William Blake and Wicked

[smallhobbit]

I went up to London as The Daughter and I were having a night away together before going to see a performance which was her birthday present to me, of which there will be more tomorrow.

Intending to make the most of my time in London I began by going to the William Blake exhibition at Tate Britain.  Blake isn't one of my favourite artists, but it seemed like a waste not to go to a major exhibition of an artist/poet liked by Lucas North from Spooks, and also Francis Dolarhyde of Hannibal Lecter fame.  I liked a few of the pictures, but the majority didn't appeal, and weren't as innovative as perhaps I'd expensive.  While the main advertisement for the exhibition is The Ancient of Days to my mind this wasn't born out by the majority of the pictures.  There was one of The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea, which I was taken with.



In the evening TD and I went to see Wicked.  It's a really popular musical, which neither of us had seen.  We enjoyed it, but I wouldn't rate it as great.  I'm sure many people would disagree with me, but I felt it lacked certain things which really make a performance for me.  Briefly, these were: a long running production which to me lacked freshness, not enough dancing, and a basically unsatisfactory story line.  That is entirely a personal view, because I know many people see it more than once, but it didn't stand out for me.  My favourite song from the show was Defying Gravity, which I did enjoy.

Comments

[moth2fic]

I think Blake's art is an acquired taste. One I've never acquired! Though I find his poetry interesting.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it's not one I've acquired either. I'm more taken with his poetry.

[out_there]

Wicked is a very popular show and some of the songs are great, but there's a slight lack of emotional depth there that stops me from outright loving it or wanting to see it twice.

[smallhobbit]

The lack of emotional depth was one of the reasons why I didn't rate it that highly - there were possibilities which the plot didn't bother with.

[out_there]

That's it. It's not a bad musical -- not at all -- but it's not the absolute best show ever.

Then again, taste in musicals is such a personal thing. For me, Phantom of the Opera and A Chorus Line are my favourites. Shows that I would happily shell out money to watch again, and both are highly emotional in their own ways.

[smallhobbit]

I really liked 42nd Street and Joseph. And the one I shall be blogging about tomorrow.

[aome]

I've never seen Wicked but MiniPlu has, and shared the soundtrack with me. I'm sure it would have more impact if I'd seen it, but I do definitely like Defying Gravity. My other favorite is Popular. I hope you and TD enjoyed your time together!

[smallhobbit]

We had a lovely time together. I like the sentiments of Defying Gravity.

[margaret_r]

I saw Wicked some years ago and the concept appealed and I quite enjoyed it, but the music didn't exactly grab me, apart from Defying Gravity, which seems to be the reaction of quite a few people.

[smallhobbit]

The concept did appeal but I didn't feel it was used as well as it could be. And as you say the songs weren't memorable. I didn't recognise any when I heard them, which might be expected for a long running musical.