NYC and Canada Day #2: Wicked!!

If you’ve missed the recaps prior to this one, check them out below!

NYC & Canada Day #2: New York Yankees
NYC & Canada Day #1: Exploring New York

When I left off with our New York Adventures, we were about to return to our hotel with just enough time to freshen up before leaving for Broadway!

We hopped in a cab (see how crazy they drive?) and made our way to the Gershwin Theater!

We stopped for a pre-show snack along the way before entering the theater.

 

Yes, we were going to see WICKED!

I have looked forward to seeing Wicked ever since we started planning this trip.

I wanted to make my first official Broadway musical a great one!

The one thing I noticed about the theater is the fact that the company had free reign of the building they occupied. Prior to seeing Wicked, the only Broadway musicals I saw were travelling (Broadway Across America). With a travelling company, all of the props and sets are mobile which limits them on their capacity to decorate. Don’t get me wrong, all of the travelling Broadway productions I’ve seen have been incredible, this was just an observation that I noticed with being stationed at their own building.

My mother-in-law bought opera glasses and we loved them! They were perfect for seeing a closer view of the stage. (By the way, when I say “opera glasses”, I can’t help but think of  Minnie Mouse in Mickey’s Philharmagic in the Magic Kingdom! Hah! If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean!) :0)

When we purchased tickets for this show, we decided on Orchestra level seats. I made the decision to splurge on tickets because I had no clue if I’d ever be back and I wanted my first Broadway experience to be AMAZING! 
Mission: accomplished!

After we sat down, Jason and I were flipping through the playbill and I told him that I love one of the last songs of the production called “For Good”…I think it would make a good funeral song and I want it played at my funeral. OK morbid, right? I wasn’t being morbid, just being silly. My husband (who thinks he’s funny) said in return “How about the very first song of the production instead? You know, ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’?”

:O

Oh Jason.

Anyway, Wicked was everything I imaged it would be and more! I’ve kind of been addicted to the Wicked Soundtrack for a while now – and quite honestly, the soundtrack gave nothing away. I was surprised SEVERAL times throughout the production. There were WAY too many things that I didn’t see coming!

This clip is from the original musicians from the production – Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth at the Tony Awards in 2006.

A neat thing we noticed with the opera glasses – Elphaba’s mic is on her forehead (it’s very noticeable in the You Tube video, yet not so noticeable from stage in the theater). Also, we could NOT find Glenda’s mic to save our lives. We noticed mics on the Wizard and Elphaba and various other characters, but we could not find Glenda’s for anything! While watching the You Tube video above, I noticed that it is also on her forehead – however, on Broadway, that mic was NOT on her forehead! I think they tuck it up under her hairline.

I have a million and one amazing things to say about Wicked. This production is FLAWLESS – we saw no stage movement, everything flowed smooth, and the musicians were top-notch. If you ever have the chance to see it, GO!

I loved this place so much I didn’t want to leave!

Boo reality!

After the production – even though it was 11 p.m. – we walked over to Applebee’s for dinner. We WERE in the city that never sleeps, after all! :0)

The sign above the door should say – the Largest AND most Expensive Applebee’s in the World! Hah!

  

See what I mean? Menu prices were double but the portion sizes remained the same. Jason and I split the Orange Chicken dish. We were full and really didn’t need any more food, it’s just the point that we paid double for a dish we could have gotten back home for cheaper. Moral of the story, don’t eat in Time Square unless you want to pay an arm and a leg! :0)

After dinner, we decided to walk over to Ellen’s Stardust Diner to check out that night’s entertainment (and maybe split a little dessert). :0) Even though it was well after midnight, we figured they would still be open. We walked in and were greeted at the door by a guy who immediately recognized Jason (and unfortunately they were closed). I thought maybe he recognized Jason from us being there the night before but NO! He remembered Jason from COLLEGE. Yes, we were in New York and Jason ran into someone who remembered him from COLLEGE back home in Louisiana! They were both in a fraternity and even though they didn’t go to the same school, they both attended several of the same functions. Talk about a SMALL WORLD. My husband has been out of college since 2001! Hah!

Anyway, there’s my Wicked recap! Absolutely incredible and again, if you have the chance to see it, GO!! :0)

Up next: Boarding the Disney Magic!!

Have you ever seen a Broadway production (on or off Broadway)? What’s your favorite?
So far, here’s my list:
#1: Wicked (on Broadway)
#2: Les Miserables (Broadway Across America – Seattle)
#3: Lion King (Broadway Across American – Houston)
#4: Phantom of the Opera (on Broadway)