Two elements of a show that cannot be overlooked are the scenery and lighting. Wicked has some amazing scenery.
Eugene Lee did an amazing job designing the sets for Wicked. He won a Tony Award in 2004 for best scenic design for Wicked. He has a long history in the theatre beginning in 1970. Mr. Lee designed sets for Wilson in the Promise Land (1970), Candid (1974), Some of My Best Friends (1977), Merrily We Roll Along, (1981), Agnes of God (1982), Showboat (1994) and Seussical (2000) to name only a few.
The whole show is set in what is knows as the Time Dragon Clock, thus, a lot of the scenery has bits and pieces that look like clockworks. And within this clock, there are multiple places. In Wicked there are two settings for Shiz, inside the classroom and in the main hall, there is the wizard’s chamber, the home of Nessarose, Elphaba and Galinda’s bedroom, and the Emerald City. One thing you may notice is that many set pieces move and change directions, but are constantly on stage. This keeps the set changes reasonable and helps keep the look of the clock consistent.
This is a backstage video from WickedtheMusical.com. It has multiple elements of the show described in it. About fifteen seconds into the video they talk about the scenery of the show briefly. It is pretty interesting.
The proscenium of the stage holds the Time Dragon Clock itself. One thing that is unique about the scenic designs for Wicked is that when the production first began in the planning stages, Mr. Lee brought in a mockup of the stage. This idea is essentially what you will see on stage. There were a few small changes, but for the most part, it is the original concept.
The Time Dragon Clock.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2308/2407109260_00c3f05acc.jpg
Dr. Dillamond’s Classroom at Shiz.
http://digicasts.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/pic19-med.jpg
The Corn Field.
http://www.showworks.com.au/images/showworkscomau/Images/Wicked(1).jpg
The Emerald City
http://www.essendonfc.com.au/images/08/wicked1-l.jpg
Another important aspect of any show is the lighting. The stage light up with the help of lighting designer Kenneth Posner. Mr. Posner has designed for more than thirty shows. Some of his work can be seen in, The Rose Tattoo (1995), A View From the Bridge (1997), Swing (1999), Hairspray (2002), Little Women (2005), Glengarry Glen Ross (2005), Legally Blonde (2007) and Grease (2007). Mr. Posner won a Drama Desk Award in 2004 for his lighting design in Wicked. He was also nominated in 2004 for a Tony Award for his lighting design. Unfortunately he did not win.
The lighting in Wicked really helps bring the magic alive. It disguises in “Defying Gravity” and “No One Mourns the Wicked”. It brings Nessarose’s slippers to life. The lighting makes the Emerald City what it is, emerald! It does so much.
These are a few images from the “Defying Gravity” secen. The lighting really makes the stage!
http://www.alabamaproductinjurylawyer.com/broadwayDefyingGravity.jpg
http://www.chicagocritic.com/assets/images/wicked2.jpg
http://chrisglass.com/journal/images/2006/0314-wicked-xl.jpg
“As Long As You’re Mine” also has some amazing lighting in it. The stage is fairly plain in this scene. The lighting really sets the tone and mood for the song. And while the song is amazing on its own, the lighting makes it so much more.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g208/xXChaotic-KittieXx/WickedLondon_09.jpg
http://xa7.xanga.com/8ebb35e01363119069150/b6303097.jpg
http://www.freewebs.com/hahney04/aslongasyourmine.bmp
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