why do so many despise Wicked?

[chickenlover]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 4:30am

So, I'm new to this web site and I am amazed how many people just despise 'Wicked', WHY IS THIS? just curious.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 4:48am

Oh dear. I'd recommend you use the search function but I'm totally braindead and even I can't find the thread that explains this.

So long story short, it's not so much that people despise Wicked, but there's been a barrage of obsessive, narrow-minded, incoherent, sometimes borderline stalkerish "fans" of the show that come on here, clutter up the boards with redundant threads and refuse to open their eyes and minds to other shows Broadway has to offer. They act as though Wicked is the best creation since processed cheese, start threads on stupid topics ("What color is Idina's lipgloss?") and their posts lack any intelligent or meaningful content. (I'm not saying this of all Wicked fans - hell, I'M a Wicked fan. I'm just saying *many* of the fans...)

As with anything that is forced down people's throats and treated like god's gift, there's an inevitable backlash. People that normally wouldn't hate the show are now sick to death of it beacuse of the tweeny fangirls who make the show look bad. So in short - people don't despise "Wicked". They despise the stupid fans, and acknowledge that it's just not the flawless show that the fans try to pass it off as being.

Does that help?

[Justice]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 8:24am

I can sum it up in one word.

Preference.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 8:25am

I find that if anything becomes popular (no pun intended) it becomes cool and "against the grain" to NOT like it. When I was in high school and "Titanic" came out, I remember it being this big huge deal. Longest running number one film, made the most money, won 11 Oscars, trying "Ben Hur" for the most, tying "All About Eve" for the most nominations with 14. However, so many people, before even seeing it, hated it? It becomes the cool thing to do. People feel some sort of rebellion when they automatically hate something (sometimes before even seeing it) that has become so mainstream. Totally off topic, all of those reasons mentioned about fans overkilling it, that's how I feel about Tori Amos fans. They're the worst!

-Vincent

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 8:58am

Because the few of us that truly don't like it can't stand to see how nearly every thread on this board was taken over by Wicked this, Idina that, Cheno blah...I mean, its died down a bit which is nice to see, but for a while last year, I just stopped checking this site. People acted as if it was the next coming of Christ and basically ignored all the other quality theatre that occurred last season. My personal reasons for loathing the Jolly Green Monster are its love for spectacle, and the replacement of it for any real heart to heart (PLEASE DONT COME BACK AT ME WITH THAT AWFUL "FOR GOOD" SONG AS A DEFENSE), Joe Mantello's laziest direction ever, the mediocre at best score whose weaknesses are only covered by having the actress scream the lines and blow your ears out, the many holes in the story line (Dragon Clock anyone?), the ill-use of the Wizard (if this were thirty or so years ago, they wouldve brought this back out of town, added an actually good song for the Wizard and make the necessary book and score adjustments to make this thing flow), the so-called political message which doesnt exist (in the book maybe, but not on stage sad to say), and the terrible set design (someone explain the importance of clocks in ANY way to this show). Maybe someone can add a few more.

And to Ordinary Jukebox, i am not simply "going against the grain." I am exercising artistic taste. Updated On: 1/28/05 at 08:58 AM

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 8:59am

I agree completely with Justice - it is purely a matter of preference - some people love it and some hate it (I happen to think it's a really lame excuse for a Broadway show).

[Justice]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 8:59am

That's Entertainment!

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:05am

I don't think it's merely a question of when something becomes popular, it becomes the vogue to hate it among the intelligentsia. I think those of us that are reasonable can see WICKED for what it is -- or what we think it is:

1. The book is weak.
2. Some of the score is wonderful; some of it is pedestrian, and some of it is downright boring.
3. The strength and success of WICKED hinges on the performances, the production values, and the public's affection for anything OZ.

I saw it with the original cast, and I enjoyed it. However, I don't think it's the musical theatre piece of the millenia. I'm glad that it's running, because actors need all the work they can get in NYC.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:11am

Well, I only wish I hadn't read the book before seeing it. The book is so much darker and richer. If they had stayed true to the feel of the book, I actually may have liked the show (especially if it had been written by Sondheim). I'm not a fan of Schwartz' work, so that colors my opinion of the show also.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:15am

I don't know who's worse on this board. The people that carry on and on about how "Wicked" is God, or the people that go on and on about their "far superior" opinions on why the show isn't good. Either way, it's getting gross...

-Vincent

[pab]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:23am

I personally don't despise the show but what does get under my skin are the tweens on this board that obsess about it as if it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Most of them have never seen another show and they post on this board with passion about how it's the greatest show ever. For someone who has seen quite a few Broadway shows, going back to around 1974, trust me, it's not even close.

I've seen "Wicked" twice and enjoyed it more the second time than the first but when I constantly see good threads about other shows hijacked by some rabid Wicked fans it just pisses me off.

[Justice]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:29am

Wicked is the next generations Les Miz.

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:32am

And Les Miz was the previous generation's CATS. :)

[pab]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:36am

Les Miz was better, by far, than both "Wicked" and "Cats".

[stagehand]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:43am

I liked Wicked, but it does not compare to Les Mis.

[Justice]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:47am

After seeing Les Miz SOO many times, I got tired of it, along with the actor's in the show. Hopefully, Wicked will have that long of a run without tiring out the actor's.

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:48am

Well, at the risk of sounding like one of those folks that hate everything that is popular, I wasn't that crazy about LES MISERABLES. I found it depressing. I found it boring. And I found that the score was built on three chords.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:51am

Some people just don't care for the show itself while others prefer to b*tch about the number of Wicked threads rather than to simply not read them or start new threads of their own.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:51am

rlb - yup, I saw Les Miz once and that was enough for me.

[stagehand]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 9:59am

I liked LEs Mis, but liked Miss Saigon much better!

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 3:31pm

You know what, there are fifty threads about why so many people hate Wicked allready. A better question would be "Why do you Wickeders keep starting new threads about it?" or "Why should there be any question in your mind about that it's a mediocre show at all?"
I've given my arguement too many times and I see that it's a futile cause.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 3:35pm

Don't get me wrong I happen to love Wicked. However its become so full of crazed tinnie-boppers that scream everytime Idina's name is mentioned that I can barely stand it. I'm sick of hearing it in everyother word...thats all.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 3:42pm

becuz its a the biggest show on bway right now...and i think its a great show and has excellent music....and i think is way better than other big hits such as "cats" or "les mis" but what i get kinda tired of ...is about people talking over and over about the same subjects...like"its great u liked wicked...so did i ...but go see what there is out there as well...see other shows on bway" thats my advice. =)

[Loge]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 6:26pm

I really like Wicked - but the discussions about the show have been out of control. I'm sick of all the Wicked talk, but what can I do? Sometimes, it seems like this board is only composed of Wicked things.

[wickedkiwi]

Posted: 1/28/05 at 6:53pm

i loooveee wicked, but i hate the fans.

1) OMG, i hadn't noticed the clock thing. i mean its true, they're very pretty, but they have no connection to the plot or themes whatsoever!!!...if ANYTHING u can say they represent the different visions of the future as the play progresses, or maybe the time thats left before dorothy arrives, but yea, somebody should fix that jajaja

2) i think this show has emotional value only to the people who somehow feel hunted or whatever as the wtich was, or maybe to somebody who has a similar relationship with her best friend...if u dont have these experiences, the show isnt much more than cute ( i do have both these experiences, so it struck a chord, although not as profoundly as i admit it could have)

3) i have HUGE respect for shwartz's music, i think he does a lot of itneresting things with harmonies and chords, in general, but yea, the songs arent really melodic (but are sondheim's??)

4) considering the inactivity of the book, i dont think it'd have been very easy to stage it any other way. maybe as a movie it'd work, but how do u cover the gazillion years in kiamo ko? it'd be too wating for godot-ish for current audiences (the trend being escapist, light-hearted theater)

5) i DEFINETELY agree that this is the next les miz or cats. this is both a good thing and a bad thing. one it's good cause we just added one more show to the list of revival-able (yea spelling whatever) shows, plus a show that can draw nonbroadway audiences to the theaters. that and for many other reasons - good. bad because of the insane crazy fans, the assumption that this (and cats and les miz) are the best that bway has to offer, etc. in general im glad that this is happening.

its a good show. its not a masterpiece, its not necessarily brilliant in all its aspects, its not perfect, but its a good show. wether ppl like it or not, as long as its drawing audiences, its a GOOD SHOW.

i think im going to write a thesis on this...anyway, people, pray that this isnt the only GOOD SHOW that comes out this decade. and by good show i mean that it gets such a response from the audience, after all, its the audience who decides. doesnt matter what the smart people say - so long as the seats are filled.

and i have a feeling that anywhere from 5 to 10 years we'll begin to see a backlash, and shows á la caroline or change will be smashes and happy showy musicals like wicked will be passé.