{"id":595,"date":"2024-11-19T00:33:09","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T00:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/?p=595"},"modified":"2024-11-19T00:33:09","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T00:33:09","slug":"you-are-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/11\/19\/you-are-there\/","title":{"rendered":"You Are There!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

GABRIEL GALE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(OZ AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR & ENTREPRENEUR)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

IS A SPECIAL GUEST AT THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF<\/strong> \u201cWICKED\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By John Fricke<\/h3>\n\n\n
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[Above: Gabriel Gale is known to Oz fans everywhere as the originator of the AGES OF OZ fantasy book series, as the illustrator of THE ART OF OZ (the coffee-table volume compilation of his drawings), and as a regular and honored celebrity at Chittenango\u2019s annual OZ-Stravaganza\u00ae! festival every June. Currently, Gabe\u2019s working on a new project with a stellar Hollywood \u201cdream team,\u201d and \u2013 as such (and as you can see above) — he was invited to the Hollywood premiere of the movie version of WICKED on Saturday, November 9th<\/sup>. 😊 Details below!]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

I know it was promised that this month\u2019s blog would offer the third (and final) reminiscence about the 50th<\/sup> anniversary celebrations of MGM\u2019s THE WIZARD OF OZ back in 1989 \u2013 and I hereby vow that such mini-history will be wrapped up in our next entry. However . . . the BIG news on the present-day OZ horizon is the coming (within days!) cross-country premiere of WICKED, the first of a two-part motion picture extravaganza based on the legendary stage musical. Drawn from Gregory Maguire\u2019s novel, WICKED has just launched its 22nd<\/sup> season on Broadway, and that electrifying entertainment is now being brought to the screen by its composer\/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, its librettist Winnie Holzman, and its producer Marc Platt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past two weeks, the media has been jampacked with coverage of advance screenings of WICKED in such diverse locales as New York, London, Mexico, and Australia. On Saturday evening, November 9th<\/sup>, however, Glinda\u2019s ball dropped (so to speak) in Southern California, with a smashing premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as one of our prized \u201cOz operatives\u201d was there as a special guest, we didn\u2019t want to wait any longer to bring his comments about that glorious occasion to all of you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of Gabriel Gale\u2019s specific Oz connections are referenced in the caption under one of his WICKED premiere photos at the top of this blog. He and I have been friends and compatriots for almost 18 years \u2013 an association that was commemorated when I was asked to interview eight \u201croyal citizens\u201d of Oz; their recollections provided the text for his most recent book, THE ART OF OZ (2022):<\/p>\n\n\n

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Since then, Gabe\u2019s projects have diversified, and one of his major professional considerations across the past two years has been a happy creative amalgamation with the aforementioned Ms. Holzman and Messrs. Schwartz and Platt. (Details to come, as they occur!) But given that association \u2013 and Gabe\u2019s overall dedication to Oz \u2013 these current coworkers saw to it that he was also an essential and special guest attendee at the Los Angeles WICKED evening. Meanwhile, Gabe\u2019s friendship with Chittenango and the All Things Oz Museum™ has long since become \u201ca given,\u201d and he graciously agreed to describe the magic of November 9th<\/sup> for all of us here, too!<\/p>\n\n\n

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In preparation for the event, Gabe \u201cbought a green velvet tuxedo jacket with satin lapels at the State & Liberty Men\u2019s Shop\u201d (and notes, \u201cI plan to wear it again!\u201d). Stephen Schwartz\u2019s incomparable associate, Michael Cole, offered advance, detailed instructions about approaching the downtown Music Center, for as Gabe reports, \u201cThere was so much going on.\u201d There are five different theaters and concert halls in that acclaimed complex, and for the WICKED event, \u201cThe lower level of the huge block was set up so that the crowds of cheering fans who\u2019d gathered on street level could watch the arriving celebrities — and the paparazzi could claim their pictures and videos. This was overseen by security, who were always in control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A long staircase led to the upper level and courtyard, which is where the theater entrances are located, and where Gabe and his companion walked into a wonderland of WICKED. \u201cThere were five or six \u2018vignettes\u2019 of film-related exhibitions that had been assembled and mounted \u2013 including star costumes from the movie, Lego recreations of the WICKED characters of OZ, and a raft of various Lexus cars, wrapped in WICKED designs \u2013 clockwork and otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd, of course, there was a major green carpet to walk to enter the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion itself.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce inside, we were seated in the center orchestra \u2013 and surrounded by those principally involved in the motion picture itself. We were three rows in front of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, one row in front of Michelle Yeoh, and six feet to the right of Jeff Goldblum. Stephen was sitting near Ariana and Cynthia, and when we turned and waved at him, he got up, \u2018traversed\u2019 his way out of his row, came down to ours, and \u2018traversed\u2019 his way in to hug and welcome us.\u201d (Such kindness and largesse on the part of composer\/lyricist Schwartz will comes as no surprise to the hundreds who remember his interview and musical performances onstage at Chittenango\u2019s OZ-Stravaganza\u00ae! in 2018 \u2013 and his alternately \u201clive\u201d and pretaped greetings to attendees at the festivals in 2023 and 2024.)

Among a flock of other attending stars, Gabe was quick to notice the devotion paid by both fans and movie personnel to Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel \u2013 the original Broadway stars of WICKED. \u201cMarc Platt had the two of them up onstage at the Chandler with all the principal cast performers from the film. They\u2019re at the far right in this photo.\u201d Otherwise, from left, below: producer Marc Platt, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, and Keala Settle. (Their Ozian identities, respectively: Glinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, Madame Morrible, the Wizard of Oz, Nessarose, Boq, and Miss Coddle; the latter is a new character, added to the film plot.)<\/p>\n\n\n

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Amidst such excitement, Gabe also had the opportunity to briefly meet Ariana and Cynthia, aka G[a]linda and Elphaba. His \u201ctake\u201d: \u201cWhen you\u2019re near or with them, you can feel their \u2018superstar\u2019 energy, but what predominates (in the case of both women) are the other qualities. They\u2019re sweet and warm \u2013 and loving and inviting and caring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the film itself? Well, here\u2019s Gabe \u201cprior to the preem,\u201d in an exclamatory, heralding, \u201cacclamatory\u201d pose . . . already confident in what he was about to see. For his post-performance review, please keep reading below this photographic hallelujah! 😊<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s GREAT<\/u><\/em><\/strong> . . . an incredible movie. Director John Chu couldn\u2019t have done any aspect of it better, and it\u2019s all right up there on screen to see. Everybody<\/em><\/strong> involved is working at the top of their game: all the creative and technical components, the cast, musicians, set and costume designers, the crew, the special effects artists . . .. The result is as perfect a picture as it could be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd at the end, there was overwhelming excitement: a screaming, standing, cheering ovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two things to add: A heartfelt \u201cthank you\u201d — and gratitude and appreciation — to Our Man in Hollywood, Gabriel Gale!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And \u2013 if even necessary, here\u2019s the reminder: WICKED opens this coming week. Y\u2019all GO!  😊<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GABRIEL GALE (OZ AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR & ENTREPRENEUR) IS A SPECIAL GUEST AT THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF \u201cWICKED\u201d By John Fricke I know it was promised that this month\u2019s blog would offer the third (and final) reminiscence about the 50th anniversary celebrations of MGM\u2019s THE WIZARD OF OZ back in 1989 \u2013 and I hereby vow … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “You Are There!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32],"tags":[33,34,17,35,13,11,31,24,4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":602,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595\/revisions\/602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}