Wickedly Good

While in San Francisco I had the opportunity to catch Wicked, a musical about the untold story of the witches of Oz. It's sort of Oz, only pre-Dorothy and the tornado. It's being performed at the Orpheum Theatre with shows every day except for Mondays. Some days there are two-a-days. Right now, the show is scheduled to play through September 27, 2009.

I went on a Thursday night and got tickets at the box office. You can also purchase tickets online, except you'll have to pay an additional service fee to Ticketmaster. Either way you do it, just do it. I heard that every show gets sold out.

Judging by the night I went, the theater was a packed house with not many open seats. Make sure you plan ahead if you've got a large party and want to sit together. I noticed that there were many couples and families in attendance. There was even a group of what looked to be high schoolers - possibly a drama club. They were dressed to the nines, but you don't have to suit up if wearing a tux makes you feel like you're in a monkey suit. The dress attire is pretty casual.

The show itself lasted about two-and-a-half hours with a 15-minute intermission to stretch your legs. As with other theaters, there was a slight jump in price between the best seats in the house and the rest of the theater. However, I think you can get a good view no matter where you're sitting. I was in the orchestra/loge section and paid $80 for my ticket. It was a little far but I was still able to see and hear everything.

What will probably make or break your Wicked experience is the people around and especially in front of you. If someone tall happens to sit in front of you, you won't be able to see no matter how much you paid for your ticket.

At first I couldn't really get into the show. Galinda (soon-to-be Glinda) is completely irritating, but she eventually grows on you. She's played by Natalie Daradich. Elphaba (soon-to-be the Wicked Witch of the West), on the other hand, is so relatable and such an underdog in this show. Elphaba is played by Vicki Noon. She did an amazing job and what a voice on her! Also worth mentioning is that Patty Duke plays Madame Morrible, Galinda and Elphaba's teacher.

Overall, the songs were so moving and engaging. They really helped to move the plot along. They were my favorite part of the show (then again, it is a musical, right?). There were some great effects and the costumes were so beautiful. Even as far away as I was, I could still appreciate all the work that went into making them.

The show gives you another perspective on the timeless tale of The Wizard of Oz. It makes you realize that there are always underlying factors in every day situations. It's really been able to spin a classic on its head.

Although, you're not supposed to bring cameras into the theater, someone apparently did. Here's a clip of the show. Magnificent!

Naked Boys Singing!

Don't ever accuse me of false advertising or extreme exaggeration (well, not about this anyway). Fresh out of my dvd player is a musical theater performance-turned-movie called Naked Boys Singing! (2007). I stumbled upon it while browsing through random dvds on Netflix. Of course, the catchy title drew me, just like those darn Brangelina twins and the Madonna/A Rod affair.

After reading the first three reviews, I realized that the movie was marketed to about 82 percent gay men, 13 percent closeted gay men and 5 percent straight women. We'll, I'm proud to say that I indeed fall into that 5 percent so I quickly added it to my queue and waited anxiously for it to come on over.

When the dvd arrived, I ripped open the package and shoved it in. Interestingly enough, the dvd label was of a naked guy with the center diecut discreetly over his junk. This may well be the only discreet thing about the film.

The opening number, called "Gratuitous Nudity," quickly got the show swinging, and I really do mean swinging. After the initial shock of seeing 10 naked men dancing and singing wore off, I have to say that I really did like the cleverness of the lyrics. The songs were equally funny, touching, poignant and outright in-your-face (as was every anatomical part of the male body).

The show spared no expense and cast actors who could definitely let loose vocally. By the end of the first song, the show wasn't so much about naked guys but more about the art of it all. The message of being naked (physically, emotionally, psychologically) and setting yourself free to live and love was communicated loud and clear.

I'm not sure how gay men would view the film, but as a straight woman I'd give it two thumbs up. The performers were all attractive and very fit. There was a wide range in ethnicities so I guess you could say there was a flavor for everyone (I swear one of the cast members looks like Doug Savant of Melrose Place, another looks like Mark Espinoza of Beverly Hills 90210 and one even looks a bit like Rob Schneider).

The guys weren't hulking with muscles (like Chippendales performers) but many were definitely ripped. Their performance ability was definitely ten times better than any "male revue" out there, which I totally appreciate. I mean, can you believe they actually sang on key and their dance numbers were in sync? And there wasn't any of that corny hip thrusting or crotch grabbing; no unnecessary snake-like undulating or smokey, bedroom-eye gazes. It was basically a good theater number that happened to be about nakedness where all the performers were, well, naked.

As a side note, I attended a Chippendales performance when they were in Hawaii a couple years back when we went out for a friend's hen party. While those guys are good to look at, they couldn't sing or dance worth a damn. They had no rhythm and probably no soul either. I was definitely disappointed. You come to be entertained, but unless you throw yourself into their arms and have an outrageous number of dollar bills for lap dances, the show is not worth its weight in gold. Naked Boys Singing!, on the other hand, was a gem, even with a small budget and limited production time (as noted on the "Making of" video that can be found on the Special Features).

Naked Boys Singing! Trailer

Image sources:

http://www.impawards.com/

http://www.offbroadway.com/

Don't Cry, Baby

I just read in The Honolulu Advertiser that Consolidated Theatres will have special showings for parents with young children. The program, called Cry Baby Matinees, starts next week. Parents can bring their kids to movies without fear of them disturbing other viewers. According to the article, there'll even be a stroller park and changing table in the theater.

Now, isn't this progressive of a corporate entity? I totally support this initiative, if not for the parents and their rights, then for my own selfish desires. It irks me to no end when I'm sitting at the theater and some kid screams its head off through most of the movie. I can understand if the movie's rated G, PG or even PG-13, but R? C'mon people! Kids shouldn't even be in there. Why d'you gotta ruin it for others by bringing them? It's sooo not appropriate.