Return to the Forbidden Planet
The musical I am performing in opened Wednesday. It is going relatively well, considering many circumstances. I have linked a news article and two reviews, one from the Collegian and one from the Hillsdale Daily News. Let me know if you have any questions.
Wicked Performance
This past weekend I was in Chicago and caught a performance of the new musical Wicked. Granted I was not unfamiliar with the show as I have had the original cast album courtesy of a friend. Despite the repeated listens over the past year I was in no way prepared for the performance.
The story of Wicked is somewhat complex. In a sense it is the "prequel" to Baum's Wizard of Oz, yet much of the story runs chronologically parallel to the original story. It tells the tale of Elphaba and Glinda, the two girls who would become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good respectively. Gregory Maguire, the author of the original novel, combined prominent racial and social themes in the story which are preserved in the musical, serving to add to the complicated yet intriguing plot. The wickedness of characters is contested while the motivations of all of the players are thrown into question.
Ana Gasteyer of Saturday Night Live fame played the role of Elphaba, which musically is the lead. Multiple times her solos provoked chills and tears from those in the audience (including myself). The cast was well-rounded, however, and Kate Reinders portrayed Glinda quite admirably.
I highly recommend the show. It is quite family friendly and those things that might be deemed inappropriate for children are portrayed allegorically and would not be understood by most children. I would personally feel confident taking a young child, purely for their own enjoyment.
The show's website has all of the information you need, from tickets to cast lineup. The show is currently playing in both Chicago and New York with a national tour in full swing (fall cities on the tour include Dallas and Houston).
Me, in Shakespeare, in the Arb
For those who didn't know, I an in this year's rejuvenation of the Shakespeare in the Arb. Maybe Wazoo and those who did Hamlet those years ago will be proud of me. I hope so. Wish y'all could be out here to see it.
