Wicked Good

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)
Myths: The Witch, 1981
screen print with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
38 1/16" x 38". The Andy Warhol Museum,
Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol
Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 1998.1.2452.4
From Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross.

The Museum's mini comic con went well yesterday... although it lacked a bit of the enthusiasm of the Albany Con a week before (think some people working at the Museum don't really get this comic book thing), it was still a good time--fun to meet different artists, and I had a chance to greet even more excited kids in my Spidey get-up... even received a drawing or two, which was sweet.

Another cool thing about the Alex Ross exhibit is that because it was curated by The Andy Warhol Museum, it includes not only some of Andy Warhol's comic book collection, but also some of the pop artist's original work--his Myths series from the early 1980s is quite striking, and includes a series of recognizable figures which Alex Ross would also go on to illustrate: Superman, Uncle Sam, and The Wicked Witch. For the latter, both Ross and Warhol based their designs on actress Margaret Hamilton, who memorably played the character in the 1939 movie adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz (Warhol went so far as the recruit Hamilton to pose for his painting--see above).

The character of the Wicked Witch of the West is such an enduring icon that it is interesting to see the spin that author Gregory Maguire has put on the character in his best-selling novel, Wicked. I must confess that I have yet to read the author's work, although Sarah and I did get to hear the Albany-born author speak a few years ago in Schenectady (Sarah, the avid reader, really enjoyed Wicked, as well as the author's two follow-up tales). Anyway, the gist of the novel (if you are not already aware) is a telling of the story of The Wicked Witch from another perspective, where she is, in fact, persecuted because of the color of her skin; in reality, she is a good-hearted gal, with a particular soft-spot for animals. 

Cast members from Wicked mingle with the audience
at Proctors Theater. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.

Tonight I managed to score us some discounted tickets the musical Wicked, which has a week-long engagement at Schenectady's Proctors Theater. I have seen a couple shows at the theater, which is just down the road, and it is a lovely, old-time venue, with regal ceiling, balcony, and stage. We were up very close to the stage, so had a great view of the action between The Wicked Witch Elphaba (beautifully played by actress Christine Dwyer, a fellow University of Hartford alum!) and her frequently shallow friend Glinda, The Good Witch (Jeanna De Waal, in an equally strong performance). 

The set by Eugene Lee was great, including a fire-eyed dragon towering over the stage, and huge robotic Oz; and there was exquisite costuming by designer Susan Hilferty--the stage was completely glowing by the time we were transported to Emerald City. I haven't read the book so I can't really comment on the translation, but several of the songs I had heard before on the TV show, Glee, and they sounded great here. I also appreciated the play's themes... that there are two sides to a story... things are not always black and white, and we should celebrate, not oppress differences... every which (witch) way. 

Related Links:

www.gregorymaguire.com

www.wickedthemusical.com

"Playing 'Wicked's' green witch a dream job," Albany Times Union, November 1, 2012