Wicked

Saturday, June 30, 2007
8:00pm evening
Pantages Theatre
Los Angeles, CA

So, this was my first time seeing Megan Hilty after her "vacation" (which wasn't REALLY a vacation since she spent most of the week working on 9 to 5, as she told me at the stage door). But I'm sure it was good for her to get away from Wicked for a little while.

I'm not sure if Megan was just vocally tired from having done the matinee at well or if she's coming down/recovering from something or what, but her singing just wasn't QUITE as powerful as it usually is. I mean, she was still fantastic and adorable as ever ... but it just seemed like those high notes were a little bit more of an effort than they usually are for her.

Eden Espinosa. OH MY GOD, she had a fantastic show. Now I remember why I used to like her so much. ;) I mean, I honestly have very little to gripe about this time. Well, there's her silly cartoon-ish character voice, but that's been true about her for over a year now. That's nothing new. But those little acting nuances that I didn't like and bugged the heck out of me because they looked unnatural? Ninety percent of them were gone tonight. It was like she was truly acting and reacting to her fellow cast members. It was wonderful to watch.

Vocally, she was also amazing, although nothing at all compared to Thursday. She riffed and embellished quite a bit in "The Wizard and I", and I totally thought she was going to riff the rest of the show. But part way through "Defying Gravity", she tried a few riffs and it sounded like her voice wasn't cooperating as well as she'd hoped, so she toned it down just a bit. "No Good Deed" was the same ... a few riffs ("Fiyero" and the last note, in particular), but nothing like Thursday.

Kristoffer Cusick was vocally really on tonight. Acting was pretty darn good, too. Dancing was good, but not quite as energetic as he's been in the past.

Actually, the entire cast were much more into it tonight ... even a little more than on Thursday. Carol Kane's voice is still ... eh. John Rubinstein got more into his singing and acting. Jenna Leigh Green and Adam Wylie were about the same as usual.

Okay, so the details:

Act 1

 
• The first indication that Megan wasn't vocally 100% was right at the beginning in her solo lines in "No One Mourns the Wicked". Just not quite as powerful as she usually is and it sounded like it was a little more work to get those high notes out. No optional high note at the end.
   
• One of Eden's still-present pointing gestures that do NOT work: in the room assignments scene when she says, "I'm the other daughter, Elphaba."
  She is pointing stage left. WHY would she need to point at this moment? Doesn't work.
   
• After her powers burst forth, while Jenna is screaming in her chair, Eden looks down at her hands in shock. And then she holds out her hands to draw Jenna's wheelchair back toward her (although, the chair zoomed backwards a little faster than I think it usually moves).
   
• Eden took her time with the "Something just comes over me sometimes. Something I ... I ... can't describe."
   
• Carol sounded a little more moved by having "discovered" Elphaba's talents as she was singing the bit before "The Wizard and I".
   
• Eden seemed to have a little trouble grabbing the handle of her suitcase a couple of times during TWAI.
   
• Ah, I missed Megan's pointing to the sky as she sings, "But of course, I'll rise above it!" in WITF.
   
• Megan REALLY drew out the "usually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe" line.
   
• Eden went back to doing the hair-poofing thing to mock Megan. And of course, Megan responded by holding her compact mirror up and admiring herself from far away.
   
• At the end of WITF, Megan was standing much more in Eden's face than she usually is. And then after Eden scares her with "boo!", Eden had a really good, long cackle.
   
• When Dillamond is telling the class how he's pleased with the progress in the students' essays, Megan pats Dioni on the hand in praise.
   
• Eden totally went into mocking tone of voice when she said, "Maybe perfecting the pronunciation of YOUR PRECIOUS NAME is not the sole focus of Dr. Dillamond's life ..."
   
• Megan took her time with the "artichoke is steamed" quip. And then Eden sat back down, looking completely hurt.
   
• Sometimes after Dillamond says that she has a point, Eden will smirk at Megan somewhat self-righteously. This time Eden did not, and went back to taking notes, her face still showing that she was bothered by Megan's comment.
   
• This time after Megan's "harping on the past" line, she turned back to her friends, did her curtsy like she usually does, and shook her hips side to side (rather than just her shoulders).
   
• Eden is STILL stopping to turn around too early when she goes to fetch Dillamond a glass of water.
   
• Some of the little gestures are better -- e.g. the second time Dillamond bleats out "BAAAAAAAD", Eden held her hand to her mouth with her jaw dropped (as opposed to slapping her entire hand over her mouth like she used to do).
   
• During "Dancing Through Life", at one point, Megan gleefully stood facing the audience but with her head and shoulders arched back. Then after Kris gave her a little hip-bump, Megan turned to Dioni and Amanda so squee over it exuberantly (Megan was literally galloping up and down in place).
   
• Megan (and, to a lesser degree, Kris) deliberately over-enunciated "You're PERFECT", which made that bit a little funnier.
   
• Megan bent over forward a little more than I remember her doing when she goes, "Do me up, do me up, do me up!"
   
• Megan added longer pauses at, "Oh ... no ... I couldn't! Could I?"
   
• I was a little sad that Megan didn't point the end of the black hat in Eden's face at "It's really, um, SHARP, don't you think?"
   
• Megan, again, flung the training wand so hard when Carol first hands it to her that even Carol kind of reeled back and carefully held out a hand to stop Megan, like she feared Megan might hurt someone with it.
   
• Megan first attempt at "cutting in" on Elphaba's dance was not quite as awkward as she sometimes does it. And then when they face each other and Eden is kind of still hesitantly doing it along with Megan, Megan smiles encouragingly at her. A little less apologetic than Megan typically is.
   
• At the very beginning of the sharing secrets scene, as the beds are sliding into place, Megan kicks her legs really fast as she's sitting on the side of her bed. Only this time, Megan had her knees bent a little more, and her leg-kicking was MUCH smaller and faster. (That is a really good hamstring exercise, I can tell you that!)
   
• When Megan says, "Fiyero and I are going to be married", she SQUEALS really high and really loud. Only this time, it was SO loud that Eden reacted by covering her left ear as if she was being deafened by Megan's squeal.
   
• Eden was very emotional as she talked about being responsible for Nessa and their mother. It really was heartbreaking.
   
• I love how Megan takes Eden's hand as she says that it's the milk flower's fault. And then she reaches up to straighten out some of Eden's hair before turning to say, "Oh, look it's tomorrow!" (at which point Eden has a great baffled expression on her face).
   
• The opening lines to "Popular" were quite a bit slower in tempo (at least, it really did feel that way).
   
• After Megan took Eden's glasses off her face ("and even in your case"), she paused, and then replaced Eden's glasses back on her face, except she deliberately put them on crooked. Eden just sat there with them on her face crooked for a few seconds before taking them off. Too funny.
   
• Right before Megan went to unbraid Eden's hair, she waved the end of Eden's braid and hit Eden on the shoulder with it.
   
• Megan is still doing her little hair toss as she sings "Not when it comes to popular, I know about pop-u-u ..." and doesn't get out the last syllable of "popular" because she's waving her hair back and forth so much.
   
• Megan did her crazy arch-back thing at "your whole life is about to change, and all because of me!" Except, it boggles my mind how she can bend back THAT far to touch her hand on the floor behind her. She's insanely flexible, apparently.
   
• After the "toss-toss no-hands" convulsions Megan led Eden into, she stopped Eden, and said, "Don't hurt yourself. Well, you'll practice."
   
• When Megan catches her reflection in her mirror and says, "Hello!" she points at herself in the mirror (as if she were saying, "Aren't you the gorgeous one?").
   
• During the scene where Dillamond gets fired, and the new professor has started rambling about the cage being good for the lion, he waves the tongs around an awful lot (not quite as much as Thursday), and then quickly smacks them against the lion's cage. At this point, Eden was very startled and was actually pulled back down to her seat on the bench by one of the ensemble guys.
   
• In the lion cub scene, Eden got her big ol' attitude again after Kris screamed at her, "Do you ever let anyone else talk?!" She stood there, taken aback for a second and then said, "Sor-RY!" Again, I am not a fan of Elphaba acting like that, even though it kind of works ...
   
• Eden did a VERY heartbreaking "I'm Not That Girl". A lot of it was just in the slightest of timing changes.
   
• Megan stumbled a bit on her lines, but it didn't really faze her (and thankfully didn't make Eden laugh) -- "She'll have to manage without h- ... without you." She almost said "her".
   
• Megan said, "And he's been thinking ..." in a somewhat hushed tone of voice, as if it was something she was ashamed of and wanted to keep quiet. I like that a lot. It's funny.
   
• I think Eden started to crack up a little after she said, "Yes, I heard!" (which, again, thankfully was not screamed). She had the biggest grin on her face for a few seconds -- but that's okay, because it doesn't ruin the moment.
   
• Megan added: "And to express my ... um, outrage! Hmm?" like she was trying to get validation from Kris and Eden during this rant of hers.
   
• Megan said "I've always wanted to see the Emerald City" like she was REALLY touched that Eden would ask her to join her.
   
• I still can't get over how BLINDING the green lights are from where we sat. You don't get that shock when you sit closer, that's for sure.
   
• Something that John has been doing the last couple months (but I don't think I've mentioned) -- when he stumbles out from behind the Wizard head, after he gets his welcome applause, he turns and is startled by the sight of the Wizard head.
   
• John has been looking down at Eden's (or Julie's) hand upon their first meeting, but tonight it was MUCH more subtle. It wasn't so much like take her hand, stop, look down, turn her hand over, look up, then shake. It was more like take her hand, shake, and glance down for a second and then keep shaking.
   
• John's acting in the beginning of "A Sentimental Man" was nice -- he actually came across as very thoughtful.
   
• This time, Chistery (Peter John Chursin) tried to open Eden's shoulder bag to look inside (something he's done before), and Eden reacted by trying to snatch her bag away from him, but amused. It was so cute (and I really do love the fact that Peter does something different EVERY show at that point, and I don't think Eden ever really knows what he's going to do, so it's a surprise to her, too).
   
• After the levitation spell and seeing the monkeys and realizing the Wizard had no real power, Eden was very emotional. I couldn't see from where I was sitting if she was crying or not (like she was last Saturday evening), but I wouldn't be surprised if she was.
   
• There were minor mic problems throughout the entire show (mostly mics being turned on a tad late), but I think as they were switching microphones or something after Megan puts the black cape around Eden's shoulder, there was quite a bit of static and Eden could not be heard when she said, "You, too." But then it was back on again for "I hope it brings you bliss".
   
• Eden was very angry in the beginning (and some parts in the middle) of "Defying Gravity", and then very fierce at the end. Vocally, she was strong, and she started to do a riff-y "Defying Gravity", but at some point, her voice started to strain ever-so-slightly and I think she realized it was going to be challenging enough to sing it straight, so she didn't do the crazy riffs she's done before. It was still an amazing finish, but I could totally tell she was not quite as powerful as on Thursday and that she was starting to sing in her throat.
  
  Act 2
  
   
• This past week, I really liked how Kris would take a long, shocked pause before saying, "Yes!" when Emily asked if he was surprised by the engagement surprise. This time, though, the pause was not at all as long.
   
• I did like how after Fiyero decides that the only way out was to appease Glinda and say that he would marry her, and she says, "Well, only if it'll make you happy, too, right?", Kris started backing away and started up the stairs a little sooner, looking down (anywhere but Megan's face) as he said, "You know me ... I'm always happy." Such a great moment.
   
• Megan sounded great and was emotional as usual in the second half of "Thank Goodness", but she didn't do the lift at "there are bridges you've crossed you didn't know you crossed until you crossed", nor did she do the optional high note at the end.
   
• After Eden climbs out of the wardrobe, she said, "I'm sorry, did I scare you? I seem to have that effect on people ...", she said it in a tone of voice where she sounded kind of scared herself, to be sneaking into Nessa's room the way she did. That was a GREAT touch.
   
• I also really liked the way Eden delivered "It's not ... like ... cobbling up a pair of--". Those tiny pauses she added in were a nice touch.
   
• Eden said to Adam, "I'm not going to hurt you!" in a tone of voice where she sounded VERY hurt herself that Adam was so frightened and angry with her.
   
• Eden looked very taken aback when she spun around after hearing Adam say that Glinda is engaged to Fiyero.
   
• I'm not sure if the microphone was late in switching on, but John's booming voice at "I knew you'd be back" too much longer to get out. I wasn't looking at him at that moment, but out of the corner of my eye, I think he started to say the line and noticed that no sound was coming out at first.
   
• Again, John's acting was much better in the scene before "Wonderful".
   
• Eden was vicious in this scene, too. "I don't want ANYTHING from you!"
   
• Eden was also very biting in her lines about how she wishes she could go back to believing the Wizard was wonderful. She was practically seething when she said, "The wonderful Wizard of Oz ... No one believed in you more than I did."
   
• Eden looked like she almost stumbled or had trouble getting the words out when she said, "So you lied to them?"
   
• John was quite a bit more energetic and dynamic with his voice in "Wonderful", and he's still doing all of the gestures he's been doing (a couple of them are too much, but they are entertaining).
   
• John always ducks behind Eden and then playfully sneaks on either side of her when he sings, "Believe me it's hard to resist." I've ALWAYS been bothered by the way Eden reacts (or, I should say, NOT react) because she would get exacerbated and hold up her right hand as if to say "get out of my personal space", and it always looked completely unnatural and scripted. But tonight, her hand gesture was not quite so big and it looked MUCH better.
   
• The last few shows, it also REALLY bothered me the way Eden held up one finger at "on ONE condition". Again, it was another instance of unnatural hand gestures (and especially involving pointing an index finger) because for some reason, she had her hand turned so the back of her hand was facing John. But this time, she had her palm facing John -- which looks so much natural.
   
• Kris was much better in the scene where he decides to run off with Eden. For one, he didn't YELL everything. And he took a somewhat longer pause when he said, "I'm going with her" and he said it in a much softer voice.
   
• It's hilarious the way Eden slightly draws back after she says, "Glinda, no, it wasn't like that!" and Kris says, "Well, it was." She kind of draws back a little, looking at Kris like he's nuts.
   
• After having seeing Emily's somewhat vengeful approach at suggesting that Morrible and the Wizard use Elphaba's sister, it was a very different contrast to see Megan, who is much less vengeful and more sad than anything.
   
• "I'm Not That Girl (reprise)" also felt like the tempo was quite a bit slower than it usually is.
   
• LOTS of interesting riffs in "As Long as You're Mine": Eden's "lying beside you", Eden's "I've lost all resistance", Kris' "you've got me seeEEEing", and Kris' "it's up that fell". Strangely, they sang the last line very straight (whereas Kris usually tries to riff -- and has been riffing too much -- on the last note).
  (Overall, though, not really very well acted. For heaven's sakes, Elphaba and Fiyero are supposed to be IN LOVE. Kris and Eden need to do a little more to show it. Although, she did grab Kris by the suspenders again, but it was done somewhat slowly so it didn't really have the intended effect.)
   
• Kris typically has the worst dumbfounded look on his face as he bolts up to his feet and the way that he says, "What? What do you see?" is just ... bad.  BUT this time, Kris kind of toned down the dumbness, at least in his tone of voice. It was a little better.
   
• Another place where Eden bugged the heck out of me with her improper overuse of finger pointing was when she asks Kris, "Where do you live?" Thankfully, this time, she didn't point. She just kept her right hand on his chest, just drawing back slightly when she asked that.
   
• Eden was VERY emotional as she said, "We will see each other again, won't we?"
   
• In the witch fight scene, I love Megan's little hand gesture indicating a circle when she said "twister of fate".
   
• Eden did the high-pitched, witch-like "You're too busy telling everyone how wonderful everything is!"
   
• Overall, the witch fight scene was VERY well carried out by Eden and Megan ... one of the better ones I've seen in a while. A lot of it was just in the timing of when things were said. Megan, in particular, was VERY biting when she said, "Yes, well, a lot of us are taking things that don't belong to us, aren't we?" Got a great reaction from the audience.
   
• I love Megan's little squeaks when she's twirling her wand. So cute.
   
• This time I actually heard Eden say, "I'm gonna rip that tiara off your head!" just as she was being grabbed by one of the Ozian guards. Hilarious.
   
• Eden was also quite a bit more squirmy in the Ozian guards' grips -- several times she tried to wrestle herself free. Nice touch.
   
• No Tarzan yell from Kris this time.
   
• "No Good Deed" is always an amazing song from Eden, even on days where she's not acting as well as I'd like. But this time, she acted a lot more and she was a good deal much more dynamic with her softer lines in NGD. And she also used good hand gestures as well.
  The Fiyero riff was short (she didn't go up until the last possible moment), and she really riffed the last note, but it did sound a little strained. Still, Eden ALWAYS knocks this song out of the park, even when she doesn't riff, and the fierce intensity she put into it this time was ... wow.
   
• This time Eden drew in a breath of horror when she started reading the note.
   
• Eden made it sound like she was losing control of her emotions when she said, "You're right ... it's time."
   
• When Eden hands Megan the Grimmerie and says "Go on, take it", oftentimes she'll say it with a little too much force (which I can see working). But this time, it was in a softer tone of voice, which was quite a bit more emotional.
   
• In "For Good", Eden did the "you'll be with me" riff. (And overall, "For Good" was all right. Not nearly as emotional as I've seen in the past week, which is a little surprising given how the rest of this show was.)
   
• John was a good deal more emotional upon realizing his connection with Elphaba. Almost brought me to tears.
   
• I LOVE Megan's screaming "Did you hear what I said?!"
   
• I also love the way Megan bobs her head side to side as she says, "It is my personal opinion that you do not have WHAT. IT. TAKES."
   
• I don't think I've nitpicked this before, but I don't really like the way Kris stumbles on stage, trying move like the scarecrow. It just doesn't look right. He was a little better this time, but it was still farther from some other Fiyeros.