![\"photo](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/wicked.jpg\" "\\"wicked\\"")
<\/a>That\u2019s what makes the current tour of \u201cWicked\u201d so surprising. Not only is the quality excellent, but the two leads are certainly not copies of the original Broadway performers (Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel). Rather, they both give the roles their own little nuances.<\/p>\n
As Glinda, Katie Rose Clarke exaggerates the physical quirks of the character, such as tossing her hair on purpose and raising her foot behind her to denote excitement, often repeating these movements several times for a few more laughs. She has a baby voice that at first threatens to get annoying, but ultimately doesn\u2019t go too far (thank goodness) and a chipper outlook. Think of her as Chenoweth on helium.<\/p>\n
Donna Vivino\u2019s Elphaba is sharp-witted and seems truly angry with her lot in life, so it\u2019s easy to empathize with the character. That\u2019s because it is grounded enough in reality that we feel as if we know her (or have been her). Vivino also has great comedic timing.<\/p>\n
While these two performances seem worlds apart, they work well within the plot. Glinda and Elphaba are polar opposites when they meet at Shiz, the big university in Oz. It\u2019s only when the walls break down that they becomes friends and their differences allow each to grow to greater heights.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s really the theme of \u201cWicked,\u201d which is based on Gregory Maguire\u2019s retelling of \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d through the eyes of Elphaba, AKA the Wicked Witch. \u201cWicked\u201d looks at how we too often discount someone because they look, act or think differently. While Winnie Holzman\u2019s script is wonderfully lighter than Maguire\u2019s book, it\u2019s the music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (\u201cPippin,\u201d \u201cGodspell\u201d and \u201cRags\u201d) that really make this musical such a hit. With hummable tunes like \u201cPopular,\u201d \u201cDefying Gravity\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m Not That Girl,” no wonder it is a real crowd favorite.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s really the performances that make a show like this. As Fiyero, the Winkie prince that both Glinda and Elphaba fall in love with, Richard H. Blake certainly has the movie star good looks. His vocals lean toward a thin pop sound, but he is believable as a love interest who has his own journey to take.<\/p>\n
Veteran Broadway performer Lenny Wolpe\u2019s Wizard of Oz is pleasing, but there is so much more depth to the role than he gives it. Too often, he goes for the laugh only. He is a regular guest star on TV (\u201cER,\u201d \u201cSix Feet Under,\u201d and \u201cThe Chappelle Show\u201d), so his is the most recognizable face on stage.<\/p>\n
The set is smaller than the Broadway or LA productions, as expected in a touring show. However, the addition of more lighted elements on the set\u2019s structure gives it the feeling of depth, and the dragon clock still delivers with glowing eyes and smoke-breathing mouth.<\/p>\n
Even though this \u201cWicked\u201d arrives in a smaller package, it holds up against the bigger productions just fine. Let\u2019s hope the next touring production has just as much luck.<\/p>\n
\u201cWicked\u201d is running through August 30 at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave. at B Street, in downtown San Diego. Tickets are $25-$128. For more information, call (619) 570-1100 or visit www.BroadwaySD.com.<\/p>\n
Patricia Morris Buckley has been reviewing the arts in San Diego for 25 years.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Patricia Morris Buckley By the time a national tour of a big musical comes around to a city the second time, it\u2019s expected that the quality of the performances will degrade some from the Broadway production. Think of it as making a copy of a copy of a copy: Something gets lost with each […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":242815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Wicked Fun comes back to San Diego","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}