Wicked is Broadway's smash-hit musical that tells the untold story of the legendary Witches from L. Frank Baum's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Yesterday afternoon, we hit the freeways and travelled north to Hollywood, CA, to see the play. What a treat!
Prior to the show, we dined at the Restaurant, "Hollywood and Vine". My wife, Bonnie and I, usually go to Las Vegas, where we are comped for both the room, meals, and most of the shows that they have appearing at the times we are there. I have no real concept of the prices you have to pay, so I may be off base when I state the cost for value of the meal or the show, but will give it a try.
We went with a group of about 12 people Bonnie works with. Most are middle school teachers. We met at the restaurant around 4:00PM, had a cocktail, and sat down to dinner. Most of
the main entree menu items were priced in the $20 to $30 range. A salad (split), 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine, a desert (split), and 2 coffees cost about $110, including tax and an added 18% gratuity. Bonnie had the seared Ahi Tuna, and I had the Argentine Braised Short Ribs as our entrees. The restaurant was nice, clean, and the staff was efficient and friendly. We couldn't have asked for a more convenient location relative to the show. I'm providing a link for you, if you care to try the food and are in the area. It's well worth the trip!http://www.hollywoodandvine.us/
About the musical....Wicked is a triumph for which Schwartz won two Grammy awards, a Drama Desk award (lyrics), and received his 6th Tony nomination.
As the publicity for the show states: Winner of 15 major awards, this "spectacular spectacle" [New York Post] transports audiences to a fantasy land of wizardry and witchcraft with Grammy Award-winning music, Tony Award-winning sets and costumes, and s
tunning special effects.
The Washington Post calls Wicked "a breathtaking success story of a magnitude the theatre has not witnessed since the peak years of The Phantom of the Opera". Now you can experience this magical new musical adventure in London and discover that you've not been told the whole story about the Land of Oz...
It opened on Broadway on October 30th, 2003. The cast recording received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2005 and was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 30, 2006. Wicked earned back its entire initial investment by December 21, 2004. The Broadway company of Wicked celebrated its 1000th performance on March 23, 2006. The show began its first US national tour in early 2005.
We saw the musical in Los Angeles, California at the Pantages Theatre. Performances began on February 10, 2007, with an official opening on February 21. On the week ending on March 4, the show grossed a massive $1,786,110 and became the highest grossing attraction in Los Angeles theatre history. The previous record holder was The Producers, June 2003 at the Pantages. Elphaba is played by Eden Espinosa and Glinda is played by Megan Hilty. Each has previously played her role on Broadway.
One of Bonnie's fellow teacher's booked a block of tickets about 4 months ago, before the show took off. We paid just over $70 a ticket, and sat about midway on the 1st floor, right center orchestra section....nice seats! I understand the tickets at the show were selling for over $200 apiece. The show was in two acts, starting at 6:30PM, with a 15 min. intermission between acts, it ran until 9:30PM. Parking was an extra $15, and was within about a half block of the restaurant and theater. For anyone interested, I've provided a link for theater tickets.
We all had a fun time, and we both enjoyed the show. I finally got to see how the tin man, the cowardily lion, and the straw man came to be....why I even found out why the "Wicked Witch" is green!!!
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