Quincy (2:04)

I do think it was good. I don't know about you. I didn't really think about this event until a couple hours before. Like, I didn't devote any mental space to it. And I'm actually very happy that that happened.

Kevin (2:17)

Yeah.

Quincy (2:18)

Because I was able to kind of just walk in and be present in the moment.

Kevin (2:22)

Oh, you want to talk about just walking in? I mean, let's start at the beginning of the evening.

Quincy (2:28)

Okay.

Kevin (2:29)

I don't know how long you were there before me, but I'm walking up to the venue. I'm walking up to the function.

Quincy (2:36)

I was kind of there for a while, which was surprising because you had told me you were on your way, and I was coming from uptown.

Kevin (2:40)

And anyway, so I'm walking up, and I get a text and a call from you in rapid succession. I'm downstairs, come down the escalator when you Come in. Like, okay.

Quincy (2:56)

Just because I knew. It was like, there's a lot of people. And it was, like, kind of a confusing space, and I'm grateful for it.

Kevin (3:02)

I'm. Yeah. So I go. I get my little ticket, and I say, point me to the escalator. I have to find Quincy. I go down and I'm with my friend. I'm like, it's so easy to find Quincy in rooms like this because he's so tall. And I see Quincy straight across the room. Couldn't be further from. From the bottom of the escalator. And then enough of the crowd parts that I'm like, who. Who's Quincy standing with? Oh, Quincy is standing with Ariana Grande. So not only am I running late to the function now, because now I'm the last person there. Now I'm like, okay, now this is happening.

Quincy (3:50)

You may have been the last person there.

Kevin (3:52)

I think I was.

Quincy (3:54)

We got to meet Ms. Ariana Grande in the flash.

Kevin (3:56)

We got to meet her. Oh, my God. And we got to, like, be in, like, the first group of people to, like, watch her performance in this movie.

Quincy (4:07)

Yeah. Everyone there hadn't seen it yet, which was very fun and beautiful.

Kevin (4:12)

You made a point later on in the evening that it was funny, because in that room, we didn't get any of the, like, surprised reactions that a normal audience might have.

Quincy (4:24)

Like, the plot of Wicked. The plot of Wicked twists and turns, especially in Act 2.

Kevin (4:29)

Yeah. It did not. They did not get us with the plot.

Quincy (4:33)

It was a very vocal and reactive audience, but they just weren't reacting at the moments that I tend to think a normal audience would react at.

Kevin (4:41)

Yeah.

Quincy (4:42)

And I am excited to see this movie with a normal audience, but I'm happy that this was our first experience.

Kevin (4:47)

We can't, like, talk about it too much.

Quincy (4:51)

Well, wait, before we talk about what? Well, before we try to talk about the movie, my experience walking in was.

Kevin (4:57)

Oh, yeah.

Quincy (4:58)

I was with my friend Summer. And I walk in, and within 30 seconds of walking in, I hear Quincy, and I turn and who is it? It's Joan Grante. And I was like, oh, my God. And then talk, talk, talk. And she was like, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I missed you at the LA concert. I would have loved to say hello, which was just very sweet. And then she asked if I had seen the movie yet, and I said no. And she opens her purse. And what? Opens her purse, whips it wide, pulls out a pack of Kleenex and hands it to me without a word. Just Direct eye contact.

Kevin (5:42)

Direct eye contact. She also gave me a pack of Kleenex.

Quincy (5:47)

And that. Honestly, honestly, Joan, thank you for that. Because having that be the first experience I had as I walked into this crazy, crazy room. Like, hectic, hectic room, tight space, lots of people, a lot of energy that, like, set the tone. I felt immediately put at ease and comfortable and happy, and it was just like a beautiful way to enter the space.

Kevin (6:08)

Yes. And also I would like to say that Joan is a real girls girl, because when we took that picture, Joan whipped out her iPhone.

Quincy (6:18)

Our picture with Ariana.

Kevin (6:20)

Our picture with Ariana, Joan whipped out her phone and put that flashlight on, held it up.

Quincy (6:28)

And I think you see it in the photo. It's a great photo.

Kevin (6:31)

That's a true professional.

Quincy (6:34)

Yeah. So then that the mixing and mingling all happened and then we moved into the theater space and they started the. Well, they started the evening and Mark Platt got up on stage, brought out John Chu, Winnie Holtzman, Stephen Schwartz, Ariadna. Forgetting anyone.

Kevin (6:51)

David Stone and David Stone.

Quincy (6:53)

And they all talked about how meaningful it was for this to be the first screening of the movie for this group of people who have all done the show eight times a week and been such a part of the legacy of the stage show. It was really, really beautiful and sweet and I was. I. I felt very lucky to just be included in the room. Like, that was.

Kevin (7:13)

Yeah.

Quincy (7:14)

Very special. And then the movie begins. And then the movie begins, too.

Kevin (7:20)

Yeah. I mean.

Quincy (7:25)

Can you give your brass tacks, like, assessment, reaction on the movie?

Kevin (7:29)

My what?

Quincy (7:31)

Your brass tacks assessment.

Kevin (7:33)

Like my broad stroke.

Quincy (7:34)

Yeah. Is that what I'm saying?

Kevin (7:36)

I don't know.

Quincy (7:37)

Brass tacks.

Kevin (7:38)

Yeah, sure. My brass tacks assessment of the movie is I think that this movie has, like, more to discover than the first movie.

Quincy (7:56)

Yes.

Kevin (7:57)

And, like, all of the new bits are so yummy. Like the two new songs. Love. Both of them are. They're, like, well placed in the story.

Quincy (8:12)

Neither of them necessarily placed where I thought they were going to be placed, too.

Kevin (8:15)

Yeah. I don't know if I had a thought, but I like where they are for both songs.

Quincy (8:22)

There was a moment in the movie where I thought the new song might be coming, and then it didn't. And then when the new song came, I was like, oh, that isn't even what I would think the song would be about, you know?

Kevin (8:30)

Yes. Especially no Place Like Home.

Quincy (8:35)

Yeah.

Kevin (8:36)

I was wrong in both the placement and the content of that song.

Quincy (8:43)

Yep. Yeah. But, boy, is it a delicious choice.

Kevin (8:49)

It's really. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, yeah, all of the new bits are good. All of the new scenes are so good.

Quincy (8:59)

And there are new bits.

Kevin (9:01)

There are new bits. There's deeper character building.

Quincy (9:06)

Deeper world building.

Kevin (9:08)

Yeah. And I feel like. And we had predicted this, I think, or we had theorized this, that this movie is where you see a lot more of what they say when they're like, we took some of the book and some of the musical and some of, like. I think this movie, Part 2 For Good, is a lot more political.

Quincy (9:37)

Than.

Kevin (9:37)

The first part was in the way the book is that some of that, I think, gets lost in the stage show is the, like, nationwide scale of the politics of this.

Quincy (9:53)

I kept thinking about into the woods as I was watching this because it literally feels like into the Woods Junior versus Into the woods property, where, like, Junior is the kind of, like, tied up with a bow story. Storybook story. And then act two, shit just gets deep and dark and wild.

Kevin (10:13)

Yes. I love that comparison. That's a good.

Quincy (10:17)

And it was like. And it's a nice after act, after Part one being what part one was. This does feel like such a nice. It's a welcome change in vibe.

Kevin (10:30)

Yeah. It was like. I think because Part one, as we have said, was so familiar feeling that it was like the big swings that they took in. In Part two, I felt safe that they were gonna pay off because.

Quincy (10:55)

We.

Kevin (10:55)

Know that there are people, everyone involved or somebody who, like, loved the stage show and loves us, loves the stage show enough to give us that, like, very honoring Part one, you know, Movie.

Quincy (11:12)

One does a wonderful job of showing a real journey for Elphaba while also keeping Glinda very heavy in the storyline. And it feels like Movie two, you really see more of Glinda's arc fleshed out while also having Elphaba in the storyline.

Kevin (11:29)

I think I went in expecting to have Glinda more fleshed out. And so I was surprised that Elphaba also was quite a bit more fleshed out. Because I think in the. In on stage, especially in Act 2, I think Elphaba feels a little bit more present and fleshed out, maybe, but they both felt deeper.

Quincy (11:58)

Speaking of fleshed out, no good deed gives a real story. Real story.

Kevin (12:04)

Yeah.

Quincy (12:05)

In a way that, like, really amps up the song.

Kevin (12:07)

I think I gasped.

Quincy (12:09)

Yeah.

Kevin (12:10)

Yeah.

Quincy (12:10)

I mean, same with as Long as yous're Mine. I said it after, but, like, I felt like I was. Either I was understanding as Long as yous Mind for the first time, or they were presenting it to me. In a way that I had never thought to interpret it.

Kevin (12:26)

That is something I can't wait to talk about in specifics, because I agree. I think the way it is staged. Is that the right word for it?

Quincy (12:40)

Yeah. And Jon Chu has, like, talked about his choice in doing that song with.

Kevin (12:46)

The Ascension of it. But even, like. Like the beginning part of it, the way that that was staged, I was like, yeah. And like.

Quincy (12:58)

That was really special. There is a heartbreaking, honestly, rude shot towards the end of the film that is just like, rips your heart out. Oh.

Kevin (13:13)

My God. It's. It's diabolical, like, and then it gets.

Quincy (13:23)

It gets so sad, guys. So sad and also so beautiful.

Kevin (13:31)

It is really sad after that.

Quincy (13:33)

That's what I'll say about this movie is it takes the stakes of the story that it's telling very seriously in a way that I just don't think stage musicals allow for. So you really get to get into, like, the meat of this. This story.

Kevin (13:48)

I think that's very fair. It takes it very, like, for what it is. Real world problems.

Quincy (13:55)

It's a very timely movie, I will say.

Kevin (13:57)

I know, unfortunately, in these unprecedented times. Oh, you know what really gagged me, Quincy was, in a similar sense, is the March of the Witch Hunters also really gagged me because that felt very world building. And it was fun to see the way that is kind of intercut with other things that are happening at the same time.

Quincy (14:31)

Mm.

Kevin (14:32)

I think a big Act 2 qualm that people have is, like, the timeline of it. And I think that the timeline felt clearer to me watching this movie.

Quincy (14:45)

And I. I mean, the waiting a year thing did actually help with that. That's also why I'm curious about how a doubleheader will play, because they do. The characters do feel much more mature and grown up in the second movie. And I wonder if watching them back to back will make that more difficult to, like, get on board with them being in such a different phase of their life in the second movie.

Kevin (15:10)

Yeah, interesting. I do want to go to a double feature, though.

Quincy (15:16)

What else? Who else?

Kevin (15:18)

Okay, let me ask you this, okay. Before we watched, whose performance were you most excited to see?

Quincy (15:27)

I was curious to see Michelle Yeoh in this second movie because I felt like this is where we were gonna get a lot of her sinisterness. And, yes, there was a lot of handography. That's very fabulous.

Kevin (15:41)

It was all worth it for that scene. She was so striking in that scene. Oh, my God. There was one close up of her like this. I gasped. It Got it. Got a full gasp out of me.

Quincy (15:57)

Cat fight scene is in the way that the cat fight scene is iconic on stage. They have found a way to make a film version of it that is its own thing, but just as iconic.

Kevin (16:09)

It's perfect. That cat fight scene.

Quincy (16:12)

Yeah. What were the moments that, like, top three moments.

Kevin (16:16)

Well, I'll answer it this way is going in. I had a couple moments that I was like, what is the. The visual of this going to be like? The. Like, the pressure feels high to get these visuals correct. And three instances in which I was pleased or surprised or exceeded my expectations. Bridges, you've crossed one of the most stunning musical things I've ever seen on a movie screen.

Quincy (16:56)

And her. Thank goodness. Actually, the whole thank goodness sequence.

Kevin (17:01)

I was really into the whole sequence leading up to thank goodness and then it built like, what. It builds to what. Thank goodness is. Is so beautiful. So I loved that everyone's acting in this movie. I know.

Quincy (17:20)

And why does it feel so different from the first movie? Because they were acting in the first movie too.

Kevin (17:24)

It's called range.

Quincy (17:26)

It's a different kind of acting.

Kevin (17:28)

I'm sitting there the whole time going, they're doing this, like, you're saying, like, totally different performances, but they're filming it at the same time.

Quincy (17:37)

That's what I really want to, like, talk to them about. Because it felt so. It felt very different and on its own from the first movie. But then I'm thinking, how are you filming, like, this movie one one day, movie two the next day?

Kevin (17:51)

I don't know.

Quincy (17:52)

That's interesting because it. And it's still so tonally consistent, I guess. Good direction, John Chu.

Kevin (17:58)

Good direction, John Chu. Good edit.

Quincy (18:00)

Good edit.

Kevin (18:01)

And great performances, obviously.

Quincy (18:03)

Yeah.

Kevin (18:04)

The second moment that exceeded my expectations was in Wonderful. Based on the glimpses that we saw in the trailer, I thought I knew what I was expecting. I did not know what I was expecting. And then, honestly, I was so gagged at. For good. Like, at just like, the. The simplicity and the beauty.

Quincy (18:32)

Did the vocals feel extra live in this movie as compared to the first movie?

Kevin (18:36)

There was a couple moments where I was like, oh, yeah, they sound in the room.

Quincy (18:43)

Lav mic'd. Yeah.

Kevin (18:45)

There was one, like, wide shot during the new Glinda song where I was like, I know they cut to a wide because that bitch was crying. And they had to cut to a good vocal. Oh, my gosh. I will say Ariana Grande, the theater kid that she is, she gets to do a lot of running around swirling a gown behind her A lot of what must have just been a fucking delight. Ariana Grande, a physical comedian, and her.

Quincy (19:17)

Comedy is, like, different in this movie. It's still so funny, but it's. I guess it's matured.

Kevin (19:25)

I guess it's matured. Cynthia gave me a no good deed on a scale I could. Could not have fathomed.

Quincy (19:38)

She told us she was in everything. Elphaba. I think she's a no good deed Elphaba.

Kevin (19:42)

I feel like she had to politely say that because we couldn't. We couldn't know.

Quincy (19:49)

We couldn't know. I mean, I'm just like, what she had in store. And it elicited probably the biggest applause of the evening after that number, which, when it's filled with Broadway Elphabas, that's high praise.

Kevin (20:03)

Definitely the biggest applause of the night. And I think, like, that even for a room full of people who have heard that song sung every which way, it still got us.

Quincy (20:21)

I would say the same for Ari's. Thank goodness they both gave inspired and new choices.

Kevin (20:28)

Yeah, that's all we can say. That's all I'm allowed to say until the embargo is lifted. The other thing that I liked about Cynthia's performance is that in this movie, she is really also very physical in a very different way. Like, she is fully a superhero.

Quincy (20:52)

You get your flight vocabulary, and then.

Kevin (20:55)

Speaking of no good deed, then you think, like, okay, she did all that in a blue room by herself. No good deed was so great.

Quincy (21:04)

I can't get over how the movie opens. The movie opens in a really stellar way that sets the tone. And when I say opens, I mean, like, the first 15 minutes, you're just, like, locked in. You're locked in for the whole thing. But the first 15 minutes does a really good job at establishing what we're doing here.

Kevin (21:22)

John Chu gets a lot done in those first 10, 15 minutes. Yeah, it's. It's also nice and clear, and it's like, if you know where the. If you know where the story's going, you're, like, clicked in and on for the ride. Yeah, that opening sequence is insane and sad. Off the bat, it was like, hey, just so you know, this movie's gonna be sad.

Quincy (21:52)

But a beautiful downer because I left with a full heart.

Kevin (21:55)

I do love the animals plotline plot lines in this part too.

Quincy (22:06)

It's really good.

Kevin (22:07)

Oh, my gosh, Dr. Dillamond.

Quincy (22:09)

I was kind of blacked out for the whole movie. I was just overstimulated and too excited. I need to see it again. Which obviously we will.

Kevin (22:17)

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm agreeing with you. Yes.

Quincy (22:22)

But it's excellent. Like, it's really, really great.

Kevin (22:24)

It's really excellent. And I can't wait to say more detailed things, better things about this movie.

Quincy (22:34)

We saw the Wicked movie. We saw the Wicked movie Part two.

Kevin (22:38)

Now I'm you from the last episode. This was. This was the last new Wicked we're ever gonna have.

Quincy (22:45)

Don't say that.

Kevin (22:46)

But you know what I mean? It's like there's nothing. Yeah, we've seen it.

Quincy (22:52)

And we'll see it again and again.

Kevin (22:53)

And again and again and again and again. I felt this way last year too. I. Like the first time I watched the movie. Granted, very different setting the first time we watched it last year versus this year. But I'm in such a, like, intake mode where I'm just trying to like, pick up as many details as I.

Quincy (23:15)

As I can.

Kevin (23:17)

But then. But then, like, you tell people you watch, they're like, did you cry? I'm like, honestly, I didn't have time to. I was. I was trying to look at the video though. I. It got me once or twice.

Quincy (23:28)

It's great. I can't wait to see it again.

Kevin (23:31)

I am obsessulated.

Quincy (23:33)

Obsessulated.

Kevin (23:35)

There's a lot of fun words I was gonna say.

Quincy (23:37)

There's more.

Kevin (23:38)

Yeah, yeah. The lexicon continues to grow.

Quincy (23:40)

Oh, that was so exciting to see. I want to see it again.

Kevin (23:44)

I'm just gagged that our first time watching it. We got to watch it with Ariana Grande and John M. Chu.

Quincy (23:51)

The movie is fantastic. I can't wait to see it again. I'm so excited for it to be out in the world.

Kevin (23:58)

This is gonna be another one where you're gonna go see it 6, 7.

Quincy (24:03)

8, 9, 10, 11, 12 times.

Kevin (24:07)

Yeah.

Quincy (24:07)

Oh, and the Wicked NBC special is happening on November 6th.

Kevin (24:12)

Okay, what are we doing for that?

Quincy (24:15)

So I actually am seeing Batboy at New York City center that night.

Kevin (24:20)

Slay.

Quincy (24:21)

But I. The thing is, I've already seen it, so I don't feel that bad. And then we can still talk about it. Okay, cool. I was feeling bad that I wasn't going to hear the two new songs, cuz they didn't play that live. But now I've heard the two new songs.

Kevin (24:32)

Okay, I need to find what gay bar in Hell's Kitchen is going to be playing that live? I want to go watch that in a room.

Quincy (24:40)

Good idea. You should pitch that to a gay bar if they're not doing that already.

Kevin (24:44)

I'll just call Mr. Biggs across the street. I don't even have to leave. Be home in two minutes.

Quincy (24:52)

Oh, yeah, because are you boyfriendless right now, too?

Kevin (24:55)

And dogless.

Quincy (24:56)

Oh. Oh, so you can actually, like, hang out? Yeah, I'm saying Bat Boy. I'm seeing Bat Boy that night.

Kevin (25:04)

Well, I'll be out having fun, behaving like a slag.

Quincy (25:10)

All right, it's bedtime. Okay.

Kevin (25:11)

Good night.

Quincy (25:12)

Good night. You've been listening to Sentimental Men.

Kevin (25:16)

If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you're using to listen.

Quincy (25:23)

And to be sure you never miss a new episode, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Kevin (25:29)

If you're looking for a way to support the pod, you should join us on patreon@patreon.com sentmenpod Patreon members get early releases, extended episodes and more exclusive, exclusive content.

Quincy (25:42)

Special thanks to Julia DiMarzo and Michaela Reynolds for our logo design and key art photography.

Kevin (25:48)

To get in touch, find us on TikTok, Instagram or Xentmenpod, or shoot us an email@sentmenpodmail.com till next time.

Quincy (25:58)

I'm Quincy.

Kevin (25:59)

And I'm Kevin.

Alan Seales (26:08)

Hey there. I'm Alan Seales, host of the Theater Podcast, a weekly podcast that takes you behind the scenes with intimate, personal conversations that include the biggest stars on Broadway, TV and film. My podcast has over 350 episodes with guests including Stephanie J. Block, Kerry Butler, James Monroe Iglehart, Andrew Barth Feldman, Alex Brightman, Patti LuPone, Ramin Karimlou, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and even TV stars like Isaac Bizrahi, Ariana Maddox, Michael Urie, Eddie Izard, and literally so, so many more. My guests have spilled secrets, told coming out stories, discussed their fears and successes, and even had huge epiphanies live in the episodes. So you're bound to hear some things from my guests that you've never heard anywhere else. I've also got many deep dive takeovers on the podcast, which are consecutive episodes dedicated to casting creatives from a single show like the Outsiders, Back to the Future and Juliet, wicked, Beetlejuice, Hadestown, Frozen 6. I could go on. Can you tell I like theater? I've definitely got something you're gonna enjoy. So go ahead, search for your favorite star and listen to their episode. If you're you can find all the info about the podcast at BPN FMTP on the Broadway Podcast Network or anywhere podcasts are found. If you need that link again, it's BPN FMTP Take a deep breath.

Quincy (27:20)

Make the world a little colorful.