NYC Trip

[sharelle]

It's only about 10:45 right now, but it feels like 2:00 in the morning. That's how tired I am. But I had a really nice day in NYC with my mom.

We made the rounds from Canal Street for knockoffs, Little Italy for lunch, and Serendipity 3 for dessert. In between, we went to see "Wicked."

Now, I'd heard the show was excellent many, many times. I'd also heard it was very different than the book, which I was happy to hear because really, when all was said and done, I didn't like the book very much.

I wasn't prepared for just how different, however. And I *certainly* wasn't prepared to be surprised by the ending -- the simple fact that Elphaba lives. After I'd spent the majority of the show in tears, feeling sorry for her character and how brokenhearted she was, knowing what was to come (from Baum's original story, the movie, as well as Maguire's novel), the fact that I was able to be pleasantly surprised by a semi-happy ending was really rather wonderful.


So, yes. It *was* excellent. Very!

Plus, The Gershwin was actually the most - dare I say - comfortable theatre I've ever been in. Wow. Leg room. That's rare.

All in all, a great day!

Comments

[sandy-s.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the book at all...Glad to hear the musical is better! :o)

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

MUCH better! I really *wanted* to like the book because it seemed like such an interesting idea. I just don't think it was pulled off well at all. I got through it, but I didn't enjoy it. The musical was, as far as I'm concerned, the story the book *should* have told.

[spark-force.livejournal.com]

So the ending of the book is different than the musical, eh? That's good to know. Wicked is pretty much my favorite musical, ever, but I've tried several times to get into the book and never quite succeeded. Now I don't feel quite so bad...

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

Don't feel as though you've missed anything at all! I'm usually an advocate for reading the book that a play or movie is based on, but in this case the musical was much, much better.

[bat-cheva.livejournal.com]

Try as I might I've never been able to finish a single book by Gregory Maguire. I've tried to read them. I've started several of them in audio form, listening to them at work where I've nothing else to think about. I still couldn't get through them. It seems to me that Maguire desperately wants to be thought of as an "important" author, who has an insightful and important message in his books and just ends up being incredibly pedantic and boring as a result. *sighs*

As a result the thought of the musical has never appealed to me at all. I couldn't even really get through the soundtrack. *shrugs*

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that Maguire desperately wants to be thought of as an "important" author, who has an insightful and important message in his books and just ends up being incredibly pedantic and boring as a result.

I think you've nailed it exactly. What could have been a brilliant story was made so incredibly boring by preachy wordiness and what felt like zero emotional involvement from the characters. Maguire may have been trying to make me think, but he failed to make me care.

That was something the musical had much greater success with: giving at least some emotional attachment to the characters. (Plus the music was very good! *G*)

[hayet.livejournal.com]

she lives? I might actually see that musical, then. :)

I hate-hate-hated the book. More than any other book I've ever read. (Disclaimer: I haven't read Twilight yet. hehehe.)

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

The plot (as well as many of the details) were altered so much from the book, it felt like a different story altogether. (One that kept only the character names, setting locations, and the bare-bones idea of the book.)

I found the novel extremely difficult to get through. I was determined to finish it, but never found anything I really liked about it. The musical was refreshingly different - which was probably one of the things I liked best about it!

Twilight, on the other hand . . . if you choose to read it, approach as you might a bad!fic: It can be okay if you don't take it seriously. At all. (As far as entertainment value, cleolinda's summaries are much more enjoyable!)