Wicked-ly Awesome

On March 25th, Ricky and I got all gussied up and headed downtown for a night out. It was my one and only day off over spring break, and we took advantage of it.

First, we went to dinner at Yuki on NW 23rd. Man I love that restaurant! Ricky had never been but fell in love with one bite of the San Francisco roll. We gorged on sushi and gyoza for a bit and then took a walk to Rose's Restaurant, just down the street, for a little dessert. We ordered two desserts to share, since we couldn't decide on just one. The Mandarin Chocolate Dream cake was good, but the Bailey's Cheesecake was to die for. We were practically licking the plate!

After dinner and dessert, we went to see Wicked, which is really what this post is about. Wow, what an amazing show. I had heard a little bit of the music here and there, and had read the book, but really wasn't sure what to expect overall.

First of all, the set was superb in it's simplicity. It wasn't anything overly elaborate, just lots of small pieces on wagons and some things that flew in. The overarching theme was the clock, and they used the gears and other internal workings of a clock in so many of the set pieces, which was really cool.

Secondly, the costumes. Oh my word, the costumes. They were absolutely phenomenal. I especially loved the costumes for the Emerald City scenes. Incredible, beautiful, quirky, just simply amazing. I loved them.

The choreography was also fantastic. I love the contemporary style of dance that was used, and the use of acrobatics. Really, I just loved the dance.

And of course, the music and acting. Donna Vivino played Elphaba, the female lead, and she was incredible. She brought so much life and depth to Elphie, and her voice is amazing. We both just loved her. I am saddened that the only recordings of the show available are with the original broadway cast because, honestly, I think Donna is better than the original Elphie!

I would absolutely love to see this show again. They are leaving Portland sooner than my pocketbook will allow me to buy tickets, but I hear the same cast will be performing in Seattle later in 2009. I may have to save my pennies so I can head up there for another performance.