Wicked in Manila: Nothing Is What It Seems

Nursing  cough and colds, I still went with my brother and watched this damn good play. I wouldn't miss it!

How it looks like...

 Ever wonder what happened with Dorothy and her companions? What were the back stories on each one of them? Where did the wicked witch come from? All of these questions were answered in the play... and no, I won't ruin it for you so no spoilers here.

 I haven't watched a play this good since Phantom of the Opera made a debut in CCP a few years back (click). Well fine, I haven't watched any plays... Just concerts.. LOL!

The place was packed!!!

I won't dwell on the story and the performance that much as I am not a theater critic. But definitely the show was awesome!!! A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!!! The funny one liners and the high notes... simply.. AMAZING!

Worth the wait and the price!!! No spoilers here! My brother went in blind and describe the play as H.O.T.!!!

Here's a little list of what to expect. Some tips and tricks to make your experience a little more comfortable.

Screen grab from ticketworld's website.

 1) Get good seats! By now, most of the weekend shows are fully booked. You could however go for a weekday one. Just to give you a sense of level, the I/J is about right and is good enough as you are able to get a good view of the show. You wouldn't be stretching your neck backwards just to watch what happens on stage and you can see the facial expression of the actors. I would also suggest getting chairs by the aisle. It has more arm space!

I liked the envelope for the tickets. Its a souvenir in itself.

2) Be there early! When we went, the play started at exactly 7:30pm. Not Filipino time mind you but exact time! They start to let people in by 7pm and doesn't let people in when it starts. Target getting there by 6pm. You will have to endure the traffic. What usually would take us an hour of travel, took us almost 2 hours. The traffic along Roxas Boulevard was really bad. From Manila Hotel to CCP, the travel time was almost an hour. Good luck with parking!!! Thank you driver!

See the green light? Yeah.. not moving...

 3) In connection to number 2, if you are early, you get to roam around the place. Take pictures! Notice and look at the different posters around. Buy some souvenirs.  If you are hungry, there is a stall that sells quick bites. Better to just eat across the street before the show and get good parking there.

They have a mini store...

and some other "branches"

A program costs 500Php and a cd is at 1200Php. A little expensive but what the heck.. all good.

4) If you are a Visa card holder, go on over to their photo booth. Done in a minute or two.They give away free pictures. Free souvenir. Yeah man!!!

Like this one...

 5) If you have asthma and or problems with strobe lights, I would suggest you get a seat with good distance from the stage. The play uses fog machines and could hit you with a nasty bout of the sniffles. I don't want to ruin it for you but Wicked makes good use of the color green, so at some point of the play, it may be too bright and hurt your eyes.

Evey time there is magic happening on the stage, the dragon's head move around and its eyes turn red!!! Map of Oz...

 6) Wear something decent. Semi-formal or smart casual I guess is great. But wouldn't it be nice to wear a cocktail dress for once or a long sleeve polo shirt outside the office. Don't imitate me though, I brought a jacket and wasn't even able to use it. It wasn't that cold in the main theater. At some point, they turned off the a/c or just that it was because of all the props and the lights and the place was packed. So by intermission, it was hot inside!!! They did turn it on again afterwards.

Wonderful performance Elphy!! Photo grabbed from the show's program

Blonde!!! Photo grabbed from the show's program.

7) Of course, enjoy the show. Appreciate the performance and love every bit of it.

   

Jemma Rix as Elphaba

and Suzie Mathers as G(a)linda with a silent Ga!

P.S.

The play would run for 2 hours and 49 minute,, with a 20-minute interval. Latecomers will be accommodated during suitable scenes only. Please note that this performance uses strobe lighting and smoke/haze effects.

P.P.S.

I noticed that you could bring in DSLR and cams. They allow you to take photos before and after the show. Just don't use them during. 

Also, bring in a bottle of water just to get your thirst at bay. Remember, its quite hard to go in and out of the theater just for a toilet break.

Wicked 

Opened January 22, 2014

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo

CCP Main Theater, Pasay

Call TicketWorld (632)891-9999

Disclaimer: Some of the pictures here are photo grabs from Wicked's program and some from the website of Ticketworld. I do not own them. Credits to the owners. I paid for our tickets. Wrote this based on my opinions.