Last night, Marion and I went to see Wicked at the DCPA. It was quite a wonderful show, although it was hard to make out the words sometimes, particularly during the songs. It was certainly more commercialized than most other shows I’ve seen there – there must have been a half-dozen or so booths in the lobby selling related merchandise.
One thing I could have done without was this gratuitous bit of BDS from the program magazine:
Actor David Garrison agreed. Garrison played the Wizard in the touring production the first time it came though Denver and loved the fact that all of these familiar characters had been fleshed out. As for the Wizard himself, Garrison said, He is a charming fellow of limited ability who, quite accidentally, finds himself in a position of power. In order to deal with it he employs the politics of fear. Sound familiar?”
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“This is a cautionary tale of what happens in a society that doesnt question authority.”
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“Its not a childrens show, but kids enjoy the fantasy of it, adolescents get the love story and adults see the political allegory.”
Like nobody ever questions authority in this country. “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism” misattributed quotes and all that.
Anyway, now that I’ve seen the musical, I may have to borrow the book from my daughter. I’m sure there’s much more going on there than made it into the stage production, even if it is almost three hours long.
I did have one disconcerting thought during part of the play, though. Given the look of the costuming for the citizens of Oz, I almost expected this song to be performed.