Having seen this show when it originally opened in London there was nothing memorable about it. At the time it was high on my list of shows to see but turned out to be a mediocre evening at best.
"I hope your Fanny is bigger than my Peter."
Mary Martin to Ezio Pinza opening night of Fanny.
Outside a couple of songs that could do with replacing (Something and Dance With the Devil, mostly), I loved the London production. I think the show itself is fantastic and definitely Broadway-worthy.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Such a great show , never knew why Cam Mac never brought it to Broadway
Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist.
Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino.
This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more.
Tazber's: Reply to
Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian
Saw it in London, admittedly near the end, and found it arch and musically underwhelming. Its puerile tone was set in the cartoon sets and depiction of the town. Its satire in 2017 would be weak tea indeed, and the score -- to my ears -- is just boilerplate. It didn't cross the Atlantic for a good reason: it's not good enough, and its take on American small town life -- without Updike's voice -- is just sitcom deep.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
I actually loved the sets of the original Drury Lane production. After a year, the show transferred to a smaller house and the sets were scaled down considerably, substituting nostalgic Americana postcards for some of the original set pieces, which was underwhelming and added more kitsch than Crowley's signature stylistic flair that was more akin to his designs for Carousel. As for the score, to me, it was hardly "boilerplate". For me, Eastwick Knows, Make Him Mine, I Love a Little Town, Dirty Laundry, Waiting for the Music to Begin, Words Words Words, I Wish I May, Another Night at Darryl's and Look at Me were all immediately infectious, distinct, tuneful and perfect for the setting, style and story. I was hooked on the score from the CD before I even got the chance to see it. I found the show to be FAR superior to nearly all the flops that somehow still managed to open on Broadway in the new millennium, and better than some of the successes as well. If In My Life, Baby It's You, Honeymoon in Vegas, Soul Doctor, The People in the Picture, Good Vibrations, The Story of My Life, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rocky, Tuck Everlasting, Glory Days and Thou Shalt Not were able to find their way to Broadway productions, Witches of Eastwick was indeed good enough to be given a go, moreso than any of those and that's just scratching the surface.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
I saw The Witches of Eastwick back in 2014 at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. I liked it so much, I went twice. James Barbour (currently playing the Phantom on Broadway) was one sexy Daryl Van Horn and I needed a double dose of him! Sally Struthers (an Ogunquit regular) was a lot fun as the town busybody/moral arbiter (sorry, don't remember the name of her character).