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13/04/2004: "Broadway Trip was Wicked!!!!!"

Recommendations from our recent trip to New York


Number one on our must see list was Wicked, the new Stephen Schwartz musical loosely based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, showing at the Gershwin Theatre.

Selling out every night you have to get tickets well in advance to get a decent seat. The theatre is more like a stadium and the circle is well back in the auditorium so do try to get stalls seats if you can but all have a great view of the spectacular set.

Won't dwell on the score, it has already been worn out on my CD player so the performances had something to live upto and they did. If Idina Menzel doesn't win the Tony there is no justice in the world. She is amazing and plays the powerful yet tragic Elphaba to perfection. That voice!! Kristin Chenoweth is what I always imagined a US Musical Theatre pro to be like. Strong vocals, great character actress, really plays to the crowd and boy did they love her. Joel Gray twinkles as the Wizard and Norbert Leo Butz has just the right voice to counter both Idina and Kristin in their duets.

Highly recommend it and if you can't get to New York head over to the Dress Circle website to buy a whole bunch of Wicked goodies including the CD and the original book.



Then Avenue Q, although vastly different almost as adored. Small scale, quirky and very very funny. For a musical theatre performer to sing and act with both his own face and also with his/her puppet's face at the same time takes a very special type of talent. The two main performers, John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo not only did this but had two completely different character puppets to perform.
Rick Lyons who also performs with two puppets was also instrumental in conceiving and designing the puppets used in the show.

The songs which I'd listened to a lot really came to life when put into context and performed by the puppets. "The Internet is for Porn" would be a fabby cabaret piece in isolation though.

If you are looking for a quirky soundtrack in it's own right head over to Dress Circle for the Original Broadway cast on CD. But if you are going to be in New York and just want to laugh and laugh with some great music thrown in this is the one for you.

There were three shows on our original list but unfortunately The Boy from Oz starring a previous client Hugh Jackman was all booked up. The show was on hiatus the whole of the previous week because Hugh had a week off to promote his latest movie Van Helsing. No understudy taking over for a week here. Following Hugh's stunning reviews it is obvious to everyone that people come to see the main man
and therefore if he has a planned absence the show is closed.

Quite how they will replace him when his contract ends is anyones guess!!!!