My notes from seeing the Behind the Emerald Curtain tour (back over Thanksgiving break, but I have a busy life). The pictures are on Photobucket. I uploaded all of them to my Facebook, but since quite a lot of you aren't FB friends, now you can all see them!
Some previews:
Row 1, L-R The beading on Elphaba's bodice, me indignant about those NOT being the correct bubble gonwn shoes, a high res photo of the shoe rack in G(a)linda's room, Baby Elphaba with Wizomania tickets, the green bottle, the training wand, and some Shiz schoolbooksR 2, L-R: Mme Morrible's Emerald City dress (and me), Nicholas Dromard, who plays Fiyero and is SMOKING HOT (and Alex and me).
A note about the props: I didn't get a picture of this particular angle, but a couple children in our group got to touch the Baby Elphie. According to Fiyero (Nicholas Dromard; our tour guide), the babies are made by a company that makes babies for Lamaze classes, and are highly realistic both in appearance and texture. According to Kate, 9 yrs old, who got to touch it, "IT HAS REAL GIRL PARTS EWWW." (This was confirmed by her mother)Also, look at all those shoes!!!!!
Here's my blogpost from my personal blog, which has more information.
It felt like a day in Disneyland. We got up at the buttcrack of dawn (5am. Yes, really.) and left the house around 6. Since I was taking the train with my theatre peeps, instead of driving, my family dropped me off at the designated meeting place (Starbucks just outside of town). I was the first one there, and I felt very awkward being the only one inside the Starbucks (but I treated myself to a gingerbread latte, which just made the world better). So I played around with Luna (I figured out the "backspace" button, I am so proud) until people arrived.
Then we were off. Can I say, I am not a happy camper at 7 am? Or 8 am? Or 9 am? Yet I maintained more or less cheerfulness. That is to say, no one died. Or cried.
The train was a lot of fun. Mostly I talked to Lori and played with Luna, but yes. I like trains. Better than cars or planes, for sure. Having never been on one for an extended amount of time, I cannot voice a preference for trains vs boats, but I do get seasick easily, soo...
Anyways. The train lets out right underneath the Orpheum Theatre, which is extremely convenient. No parking required. Our tour started at 10, but this being normal theatre, it was a few minutes late.
Us outside the VIP suite. Being seasoned actors, we know how to make a shape with ease. L-R, Thomas, Ethan, Morgan, Nat, Kate, Maren, Jaemen, Elizabeth (Jaemen and Maren's cousin), Alex, Everett, Hannah, and finally, moi.
Our tour was guided by none other than Nicholas Dromard (Fiyero) and Jonathan Ritter, who is swing ensemble. Exciting, to say the least. Plus, the Fiyero was HAWT. (Granted, none can hold a candle to the amazingly talented and beautiful Sebastian Arcelus. But he's married to SJB, and as far as we know, Nicholas is up for grabs.)
After we were allowed into the VIP room and before the tour officially began, we were allowed to wander around. We could take pictures, but not touch anything... which was very difficult, as nothing was under glass: it was all out in the open. Wicked is a very trusting family.
The Glinda display was the one that initially caused much squeeing. It was Kristin Chenoweth's Bubble Gown probably from right before she left, as it was subtly different than the original one: the skirt was fluffier and the neckline was different than the iconic picture, but it wasn't quite to where the gown is now.
Look how tiny that dress is... I'm a size four. That's like... Size negative-12.
However, the squeeing was dampened when I realised... THE SHOES ARE WRONG.
Also, so is the wig. LOOK AT IT. Those are gold shoes. She wears them for Thank Goodness and the Engagement Ballgown. During the first act when she wears her Bubble Gown, she is wearing them over her Shiz skirt and shoes, so all she has to put on is the jacket and hat and wig. During the second act, she (as I ascertained during the show, as you shall soon hear) wears these gold shoes which look like (maybe even are the same as) she wears under the One Short Day dress (in this particular production: I don't know why I have photos of completely different brown shoes in Chicago, London, and Germany). These are NOT her Bubble Gown shoes.
Also, the wig is her Thank Goodness & Engagement hair. NOT her Bubble Gown hair.
I was not happy.
I actually mentioned this to the Fiyero during the Q&A (I'm really worried I came off snotty: I hope this wasn't the case) and he was like, "Yeah, I don't know why they do that. I asked them, but they didn't really have an answer for me. Sorry, it bugs me too." Haha.
Another thing I found out: RAGING DEBATE ENDED. THE BG HAS A ZIPPER.
Elphaba's Act 2 dress was there, too (Nicholas called it her "No Good Deed" dress, which makes zero sense to me. Maybe he just came up with the name). I didn't get that many pictures. I felt really weird taking them; it was like some kind of weird dream. And then the thing is, I know the dress. I have so many pictures covering every inch of that dress. There was no part of that dress I didn't know. So I got a detail shot of the beading for anyone wanting to create an Act 2 beading tutorial (I'm looking at YOU, Galinda'sWardrobe!)
It was the same with the Bubble Gown, too. I can't really explain it. It was kind of like, "Yup. Just like I thought."
The tour was interesting. I have several pages of notes that I'll transcribe someday (I'm soo tired, y'all... seriously). We took several pictures with the hot man Fiyero, which turned out lovely.
Yes, that notepad which i took lots of notes in. Blarg I'm too tired.
The show was awesome. We had amazing seats. When it started, I got really freaked out, because when the monkeys come down the ropes, the puppeteers were like, SHAKING the ropes, which are probably about a fist's thickness and LONG. So it (to me) looked like snakes, and the bottom of the rope was jiggling and anyway yes I may have almost climbed into Maren's lap. But I got over this after the ropes went away, and it was good.
We saw the Glinda understudy, Natalie Daradich. Obvi NOT Annaleigh Ashford, but she was good. I felt like she was trying to channel Megan Hilty a lot, and she was very nasally. I think she's organically a mezzo (she did play NessaRose for a while in LA) and this showed a lot in how she played the character. Idk, I wasn't connecting to her like when I saw Annaleigh, or even just the clips of Kristin. She seemed closed off to me. But Teal Wicks was an amazing Elphaba, and I was able to identify a little more with her than I have been able to in the past (most likely because I was so focused on Glinda). I was really enjoying the show in its own right (to actually be able to SEE Defying Gravity was AMAZING!!!), though i think knowing as much as I do about the technical side of things may have spoiled the "magic" for me since I last saw it. I mean, when you know how it all works, you're not all starry eyed.
I was taking notes (remember the notes?) and such up until "For Good". Well, until the scene started. And then I had this horrible sickening feeling of homesickness. And I've been doing well, here in California. I try not to think about my BFFs too much, because it's too hard to think about when I'll see them again (and sometimes... if?...) and especially as I fall more and more in love with Ariel and want so desperately to stay there, because I feel safe there. "Nothing truly bad..." indeed. But I suddenly had a flashback to standing around a piano with Ashley, singing, and standing around a piano with Heather, and hanging with Emily, and seriously, it was like a flashback sequence in a movie. I could see it, all. And I burst into tears ("...and then I burst into tears" is the new "...and then my brother ran out screaming") and BAWLED all the way through the song. ALL THE WAY. I didn't even watch the blocking. I didn't see any of it. And I didn't care how nasal Glinda was or listen for the harmonies so I could nudge my sister when Elphaba goes on the high part and Glinda goes on the low part (raging debate among her friends. La Diva is of the opinion that Glinda NEVER sings lower than Elphaba. Boy is she wrong...). I just cried and cried and cried.
I miss you guys. I don't think you have any idea how much. You all are right near by each other.. I guess Rachel Blackhair's a few hours south, but still. It's a 9 hour drive. I'm a 48 hour drive. And you all have each other. And I don't have anybody. And I miss you guys, so much. I miss cuddling with Ashley and snarking with Heather and making Emily laugh until liquid comes out her nose and hearing Elise squeak and I miss you guys. Best Friends Forever.
So yes. I sniffled my way home, we went out to eat.
I have more notes that I haven't gotten around to posting. BLARG. It's all too much work.
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