WICKED, STARRING KRISTIN CHENOWETH, IDINA MENZEL AND JOEL GREY. Decca Broadway proudly presents the original cast recording of WICKED, Broadway's most talked about new musical. The box office is already over $10 Million! With a score by Stephen Schwartz (Broadway's Pippin, Godspell), libretto by Winnie Holzman (TV's My So-Called Life) and based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical is a prequel to the legendary classic, THE WIZARD OF OZ. WICKED explores the early life of the witches of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba. One witch, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED stars Tony Award® winner Kristin Chenoweth (You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown) as Glinda, Idina Menzel (Rent) as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Tony® and Oscar® Winner Joel Grey (Cabaret) as The Wizard. The Original Cast Recording -- featuring an essay by Wicked novelist Gregory Maguire, original color photos from the show and a complete libretto.
One of the most common complaints about musicals is that the books are flimsy pretexts from which to hang numbers. Wicked runs into the opposite problem: it has a great plot, but too often the songs just get in the way. Based on Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, Wicked tells us what happened between Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, before Dorothy showed up in Oz. And the show is lucky to boast a pair of ace leading women in the main roles. As Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth delivers a sensational star turn, displaying a crystal-pure voice and sharp comic timing; Idina Menzel lends her powerful pipes to the tricky role of Elphaba. Unfortunately, you wish they had better material to work with. Stephen Schwartz's pop score is often dragged down by overly synthetic orchestrations and sentimental lyrics (think Chicken Soup for the Witch). Still, at its best Wicked is a seductive slice of popular entertainment that could well give a younger audience a lasting taste for musical theater. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Excellent Recording:
This is an excellent recording of the original cast. If you're looking for a good way to experience Wicked (from home), then you won't be disappointed.
Wonderful show!!:
This is an excellent CD and would be great for the family. Chosen music gives clear picture of the show.
Great music:
Item arrived as promised and in excellent condition. For lovers of musicals, it is a great CD that would enhance any collection.
Wicked:
I loved this CD and not only ordered one for myself, but ordered some for gifts. The music was wonderful and we are all looking forward now to seeing the play. What a great deal I got from Amazon.com. Why would I shop any where else.
Jersey Boys (2005 Original Broadway Cast Recording) by Ronald Melrose, Ken Dow, Anik Oulianine, Stephanie Cummins, Deborah Hurwitz, Kevin Dow, Joe Payne, Larry Saltzman, Dave Spier, Bill Hayes, Randall Andos, Bob Milikan, Debra Shufelt, Maxine Roach, Belinda Whitney, Cenovia Cummins, Eric de Gioia, Louise Owen, Robin Zeh, Sarah Schwartz, Shinwon Kim, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, Donnie Kehr, Erica Piccininni, J. Robert Spencer, Jennifer Naimo, John Lloyd Young, Sara Schmidt, Tituss Burgess, Steve Orich, Bob Gaudio (Audio CD)
