Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?- Page 2
Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
popcultureboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
#25re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 2:23pmOh that!
Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.
#26re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 3:28pm
Speaking of the vortex from Seussical, does anyone know how they do that?
Same thing with this hat, when it like all of a sudden collapses. How did they do that in Seussical (they used the same type of thing at the opening of the Emmy's this year with video screens showing video of Billy Crystal and John Travolta etc.)
Is there some sort of wiring in the cloth that can collapse easily and make it look flimsy again?
#27re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 3:35pm
I don't think there's any wiring in this witch hat. In fact, I'm sure of it. The "point" is held by an attached wire from above that is released. The brim is only stiff because the actors are holding it, stretched out. It's made of a very light, flexible fabric. Once it's released from above, they quickly "ball" it up and it is yanked through the trap door below by a stage hand.
I think they could have done everything on the tour except for the trap door, and could have easily just thrown the balled-up fabric off-stage to get rid of it from view during the opening number.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#28re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 3:38pmHow'd they do the Seussical vortex thing? How's it being held flat and then released?
peach
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/05
#29re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 3:54pm
I always thought the hat was meant to simulate her "melting" then the singing comes in...."Good Neeeewwwwwwsssss...."
I learned from a reliable source that when scheduling theatres for the tour, trap doors were a potential consideration - the placement of the trap doors in the many theatres would affect some of the staging.
Hence that *could* (not sure, just guessing here) be the reason the staging was altered for the tour (having her fly in for No Good Deed, the hat...) so the staging would perhaps be consistent throughout the tour - imagine having to reblock to accomodate the trap door placement in every tour city? Dunno - just a theory based on that earlier tidbit of info.
EDIT: I have not seen Wicked on tour yet, so I'm not sure if they are using trap doors at all. if they are, then that blows my theory, I suppose.
Updated On: 10/12/05 at 03:54 PM
#30re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 4:01pmNever liked the hat. I just thought it looked big and flimsy and didn't seem to serve much purpose or look very interesting. The movement was very sloppy and it doesn't add anything. I didn't miss it in the touring production or the Chicago production. I think the opening works better without it.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Kringas
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/27/05
#31re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 4:04pm
Peach, I think you're right. The hat is to simulate the melting, so it wouldn't make sense* for it to just be pulled off the stage (in lieu of a trap door).
There was some sort of trap door in Chicago, but perhaps it didn't have hydraulics? It was used at the very end, but there was no hat or rising out of it for "No Good Deed."
**And now I'm waiting for the comments that say things like "Of all that the things that don't make sense about 'Wicked,' THAT'S what you're focusing on?"
"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey
Updated On: 10/12/05 at 04:04 PM
Penny4Eyes
Stand-by Joined: 9/11/05
#32re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 4:20pmi saw it last april, this january, april, july, and im seeing it again next january...but theyve all had the hat in them from what i can tell
#33re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/12/05 at 4:32pm
Penny4Eyes---you're right, as far as the NYC (Broadway) production. It's always been there.
The hat was cut when I saw the show in Los Angeles, despite the availability of a trap door. They had one and used it. It was slightly off center (stage left), but they utilized it sparingly.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
WickedToronto
Stand-by Joined: 3/11/05
#34re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/20/05 at 10:11amI saw the show with and without the hat and I thought it didnt make any difference .What's its purpose?
lfae
Leading Actor Joined: 7/27/05
#35re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/20/05 at 8:03pm
First time I saw Wicked was the tour...then three days later I saw it in NYC and was pretty much all oh my god over the hat, lol.
I also realised...is that why the overture is truncated in the tour? To make up for the lack of hat?
#36re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/20/05 at 8:14pm
its on my head :)
next question :)
#37re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/20/05 at 8:29pm
The "overture" (if you can call it that) wasn't truncated when the tour played Los Angeles. It played in full, even though there was no hat on stage. There wasn't any applause when the curtain rose, however, since there was nothing visual on stage to merit it... except for the huddled chorus in a "freeze" pose in the center. The music played just as it does on Broadway, then the lights suddenly came up to full and the chorus sprang to life singing "Good news..." etc.
It worked fine. I just missed having the hat, though.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#38re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/20/05 at 9:28pm
No real opinion on the hat, but now I hear about the trap door things and a flying(?) in of Elphaba during No Good Deed. Could someone elaborate on that?
Sorry for the threadjacking!!!!
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#39re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/21/05 at 1:17amYeah, I saw the show in Chicago and thought for sure they'd have the Hat in it, since it was a sitdown and suppose to be a replica of Broadway. They used the trap door during NO GOOD DEED although it wasn't in the Center of the stage, but i'm sure they could have made one or something if they needed it. I wish I could have seen it now, it sounds cool. Although, I pictured it being bigger.
JHartnow
Featured Actor Joined: 11/24/04
#40re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/21/05 at 10:25am
The hat in the broadway production is made of a very light weight nylon. There is an industrial fan that "inflates" the hat from the trap door. Think tacky, inflatable halloween decorations sold at Wal*Mart. In any event, it's the same fan used under Elphaba during NO GOOD DEED.
Oh, how I love Broadway magic!
-John
#41re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/21/05 at 10:36am
JHartnow---Thank you for your insight!!!
This is actually makes sense as to why the giant hat has been cut on the road and in Chicago. Not because of money, and not because of a creative rethinking to remove it.
It has everything to do with the fan blowing air up from below to "round" out the hat up to its point suspended from above. Without the air filling it out, it would just be a point of material (probably looking like a skinny swag of cloth) leading down to the brim that the actors are holding out around them in a circle. An unsuccessful image attempt, to be sure.
They need the air coming up from the trap door area directly below it to "flesh it out." If they can't replicate this blown air technically, they can't tour the hat and have it look like a hat. Since some theatres have trap doors, others don't, and some have them in the wrong position on the stage floor, it can't be used.
Now I get it.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#42re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/21/05 at 11:32amThe Pantages had the air blowing effect during No Good Deed so I'm going to just guess that it was cut out for reasons the producers decided upon and leave it at that... I really don't think it has anything to do with a theater's ablity to create the effect, but that's just me.
#43re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/21/05 at 8:11pm
The Pantages DID have the air effect, Popular. I saw it there, too. But other theatres around the country may likely not have a centralized trap door in the position on the stage where in needs to be for fans to "inflate" the cone of her giant hat. They DIDN'T have Elphaba rise out of the floor at the beginning of No Good Deed, but they DID pump the air up around her (but she was a little further upstage for that moment, as I recall). They also weren't able to have her "melt" by being lowered down the trap door as well. This could be because of Idina's accident. They perhaps decided it was too risky after that. Or it could be a hydrolics issue... but for whatever reason, her "surprise" trap door at the end, was off to the side stage left, instead of centralized.
Different theatres will have different limitations with wing space, fly space, trap doors, procenium size. I see the logistics from city to city as a big reason for cutting the hat.
If they really didn't like having it in their show, the producers would have cut in in New York as well.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#44re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/21/05 at 8:55pm
SPOILER BELOW:
If there are no trap doors, how do they go about the ending after the "melting" when Elphaba comes up and runs off with Fiyero?
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker on Will and Grace: "Tell me more. Tell me more. Like does he have a car?"
#45re: Where's the Giant Black hat in Wicked?
Posted: 10/24/05 at 10:12pm
This thread makes me smile.
:P
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