#God Glinda in that scene is a mood

[inkperch]

Okay. But. Can we talk about Arianna's acting in the 'my father hates me- oh, that's not the secret' scene. And how she somehow perfectly captures that feeling of 'fuck I just meant like. Talking about boys. I did not mean trauma dumping ti- I'M SORRY HE SAID WHAT TO YOU?'

[pdouwes]

Hi, I'm a big fan of your blog and your gifs in general! I was wondering if you had any tutorial on how you color? Particularly your Wicked and Hadestown gifs look incredibly gorgeous and the colors really pop, and I'm so curious as to how you achieve those effects. Amazing work overall :D

hiii, oh my god thank you so much!! 🥺❤️

i'm happy to show you how i color my gifs but pls note that i basically have no idea what i'm doing, everything i know i taught myself via trial and error and this is just something i found works for me.

that being said, here's a quick (and very messy) bootleg coloring tutorial under the cut!

okay so, when it comes to making gifs and coloring in general, good source material is key. bright and clear videos make the coloring process SO much easier.

i picked an old 2010 wicked oberhausen boot for this tutorial. it doesn't have the highest resolution but the colors translate nicely and the lighting is pretty good as well.

now, this is our base gif cropped and sharpened. i usually want my gifs to look as natural and as close to their base version as possible with just colors and contrast enhanced slightly. baby steps are important here!

first thing i do is add a brightness/contrast layer. these are my settings for this gif:

i rarely ever go above 20 with either brightness or contrast. adding too much early on will make your gif look grainy in the end. our gif now looks like this:

not much has changed but a little goes a long way, trust me. next up is a curves layer. i click the little arrow to open the drop down menu and select increase contrast (rgb). afterwards i reduce the opacity. for this gif i set it to 52%.

this will darken the gif again but it also gets rid of these white spots on elphaba's dress which is great.

next, we start playing around with colors. i usually use 3 color fill and one or two selective color layers. this really is just playing around until you find the settings that you think look good. for this gif i wanted to enhance the green and neutralise some of the yellow, so i went with two color fill layers first.

green to slightly enhance the green of elphie's skin and blue to neutralise the yellow in glinda's hair.

next we're going with a selective color layer. think of the colors you want to pop. for this gif the obvious choices are elphie's skin and glinda's dress.

i added a second layer to further adjust the greens

and ended up with this gif

i then added another color fill layer, set it to multiply and reduced the opacity to 12

followed by a color balance layer

the purpose of these layers is to slightly "cool down" the gif, meaning they decrease orange/yellow undertones while enhancing the blue and purple ones.

next up is a levels layer to add a tiny bit more brightness

followed by a vibrance layer to make existing colors pop

and another curves layer for more brightness/contrast with the opacity set to 50%

our gif now looks like this:

almost done! we're finishing up with a black and white gradient map layer for some more depth

and a cooling filter to further reduce the yellow/orange tones of glinda's face and hair

and that's it!

so, here you go. this is my coloring process most of the time. sometimes i add more layers (on top or in between), other times i use less, it all depends on the specific scene and the mood i'm in lol.

now, could you leave out some of these steps? yeah, definitely. some layers probably don't even make that much of a difference but i like adding them anyway.

you can download the psd here. feel free to play around with my settings and add or delete layers as you see fit. hope this was at least somewhat helpful!

[maddgarbagemonkey]

I Just Saw the Wicked 2019 Touring Cast and Boy Howdy, am I excited to Rant! (All Good things!)

There's a lot so buckle up your seatbealts!

So, first off, this was my first time seeing the show *cough cough* legally *cough* and I was amazed.

I instantly fell in love with the big metal dragon and nearly screamed when it moved and started blowing smoke out of its nose, as my Grandpa lied and told me, even though he's seen it 4 times, that the dragon was just decoration.

I love that the first solid 5 minutes of the show are just winged monkeys running around on the stage and looking concerned at one another before the opening number starts.

Glinda, played by Erin Mackey, was my WIFE.

During her first speaking part of "No one Mourns the Wicked," she got stuck on her big metal bubble and the ensemble had to crowd around her to help her get off, which, because coming off of the bubble was her cue to continue, led to a really long silence. But it kinda fit and showed that she hesitated to celebrate Elphaba's death so yeah! I just thought it was adorable and I admire how she was able to turn it into a cool window into her character!

When Elphaba, played by Mariand Torres, entered we all screamed for a solid 3 minutes and, after seeing her performance, she deserved a solid 8 more. I loved her so much!

I loved her early performance of Elphaba at Shiz because she played her as an angry little bean that snapped at everyone and everything instead of just shy and quiet and it worked so well, especially with how overprotective she was of Nyssa.

A girl literally faints upon seeing Elphaba and I can relate cause she was SO PRETTY!

Mariand's "Wizard and I" was so powerful and emotional at the same time I just wanted to pick her up and keep her! <3

THE 👏 GLINDA 👏 AND 👏 ELPHABA👏 HEIGHT👏 DIFFERENCE!

Usually you see Elphaba portrayed as tall while Glinda is shorter but, because Mariand was a tiny angel and Erin was a tall goddess who literally towered over Fierro without heels, it was quite the opposite and I l o v e d every second of "What is this Feeling" because of it.

I would die for tiny little ball of angry Elphaba and Tall, regal, princess Glinda holding her back from fighting everyone who dares look at them funny and you can pry them out of my cold dead hands.

Mariand did the thing where she mimicked Glinda for the "Your Voice" line and made it extra squeaky and I died.

She also, whenever Glinda had her back turned, copied her with a stupid little kicking dance and tossed her hair way too frantically and I fell in love.

For the "boo", Elphaba had to look directly up and jump at Glinda because she was so short and I squealed

Oh my God. C U R T. H A N S E N. This man was in Big Time Rush and I can not picture Fierro's entrance without the theme song ever again. (Bruh, Chill)

His choreo also had some "not-so-subtle" scarecrow like poses and taps.

Dude, he played him as such a snotty little twink and I loved it! He almost knocked down the statue in the center like eight times during "Dancing Through Life!"

His mic also made him sound like he was under water for a total of one (1) line and I snorted.

Nyssa, (sorry Mili Diaz, you were incredible and I love you,) Please exit my server.

Glinda made at least 16 Tik Tok references and I know, it's not towards the app because duh, but I'm still very conflicted.

Elphaba was S O mad at the scene with Dr. Dillamond I was so proud and in love!

E L P H A B A ' S D A N C E!

It was so good and pure and when Glinda joined she made it look so graceful!

And Elphaba looked very doubtful at first but then she looked around at everyone doing her dance and back at Glinda and she had the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes because she was accepted for something and it was beautiful!

Only Boc's mic was really working at this part so the "Let's DAAAANCE" reverberated deeply into my soul and stayed there for a really long time.

Popular was superb and I literally cried.

Literally.

When Erin got out of breath, she fell on the floor and just layed there for 16 counts breathing really heavily into the mic. Pure Poetry

Glinda suffocated Elphaba with hugs to her throat and swung her around like a rag doll while she just glared angry and helpless.

During "Don't Make me laugh" Glinda pushed her hand into Elphaba's face and gently and slowly set her back on her bed and if that ain't the biggest mood.

So many kicks and giggles I LOVE ERIN MACKEY!

When Glinda fell into Elphaba's arms crying after Fierro ran away at the train scene she took up half of her body and I just needed to write that out.

The egg-like Emerald City suits without arms that extended their necks and twirled them like lassos. Need I say more?

Elphaba's teary smile at "Finally, no one's looking or staring at me!" And then Glinda takes off her glasses and grabs her hand saying that she looked as beautiful as an emerald and... A C K

Upon meeting the scary robo wizard, Glinda got scared and tried to hide her 5'9 body behind little 5'1 Elphie and she looked so protective and ready to throw down I loved it!

Monkeys. Monkeys. Monkeys.

"Let her go! It's not her that you want! Its ME!" She sounded so powerful and angry I would die for her.

The part where Elphaba's begging Glinda to go with her but she's too focused on the fact that she's shaking and ties that spooky cape around her shoulders.

Mariand's "Defying Gravity" was so strong and beautiful with all of her God-tier belts and riffs I could not stop smiling and when she finally flies I yelped because you always hear about how cool it is and looks but then you really S E E it and it's beyond words! I had to do nothing and breathe for a second afterwards to find my bearings!

I loved Erin's "Thank Goodness" a lot. She poured a lot of emotion and beautiful vocals into it and just... god, she's gorgeous!

At the part where Elphaba appeared in the closet in Nyssa's office and the mirror became see through I heard a kid behind me exclaim "Zoo Wee Mama" and I won't be the same.

I don't remember Nyssa being so horrible but... *shrug* She gets it from her Dad I guess.

I love that Boc's reaction to finding out Nyssa can walk is just, "oh, good! Now you can work on this whole walking thing and get tf away from me! This worked out perfectly!" Same, boi.

I loved! LOVED! Nyssa Rose's song with a passion and the way her words get all twisted and angry literally talking about how she's going to rip Boc's heart out for leaving her and it gave me a good amount of spooks.

"Don't say I'm beautiful. You don't need to lie to me." B A B Y

"My Family has a Castle! No one lives there or will see us besides the guards!" "Where do you live, now?" "... The other castle." Oh sweetie.

Glinda, you deserve so much more than scarecrow boy and I would die for you!

Elphaba's voice drops at least 8 octaves during her line in "As long as Your Mine" The "For the first time I feel...

Wicked

I have never been more physically and emotionally attracted to a green lady Other than Princess Fiona

Also, there was so much smoke during that song that I could hear some Orchestra members cough.

During that scene with Elphaba's and Glinda's argument at Nyssa's "Funeral", while preparing to fight Glinda twirls her wand and strikes at Elphie like she came out of the Karate Kid.

Elphaba's witch laugh after Glinda slaps her followed by the most serious "Feel Better?"

Both Fierro and Glinda yell at Elphaba to leave before she gets hurt and I feel things because of that.

While Fierro is fake/real threatening Glinda with a gun, she just tearfully shakes her head in a silent plea and he INSTANTLY drops his gun. I love 'em

The way Glinda's "Fierro" melts into Elphaba's "FIERRROOO!" Love.

"No Good Deed" will always be my favorite song. ITS SO GOOD! Mariand's voice was incredible and her riffs and belts added so much!

During Elphaba's little "let all of OZ be agreed I'm wicked through and through," she makes her voice all scary and raspy, but it melts back into her own voice and beautiful despair at "since I can not succeed, Fierro saving you!"

NO GOOD DEED! 10/10 LOTSA SMOKE

March of the Witch hunters always has and will give me chills. Nothing more to say. Just one good bop.

This is the part where I cry too much.

"For Good" was gorgeous and I cried. A lot. A lot.

Elphaba kisses Glinda's hands and wipes her tears away.

Glinda runs her hands across and straightens Elphaba's hat and OH MY GOD!

It hurts how frantically Elphaba hides Glinda to protect her! Side note, I would also die for Chistery.

At their final moments together, Elphaba blows Glinda a kiss and then proceeds to get "murdered" in a really cool way by Dorthy.

Glinda's "Elphie!?" Is so tragic and panicked I was struggling to make it through, and then she grabbed her hat and cried into it and I was long gone.

Fierro adopts spooky Scarecrow movements at the end which I think is really cool and he also mimics Elphaba's "Don't lie to me!" Line.

Before Elphaba leaves, she becomes entranced by Glinda's beautiful singing, like she's thinking of telling her she's okay, but then she turns around and walks through the door with Fierro.

The last thing we see of Elphaba is her wearing her signature hat and walking into dust with Fierro. The last thing we see of Glinda is her sobbing into Elphaba's book in her bubble.

In conclusion, IM NOT OKAY!

Nah, Fam! But seriously! Mariand and Erin's vocals and performances were to die for! It succeeded my wildest expectations! I had so much fun and would 100% recommend seeing the show if you haven't seen it or want to see it a 19th time. Both are just as valid. :)

[congratulotions]

How many years have gone by between act 1 & act 2 of wicked?

anon you have no idea how much this question HAUNTS ME

like, not only do I wonder how much time has passed between act 2 and act 2, but how much time has passed between ANY of the scenes, really?

of course, the story starts on glinda and elphaba’s first day at shiz, and that’s the same day that madame morrible sees ephaba’s talents and decides Oh My God Elphaba You Gotta Meet the Wizard. and then the plot ensues– glinda and elphaba initially hate each other, then they become best friends, they meet fiyero, drama ensues, et cetera. then right after INTG comes the train station scene, where morrible is like “hey remember when I said you could meet the wizard?? that’s happening now” and then they go meet the wizard

which makes No Fucking Sense when you think about it, because like– assuming their trip to the emerald city happens in elphaba and glinda’s sophomore year like it did in the book, that means it took the wizard at least one (1) year to reply to madame morrible’s inquiry about seeing a green chick with magical powers strong enough to enact spells in the grimmerie?? like wouldn’t that be a priority??? is the wizard really that busy of a guy?? the only other option is that the wizard has agreed to have them meet within a sensible timeframe after getting the inquiry– let’s say, like, a month or something at the most– and glinda and elphaba have only been Inseperable Best Friends for like a few weeks before elphaba flies off into the sunset and yeets out of the picture and act 2 begins

which like. okay. we can let That slide, but then it begs the question– how much time passes between Defying Gravity and Thank Goodness??? you’d THINK it’s taken a while for glinda to like, essentially become the press secretary of an entire country, but the way the ozians act at the beginning makes it sound like elphaba is an immediate threat (“every day more wicked!! every day the terror grows!!1!!1! where will she strike next??”), suggesting that defying gravity took place, like, the night before. or at least fairly recently.

so does this make glinda like 19 or 20 years old at this point? if it’s all taking place during their freshman year of college, is she still like 18?? shouldn’t she finish her studies? aren’t her parents worried about her?? but if she’s already graduated from college by this point, making her, say, 23 at the oldest, then the entire emerald city trip/defying gravity trip must’ve taken place during their senior year of college (making it believable that glinda and elphaba are Best Friends by that point, but also suggesting that the wizard took four (4) years to decide whether elphaba should come visit, which seems entirely unbelievable). also, if it has been three/four years, what has elphaba been doing this whole time? how exactly is she “terrorizing” the population? where is she living? does she have a job? i’m worried about her

now, my memory is splotchier when it comes to the chronological order of events in act 2, because i’m guilty of constantly only watching the first act in bootlegs and then never getting around to the second, so correct me if i’m wrong– but like, listen. HOW many years have passed between Defying Gravity and For Good? if it’s ~17 years like it is in the book, and glinda and elphaba have only known each other for a year or two in college– during half of which they were sworn enemies– and seen each other, like, twice since then, then WHY do they act like they’ve known each other forever and were the most important people in each other’s lives? did elphaba and glinda Really not make any friends during those 17 years have they REALLY not moved on have they REALLY just been pining over each other for two solid decades because like… mood

or, if less than 17 years have passed– let’s give it a generous five or 10– then elphaba is like… still in her 20s at the time of her death. she’s like 23 at the youngest, assuming time is passing at the rapid-fire pace it seems to be. even if she dies at 38 like she does according to gregory maguire, that’s still so fuckin YOUNG she was too young to die, winnie holzman, you absolute monster

also, if 17 years DID pass, how on earth has elphaba remained relevant enough in the ozian political scene to merit a nationwide holiday over her death?? like all she did was say “fuck the government i’m out”, fly away, terrorize one (1) child and assemble a gaggle of literate flying monkeys?? how does ANY of that merit a celebration on the sheer scale of what we see in No One Mourns the Wicked. i can only assume the government been using elphaba as a scapegoat for other problems through the years or else that makes absolutely no sense and i’m going to scream

so in short, dear anon: i have no fucking idea

[bannedfromtheaters]

Oooh wicked or rent (or both😊) (for the ask game)

Ay I’ll do both :D (warning tho, I’m pretty critical of Rent) and this goes under a cut bc OOF did it get long haha

Rent

the first song from this show I heard: I remember when I watched Rent for the first time recognizing the tune of Seasons of Love so probably that onedo I own the cast album?: Nope, although I got a few of the songs in my ‘musical’ playlist on spotifyfavorite song: I’ll Cover You is such a cute soft mlm song and Take Me Or Leave Me has such a terrible message but goddamn is it catchy.least favorite song: there’s this one song in the end where Roger sings to Mimi the song he has been working on during the entire show and it’s somehow the worst and most boring song ever created..? favorite character: THEY ARE ALL KINDA AWFUL PEOPLE TBH but by design, Angel is the manic pixie dream girl with least of an arc and somehow therefore the most likable?

EDIT: the homeless woman in the movie who tells off Mark for using her misery as art without even wanting to give her a fucking dollar so she can live.least favorite character: MARK CAN CHOKEOTP: I mean Collins and Angel are pretty good & soft until DEATHBROTP: I have no idea why these people are friends with each other in the first place to be completely honest??NOTP: Does “I want Mark to end up alone and miserable bc he’s a fcking dick” count as a NOTP or……?song I didn’t like at first but now do: okay. this only goes for the musical, not the movie, but Over The Moon. It’s so wonderfully pastiche and some of the actresses play it up so hilariously Bad that it becomes good again.song I used to like but now don’t: hmm. La Vie Boheme.. because.. listening to the actual lyrics.. it’s just.. WHAT?! They praise.. yogurt and yoga as.. counter culture..?? WHAT IS THIS SONG??is the fandom annoying?: i have no idea because i do not venture there tbhdo I read/write fanfic for this show?: nope!favorite non-sung line:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯favorite lyric: “because reason says I should’ve died three years ago” is one hell of a gut-punch line. overall rating out of 10: instead of a rating, I’m gonna link you to Lindsay Ellis’ incredible video essay on Rent called “Look Pretty and Do As Little As Possible” because even though she says she hates Rent, still has a very nuanced and fair analysis that really gets to the core of all the issues I have with this story, even though I can acknowledge that it has done some good things. She phrases it a million times better than I ever could. Yes, it’s 40 minutes long, but trust me when I say it’s the best thing you’ll see this entire week.

Wicked

the first song from this show I heard: defying gravity probably lbrdo I own the cast album?: Again, only in the Spotify playlist, but to be quite honest (don’t murder me) the original cast recording underwhelms me :/favorite song: this depends on the mood really! But, I’ve noticed I always tend to Sit Up as the first notes of No Good Deed blasts into my ears. God i love that song. Also, Thank Goodness. I. Yes. ALSO!!! It’s technically not a song, but the moment in the Ozdust Ballroom where Glinda and Elphaba are bonding, and you only hear that piano… WHEN AM I GONNA GET A HIGH QUALITY AUDIO OF THAT LITTLE BIT WICKED MUSICAL!?!?! least favorite song: WONDERFUL. at this point i just tend to skip that scene. it. It’s a good song the first time you listen to it, but becomes such a drag so fast.favorite character: at this point in my mind Glinda and Elphaba just count as one person right? cool? cool.least favorite character: The Wizard. Ugh. Manipulative Asshole. And I’m gonna say “The Wasted Character Potential For Fiyero”OTP: i mean… c’mon.. are we.. do i even have to - G E L P H I EBROTP: in the actual musical? Not really.. anyone? In my version of the musical: Gelphie&Fiyero and Elphaba&Fiyero. In the book: Elphaba&Boq are a fucking delight.NOTP: any ship involving glinda and elphaba being with someone but each other i guess?song I didn’t like at first but now do: I mean, I liked most songs the first go, so I guess Something Bad. It’s mostly the mysterious music that I really dig and the transition music after it.

Also I just wanna say that March of the Witch Hunters is such a banger ensemble song. I’m always so excited that we get to keep that momentum NGD has built up and get to stay in it just a little bit longer before we go to the soft and beautiful For Good.

song I used to like but now don’t: hmm I guess Wonderful because as explained before? And kinda… well I actually don’t dislike Defying Gravity, but I’m kinda upset that people only seem to focus on that song? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song. But it’s a shame it’s the main focus bc there are so many other good things & songs in this show.is the fandom annoying?: the fandom is so interesting, bc at the core, it’s really small, but because it’s such a well-known musical, some posts can suddenly EXPLODE even though the tag updates maybe on average 3 times a day? and that’s generous. So that’s really weird and interesting. But since at it’s core it’s small, it’s really nice and well-behaved. I’ve talked with a ton of people in the fandom and it’s really nice and lovely, and not annoying at all! do I read/write fanfic for this show?: YES! shameless self-promofavorite non-sung line: what I love about this show is that the actresses can say certain lines and make them their own, so I wanted to type out all my fav line deliveries, but it became too long and kinda pointless bc you can’t hear it. but yeah.. a LOT of them tbh? the dialogue is sharp in this play.favorite lyric: hmmmm “There are bridges you cross you didn’t know you crossed until you crossed” is just so angsty.overall rating out of 10:  I know I never shut up about Wicked but is it the best musical? No, not really. But I get why it’s still running and why it’s so goddamn big. I love the overall Wicked canon and I love my interpretation of it all, but if I actually had to give the actual musical a rating I’d say a solid 7~7.5..?

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

5x12 liveplurk

Yuè [glee 5x12] and yeh they called the 100th episode '100' what a creativity and I guess that's why this show ended on a high note like that

Yuè Oh no Rachel Yuè why are Rachel and Mercedes acting so entitled and competitive this entire diva thing is getting tired Yuè "greet each other" Yuè what happened to glee club supporting each other? Yuè Mark actually took the plaque I wonder where it is Yuè SUP HEMO AND DIANNA IT'S BEEN A WHILE Yuè Kurt and Blaine looking good and dressed matching and it's my aesthetic Yuè APRIL Yuè I can't believe they remembered April saving the auditorium Yuè "she once taught me how to shoplift meat in my vagina" Yuè BLAINE WARBLER IS NOT SHITTING AROUND Yuè HONK Yuè I know this is Kirsten Cheno but uhm I don't like the song altho I love the performance Yuè I love how everyone drops on the floor except for Kurt cause uhm NOPE Yuè BLAINE ACTUALLY DOING THE HOP IN THE SHOWER MOVE Yuè Unholy Trinity!! Yuè Lil Kurtcedes in the back Yuè SAW Yuè Oh yeah time for all the Quick stuff Yuè Quinn is right though Puck looks so much mature Yuè BRITTANA Yuè I love how Brittany is a genius Yuè but I don't like how glee made Brittany choose between math and dancing cause why can't she do both Yuè I once showed Alex this performance and her gay ass loved it Yuè personally it makes me a lil uncomfortable but well Yuè honestly it's good that not only Puck calls Biff out cause otherwise it'd be cringy Quick Yuè FONDUE FOR TWO OH HOW I MISSED YOU Yuè honestly I wished they didn't do yet another girl vs girl feud Yuè ARE YOUR CATS MAKING OUT Yuè well this is a weird Dancing With the Stars reference Yuè Quinn you in big trouble Yuè "I'm a lesbian but I'm totally into that" "I'm Mike Asian Dancer" "I may look like a dweeb but my girlfriend is a cheerleader" Yuè Biff: ... Yuè they remembered the Piano!!! Yuè THEY REMEMBERED BETH Yuè Defying Gravity go ohohohohohhh in front of the actual Glinda Yuè I really like the lights Yuè NOT ENOUGH KURT Yuè like he can't even finish a sentence? ?? Yuè they all did an amazing job Yuè oooh Amber yes Yuè KURT YES HOLY SHIT BLAINE IS SO PROUD BUT OH MY GOD THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF WE KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS Yuè I can't believe Brittany is playing chess with Kiki... a phone Yuè no but really Yuè this drama was so unnecessary like girls the glee club is about to end could you just not fight for once Yuè this Klaine scene was kinda sad cause tbh they took the love out of this relationship Yuè it's just awkward Yuè I LOVE THIS SONG HOHOHOH Yuè KURT Yuè ah yes the legendary dance moves of Mike Chang Yuè this song was touching but I'm just not into Quick Yuè the ship isn't bad or anything I'm just not into it Yuè I did like that the kids who were also there in season 1 reinacted the performance Yuè and then the others join in Yuè you know. .. two times Sam and Blaine get parted from the other oldies in this two parter and even though they're definitely oldies you can't deny that they missed out on some good things Yuè THANKS SANTANA FOR POINTING OUT THIS UNNECESSARY AND RANDOM AND JUST BULLSHIT Yuè "Rick" Yuè Schue is so done Yuè Santana is cruel yeah Yuè but Rachel is pathetic Yuè honestly I'm not in the mood for a Rachel pity party Yuè YOU DON'T EVEN LIVE WITH HER ANYMORE? ??? YOU CAN LITERALLY IGNORE AND AVOID HER??? Yuè Rachel that's bullshit Yuè I'm sorry I just can't stand that the moment even hiccups the entire glee club rushes to help her cause RACHEL PITY PARTY Yuè well where is the lie cause Schue really spends a lot of shit for the glee club songs Yuè Puck.. this is not your fight so please stay out of it Yuè Sam is actually writing with his food Yuè "I'm torn. . one is black and one is Jewish" Yuè thanks girls for this Yuè AND BLAINE VOTED FOR KURT BECAUSE UHM UNEVEN NUMBER OF KIDS Yuè Holly on the buttered floor is a classic Yuè I can't believe this Facebook exists Yuè I can't believe Cooper is on it Yuè and I can't believe my wifi just died? Yuè they should've stayed with Dog Days Are Over Yuè honestly I never liked Gwenyth's voice Yuè with other words thanks Darren and Amber for spicing up the song Yuè YES BLAINE Yuè I do like the performance Yuè Kurt is just high af Yuè Oh yeah let's quickly wrap up two endgames Yuè BRITTANA Yuè you know I'm totally Brittana trash okay but Dani at least deserved a proper send off Yuè I love how much they've changed with looks they're all growing up Yuè like I said I don't dig Quick but I am very happy for them Yuè Oh wait they split Sam and Blaine three times Yuè Schue has been such an awful teacher for so long but this speech was so heartwarming Yuè You're gonna Dail Yuè *fail

[dietnabor]

One Short Day in the Emerald City....A review of Wicked Manila 2017

Finally, I got the invitation to see The Wizard!! Are you ready to defy gravity?

Last night, I got to explore and experience  Emerald City as I watched WICKED at the Theatre at Solaire. Basically, Wicked is kind of a prequel to classic movie The Wizard of Oz, which tells the story of the things in Oz before Dorothy even arrives. It primarily focuses on the friendship of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda Glinda, the Good Witch, primarily on how it started and how, well, it ended up in the movie.

The complete company list (grabbed from the Souvenir Programme)

This touring production is the UK Touring Company, which started the show in Bradford, then went to Singapore and Hong Kong before arriving in Manila.

The welcoming arc placed at the Theater entrance

Just like in Les Miz, the evening show starts at 8:00 PM, with the Theater doors opening at 7:30 PM. If you arrived quite early, you can shop at the merchandise area, or if you missed it, some sellers roam inside the Theater selling small items, like the programme. 

Sadly, the first preview did not have the full cast to play, as the alternate Elphaba, Jodie Steele, did the show instead of Jacqueline Hughes. 

Upon entering Theater, the map of the Land of Oz (which also served as the show curtain), with the glowing Emerald City in the middle, and the Time Dragon on top of it. Though I know that the stage is huge, it looked like it's quite small this time (maybe because the stage design has a lot of elements on it), though it did not looked crowded. My seat this time, which is at row J at the Orchestra Center, is definitely located in the best section in the audience. It was not that close to the stage that felt like too close, but also did not feel you're too far. It shorter term, we’re at EYE LEVEL.

The map of the Land of Oz

The Clock of the Time Dragon

After searching and watching A LOT of videos related to Wicked (not to mention listening to the soundtrack over and over again), I already got some things to look out for. As the show started, I was amazed with all the special effects used just at the opening (which kind of gave me a high expectation for the rest of the show), especially the use of projections which truly enhanced the mood and visuals of the scene. Carly Anderson, who played Glinda, felt like she truly owned the character. It seemed that everything is natural, including the subtle punchlines that the audience laughed at. thank God! I loved the choreography because it was so smooth and well-practiced. The sound system also was superb because the voices did not sound like it was fed through the microphones. There were some and very minor glitches, but I understand that it was the first preview, and adjustments are still necessary. But, these did not affect the totality of the presentation. 

With a total run time of 2 hours and 50 minutes (including a 20 minute intermission), I did not felt the time at all. I think the magic of this show is that the iconic songs, characters, and scenes were the highlight, but the elaborate set pieces kept the attention of the audience at the lower parts. And...I was not disappointed on how they did the finale of the first act, where Elphaba realized her powers and has gone to DEFY GRAVITY. That part was beautifully crafted, with the synchronization of all involved, actors, music and the technical aspect.

Curtain call

Over-all, I enjoyed every aspect of the show, and will not think twice if someone will give me a ticket just to witness it again before it closes! 

Catch the second run of Wicked in Manila!

Wicked runs from February 2, 2017 until March 19, 2017 at The Theatre at Solaire. Tickets are available at Ticketworld and the price ranges from Php 1750 until Php 7500 (excluding ticket charges and ticket insurance). Evening performances are scheduled from Tuesday to Sunday at 8:00 PM, while Matinee performances are scheduled at 2:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

TIPS:

1. Watch (or at least read the plot) “The Wizard of Oz” before coming to the show. It will help you understand both stories, especially the musical’s second act.

2. The official merchandise are quite pricey, which is normal for shows like these, so ensure to bring cash or credit card (The Official Souvenir Programme costs Php 750.00).

3. As much as you can, arrive early and stand by close to the theatre doors shortly before they open them so you’ll have a good time to take a picture with the stage (with as less people as possible), relax on your seat, and patiently wait until the show starts.

4. I suggest eating before the show starts, as food and drinks are not permitted inside the theatre.

5. As much as possible, use the restroom before the show starts, as you don’t want to miss any portion of the play and the lines at the restroom are long during the intermission period.

5. ENJOY THE SHOW!!

UPDATE (02/26/2017): Wicked in Manila just got its final extension until March 19, 2017.