pears."
 "Oh my!" 
Gone. (I was sad. I like that line.)

The little bit between Galinda and Fiyero when Elphaba first enters the OzDust in the hat?
"Who in Oz's name is that?" 
"It's my roommate. Please don't stare." 
"How can you help it?"
Gone. (Also sad about that.)

But there were also some awesome parts that either were not there before, or I simply never noticed them, but I will now watch for them every single time I see the show.

First of all, Fiyero's reaction when he's listening to Galinda convince Boq to ask Nessa to the party. David Harris does this really, really well. I loved it. It's one of curiosity, incredulously (as in 'this is so not going to work') and then shock and awe throughout that entire scene.

The other second part, which is now my favourite ensemble moment of the show, is that scene in Dillamond's class, the first one. When Dillamond says "the question became, who can we blame?" and one of the ensemble members (Shane, we later discovered after poring over the program and tweeting the cast for answers), who is sitting next to Boq and behind Elphaba, he points to Elphaba in answer to that question.

And we giggled, every time. (Except for the last show we saw, when he didn't do it and we were devastated)

This was my first time seeing Suzie Mathers as Glinda, and she was awesome! I loved her, and she's already made her way onto my list of favourite Glindas! (The top 3 are now Megan Hilty, then Suzie and then Lucy Durack).

Jemma Rix, of course, was an amazing Elphaba as usual. OK, so yes, she's the only Elphaba I've seen live, but it still stands. (My top 3 Elphaba's are Jemma, then Eden Espinosa and then Idina Mezel).  She is the only Elphaba who can reduce me to tears (and make me stop breathing) just via YouTube. I refer you to the story I think I blogged where I started crying in the lobby just after hearing the end of her Defying Gravity (it was as awkward as it sounds).

David Harris... sigh. I've seen three different Fiyero's live, and he is by far the best. Apart from the facial expression thing I mentioned earlier, we also giggled at the beginning of Dancing Through Life when he was talking to Boq and he straightened his tie and then slapped his butt with the book before he threw it off stage (this was mostly funny due to a private joke no one will get unless they know my friend Julia, but still funny!) He's also such a nice guy! And gives awesome hugs (but I can say this about all the cast members I met).

Elisa Colla, I've also seen as Nessarose every time I've seen the show, and she's so good! Her Wicked Witch of the East is beautiful. And, after meeting her at Stage door and a few tweets, I'm standing by the official line that she is the sweetest person in the world.

James D. Smith was also wonderful as Boq, but again, I've seen him every time. But I definitely like him better than any Boq I've seen on YouTube. Again, he's such a nice guy!

As Bert Newton wasn't there, we had Glen Hogstrom (Dillamond) as the Wizard. He was great! I was really happy with his portrayal of the Wizard, and then on our last night, we had him as Dillamond, and he was just as great! I'm really happy I got to see him in both roles.

So, when Glen was the Wizard, Nathan Carter, (who I've only seen as Elphaba's father until now) was Dillamond, and he was the Wizard to Glen's Dillamond. He wasn't bad, but I really like him as the father! (And not just because the guy we had as the Father the first night had hair... which was weird for everyone).

Anne Woods was the third Morrible I've seen, and again, she wasn't bad, but I prefer Maggie Kirkpatrick's portrayal, but I did love Geraldine Turner. And again, she was lovely at the Stage Door, even if we only managed to talk to her one night of the four.

I finally got to meet Ryan Sheppard (Chistery) and Gretel Scarlett (Elphaba's mother) and both were extremely lovely.

I can't think of anything else to comment on... I miss Wicked....