"Does he like anything?"
Dec. 10th, 2005 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learnedaxSaw Wicked in Hartford.
I've never read the book, but from commentary by those who have I think I would probably have liked the play better if it had been closer to the original. Both the personal progression of the protagonist and the ending were somewhat unsatisfying to me in ways that the book apparently would not be.
As a play it was intensely focused on big musical numbers, in my opinion to the detriment of the other aspects. The musical numbers were by and large quite good, but the entire thing was, I felt, more about spectacle than about coherent theatrical work. There were narrative jumps that were not well fleshed out, and character development that largely happened off-stage, while the cast took every opportunity for posing and belting out showstoppers, of which there were many. In fact, the play is probably built more of standard Broadway tropes than any other that I have seen. The cast's voices were generally very strong, and they achieved some good emotional moments, but as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jducoeur pointed out we got hit with Another Big Number a bit too much.
All around, it was decent, but not amazing.
I've never read the book, but from commentary by those who have I think I would probably have liked the play better if it had been closer to the original. Both the personal progression of the protagonist and the ending were somewhat unsatisfying to me in ways that the book apparently would not be.
As a play it was intensely focused on big musical numbers, in my opinion to the detriment of the other aspects. The musical numbers were by and large quite good, but the entire thing was, I felt, more about spectacle than about coherent theatrical work. There were narrative jumps that were not well fleshed out, and character development that largely happened off-stage, while the cast took every opportunity for posing and belting out showstoppers, of which there were many. In fact, the play is probably built more of standard Broadway tropes than any other that I have seen. The cast's voices were generally very strong, and they achieved some good emotional moments, but as
jducoeur pointed out we got hit with Another Big Number a bit too much.All around, it was decent, but not amazing.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-11 10:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-11 02:44 pm (UTC)I have a high threshold for greatness, which doesn't really permit flaws. Which is not to say that every part of a work must be perfect for me to consider it great, but it has to try something interesting, and not fail in ways that detract from the experience. Pirates of the Caribbean is not a perfect movie, but it is a good movie without basic flaws, and I thought it was wonderful.
The result is that I have a narrow band of amazing, and a wide band of pretty good.