I think I mentioned in a past post that we took our niece to see Wicked a few weeks ago. This was my 2nd time seeing the show as Ricky and I got to see it the summer of 2004 with Norbert Leo Butz, Edin Espinosa, Joel Grey and (my fave) Kristin Chenoweth. Needless to say, we loved it and I was thrilled when we moved to Chicago to be in a town where we could once again see Wicked.

I was expecting really good things from the Chicago production. What I was not expecting was to like some of the Chicago cast more than the folks I saw on Broadway.

Gene Weygandt, The Wizard, was phenomenal. Honestly when our group saw Joel Grey play that role in 2004 we were all disappointed. Yeah, he was Joel Grey. Yeah, he's a super-star. But it seemed like he kind of rode on the fact that he was Joel Grey. He appeared to just slide through on his name and didn't do anything special with the role. Not the case for Mr. Weygandt. His Wizard had many levels, was charming and appalling--sometimes within the same minute. I really enjoyed him.

The same can not be said for Chicago's Fiyero, Kristoffer Cusick. I enjoyed his acting, his character was fun, but his singing voice wasn't strong enough, in my opinion. The beautiful duet between Fiyero and Elpheba was less effective because of his weak vocals.

And then there was Annaleigh Ashford, Chicago's Glinda. It pains me to say this, but I think I liked her better than Kristin Chenoweth! (Everyone duck before the theatre gods strike me with lightning!)

Kristin is adorable and I LOVE her Glinda, but Annaleigh's Glinda was HILARIOUS! She didn't just rely on her cuteness; she established a wonderful character who traveled through so many different emotions. I must admit that I like the 1st Act of Wicked better than the 2nd. I enjoy the fluff, the humor, but Ms. Ashford carried the heavier emotions of the 2nd Act beautifully.

Overall the show was lovely and I am so happy we got to see it again. And I am thrilled that this was our niece's first big theatre experience. She's more a jock kind of gal, but I think we may have piqued her interest in seeing more theatre. (Or we may just have to drag her along with us anytime she visits!)