So I just had the realization that there were two different Wicked Tours going around- I have seen the show many times on tour but never realized there were two tours goings around. Can anybody tell me if there is any differences between the tours ? Is one Equity and one Non-Equity- or is it just so they can cover more ground? Are the set changes or diffrences? Ect. – Also, is it common for two tours of the same Broadway show to be going at the same time? It’s the first I have noticed it (but that’s me). Thanks in Advance and sorry if this has already been asked.
Both tours are Equity. The 1st national tour opened in 2005 and the 2nd national in 2009. Both tours are scaled down from the Broadway version, and I would assume the 2nd national even more so.
The Lion King had 2 simultaneous tours for years and The Book of Mormon currently does.
Phantom and Les Miz back in the late '80s and through some (most?) of the '90s had three tours. Jersey Boys had two, but they didn't run concurrently for long. (I think the second national only launched a year before the first national closed.)
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
I've seen the Broadway production and Munchkinland (2nd national) tour, so I can't speak about the Emerald City (1st national tour). But i know that both tours are considered "full production tours"-- a rarity these days. Although scaled back for technical considerations-- such as no trap door for Elphaba melting, no flying monkeys over the audience (although there ARE flying monkeys over the stage), only a few real bubbles coming down with Glinda's bubble (projections of bubbles are used instead)-- I believe the rest of the show is really intact. But, I have to admit it was about 6 months between seeing the Broadway production and Munchkinland so I probably missed some differences.
I have been told, though I'm not sure how accurate this is, that the Muchkinland Tour was designed to mirror the Emerald City tour, so I doubt they are much different.
Wasn't the 1st National Tour the production that was sitting in Chicago? I thought the 1st national was that production, and then the 2nd national tour was still Equity but scaled down a bit?
Having seen both of these tours and the Broadway production. The only things I have been able to tell different is -there is no elevator for "No Good Deed" - The staircase used in the witch's castle is shorter - instead of the stairs and platforms on the side of the stage as in the Broadway production, on tour a platform comes from either side of the stage. - there are no flying monkeys on wires on tour over the audience.
Besides that, I don't remember much other differences.
I don't know about the differences from the Broadway production to the First Tour, but here are differences from the First Tour to the Second Tour that I remember:
-The bridge is not a functional bridge that people walk on it, it's just there for show.
-Some of the set piece (like the beds in Popular) are pushed on/off by stagehands and cast members instead of being on automatic treads.
-I think there are less "Ozomania" Puppets on the 2nd tour as well.
-Madame Morrible is not seen during Defying Gravity. When she gives her speech, it is heard from offstage.
-Elphaba does not come out of a trap door during No Good Deed, she runs on stage.
that's all I can remember.
I enjoyed the 2NT, but I wish the 1NT would come back in my area because I do miss the little touches that made the show just a bit "bigger."
I remember hearing that if there is no accessible trap space in whichever theatre they are in, there is a 'well' set piece that Elphaba comes out of during the finale (as opposed to a trap in the deck).
I've seen both tours, pretty much all the differences are listed above. As for the trapped door in the finale, it changes from city to city. If there is access below the deck they will use a trap door, if not a well set piece tracks in and she comes out of that.
The second tour is/was the Chicago company that was then sent out onto the road after the show closed in Chicago. I remembered that when they left Chicago, alot of the scenery was damaged in transport, so it was scaled down even more.
But how can it be the set from LA/San Fran when the San Francisco sit-down went from January 2009 to September 2010, and the 2NT opened in March 2009? Also, both LA and San Francisco had a rising lift for No Good Deed and a functional bridge, at least.
The 2NT is pieces of the Chicago sit down. The lift I believe is from that production also (for DG). The sets are not THAT different. The 2NT is slightly smaller, and has less automation. But the differences are very minor. Most people wouldn't notice the difference if the 1NT came through their city in 2008 and the 2NT came through in 2010. The more observant people would notice the small details listed above, plus the forward false proscenium that is slightly less detailed than the 1NT, along with a painted wall of cogs that separates the forward proscenium from the rest of he stage, which doesn't exist on the 1NT. Also, on the 1NT they do use the well in some cities, but if the stage they visit has a trap door in that area, they do use the trap door. But the 2NT doesn't use a trap at all. No matter what city they visit, they use the well. Rochester has hosted both tours, and when it was the 1NT, they used a trap, but when the 2NT came in, they didn't.
"Life in theater is give and take...but you need to be ready to give more then you take..."
I can remember back in the 70s and 80s when there always seemed to be two and sometimes three tours out of a hit show. The third was usually split weeks but all were equity and if anything was cut back it was set-based to accommodate different sized theatres across the country.
I sort of miss the old days when tours of Phantom and Les Miserables were basically identical to the Broadway productions and you didn't have to sit in a theatre and wonder what elements of the show were more elaborate on Broadway. It seems like more of an effort was made back then to give audiences a quality product, but it's probably just a false memory on my part.
I think the only differences were that on one tour of Phantom, the candles didn't rise up from the floor and instead slid out from the wings, and Les Miz didn't have one stationary circle in the middle of the turntable (so Fantine's haircut was done in the wings). In some venues there was no space for Valjean, Marius, or the Thénardiers to go into the trap door, but that wasn't too common.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Aside from those small differences, I think they did a perfect job at replicating a pretty large show. The differences between the tours and the Broadway production are VERY small.
"Life in theater is give and take...but you need to be ready to give more then you take..."
WOW! I really appreciate all the responses!!! THANK YOU!! Now, I have a stupid question- What is the purpose of having more then one tour of the same show going at the same time? is it just so they can cover more ground/ more places? I know, stupid question, but seriously curious.