Wicked

Saturday, March 31, 2007
8:00pm evening
Pantages Theatre
Los Angeles, CA

• Similar to Opening Night, Eden came across as very irritated and vexed at the beginning of the room assignments scene, as if she'd had more than enough of the blatant stares at her greenness.
• Eden lunged after Megan after her "phosphorescent" comment, and Jenna had to quickly grab Eden's arm to hold her back. I'd never seen them do that before, and it was a nice touch.
• While Elphaba's outburst of powers grabbed Nessa's wheelchair back to her, Eden stared down at her hands, like she was a little scared of her own powers and wasn't sure what was happening.
• "The Wizard and I" was vocally close to perfect with great dynamics. Eden's voice was wonderfully exuberant just before the bridge, she did her signature lift with even more energy than she usually does. I got chills. Wow.
• Once in a while, during "What is This Feeling", Eden will say "your voice" in a squeaky mocking tone, which is pretty funny. She did it this time. Both she and Megan yelled out "I laid eyes on you!" in the second half of the song, and both of their voices were full of revulsion for each other. Terrific energy.
• In the history class scene, Megan kept grinning at Eden like she was the despised teacher's pet.
• I loved Timothy's reaction to seeing the message on the chalkboard. He took a little bit longer than usual in his stunned silence, and when there was no response from the class when he asked who was responsible, he seemed to still be reeling, unsure of what to do. The first time he tries to dismiss the class, his voice was quiet, barely audible.
• I keep meaning to mention this (and I don't think I have before), but in "Dancing Through Life", when Elphaba expresses her disdain for the "cultish social gathering", Eden very loudly slams her book shut and in this performance was VERY annoyed. Another great touch, especially given how Fiyero treats Elphaba in their first encounter together.
• Megan had a very mischievous look on her face when she realized she could give the black hat to Elphaba -- much more mischievous and perhaps even evil than usual.
• Like in the matinee, Megan pointed the sharp end of the black hat in Eden's face, but it was far more hilarious from farther back.
• Something I forgot to mention about the Ozdust ball scene in the review for the matinee (because that's where I noticed it the most, being up close): I love how, just before Eden hesitantly joins Megan in the little dance, Megan kind of gives her a small encouraging nod that it's okay and perhaps that she's not trying to humiliate her. And then seeing this again from farther back, with Eden first being hesitant and then more confident the second time through, I really felt the connection between them building -- kind of warm and fuzzy.
• Eden was incredibly guilt-ridden during the sharing secrets scene -- her voice so effectively conveyed years of pain and self-blame for Nessa's condition. It was truly heartbreaking, especially when she mentioned that their mother never woke up. And then I love how Megan comfortingly takes Eden's hand, and doesn't let go until just before she begins "Popular".
• Megan was just as funny in "Popular" as in the matinee, and especially so with her doing those awkward leaps across the stage and then doing this little half-kick accompanied by a little squeak.
• After the failed ball gown transformation and Megan tossed the wand behind her, she tossed it at such a steep angle that it almost didn't make it off stage. It kind of bounced and looked as if it was about to roll back on stage. For a split second, Megan started to go after it to retrieve it, but then it looked as if she thought better of it and decided to ignore it.
• In the lion cub scene, I really love how Kris suddenly gets lost in the moment and completely loses his train of thought, and barely manages to mumble, "Yeah ... or, maybe it scratched me ... or ... something."
• "I'm Not That Girl" was quite a bit more sad than in the matinee, especially with the wistful tone in which Eden sang "wishing only wounds the heart".
• I don't think she usually is, but Eden was rather emotional when she was saying goodbye to Megan at the train station.
• I really love how Eden gets into an otherworldly trance when reading the Grimmerie for the first time.
• At the beginning of "Defying Gravity", when Eden and Megan face off, they are so incredibly seething with contempt for one another that they are practically having a screaming match.
• This was one of the best "Defying Gravity" performances I've seen from Eden -- I already mentioned how desperate she got with slamming her hand on the Grimmerie, and that was just one example of the extreme intensity she put into her acting this time.
• In the last couple verses of "Defying Gravity", after Eden defied gravity, Eden had several really amazing riffs and she was so fierce that I was holding my breath all the way to the end. Damn.
  
• This was one of the best "Thank Goodness" performances I've seen from Megan -- she had the same incredible range of emotions I saw from her on Opening Night. She could barely contain herself with excitement when Fiyero was about to find out that it was their engagement party, and then she was on the verge of completely falling apart in the second half.
• Jenna still does one of the best "Wicked Witch of the East" scenes ever. There is so much guilt over hurting Boq mixed in with so much self-pity that comes through when she belts. She was also so emotional that she was in tears as Elphaba is leaving, and she can barely regain her composure when Boq wakes up.
• Eden again did that low, barely audible "I don't want anything from you!", and she was so angry and wistful when she said she wished she could believe again that the Wizard was wonderful. There is a terrific bite to each and every one of her words.
• Even from sitting farther back, "As Long As You're Mine" was incredibly intimate, and the growing love between Elphaba and Fiyero is palpable.
• Kris usually takes the notes for "it's up that I fell" up like it is typically performed, but for some reason he didn't go up this time, but he did add a nice little riff on those lower notes.
• Eden was sounded much more affected with grief than anger when she snapped at Megan for time alone to say goodbye to Nessa.
• As she did on Opening Night, Eden said "But it's happened!" in a high-pitched, very wicked-witch/Margaret Hamilton-like way.
• "No Good Deed" was perhaps Eden's highlight of the show. She conveyed a good deal of rage mixed in with desperation, which was enhanced with a few really nice riffs. She took "FiyeroooOOOO!" to that higher note that gave me chills. Interestingly, she chose to stay up on a high note for the very end of the song, only coming down at the last possible moment -- it was a completely different sound and feel that I'm not sure I like. It was incredible, definitely, but that might be pushing the envelope a little for my taste. Nonetheless, her "No Good Deed" had me practically in tears and barely able to breathe for most of it.
• The ensemble members during "March of the Witch Hunters" was relentless. There was an incredible mob scene mentality that really helped lead up to the final scenes.
• As I mentioned already, both Eden and Megan were extremely emotional starting at just before "For Good", and it continued all the way through the song. Eden's voice cracked and then she sniffled really loudly at one point. Megan's voice sounded very shaky in her first couple verses of "For Good", and even Eden (who is usually the somewhat less somber of the two in the middle of the song) was just as emotional.
• After Elphaba's melting, I love how Megan took her grief and turned it into fuel to confront the Wizard about the green bottle and its implications.