Is Wicked in Tokyo worth seeing? Also, where is it located?

Question

I'm interested in seeing Wicked, but I don't know if it's worth it.

Has anyone seen it? If yes, can you give me a small review? If you've seen any of the English performances, can you compare / contrast it with the Tokyo one.

Exactly how much is it per person?

Can anyone link me to a good map that shows the location of the theatre? The official site is too confusing for me to navigate.

And if you think there's anything else I need to know, feel free to include! Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, I have seen the Wicked show in Shio-dome (She-o-doh-may).  Compared to the original American version, the Japanese version tries it's best to step it up.  It was okay commedy-wise.  But considering the that The Wizard of Oz is the corner stone of American cinema and not Japanese, many of the jokes and puns like the GA-linda jokes and dumb blonde jokes are cut down to nothing almost.  It is different in terms of not only being in Japanese, but also the way it was reshaped to also match Japanese etiquette (I speak and understand Japanese so I know what they said).  Elphaba's character acts more on the lines of a typical Tom-Boy Anime character rather than an isolated imo kid.  Galinda (because the Japanese language doesn't and can't put two consonants together, so she is GA-linda through the entire play) is not the ditsy, dumb blonde, but rather just a beautiful, rich brat.  The big difference is that the one in Japan is... in Japanese!!!

The theater itself is divided into two sections with a total of 4 seating sections.  The Orchestra section (the 1st floor) contains 'S', 'A1' and 'A2' seats.  The Mezzanine (the 2nd floor) contains 'S2', two sections of 'A2', 'B', and 'C' seats.  For any 'S' ticket it will cost you ï¿¥11,550 (about $115 American).  'A' tickets cost ï¿¥9,450 ($94).  'B' tickets are ï¿¥6,300 ($63).  And 'C' tickets are ï¿¥3,150 ($32).  All the seats are good.  I saw them from 'B' seats and it was still very good.

As for location it is located in Shiodome.  Its code on the map is E19 and is on the Oedo Line (Pinkish line color).  If you are in Tokyo, take the JR Line (the stripped line) and get off at Daimon (A09/E20) and then take the Oedo Line (Pinkish color) to get to Shiodome (E19).  When you get off the train, simply walk up the stairs to the exit.  An opening on the right will appear (you will pass a small book store in the middle of the station before taking that right).  The giant shopping center you are in is the theater.  Look for stairs across the way with the wicked poster printed on all of them.  Climb the stairs and you should pass the Wicked Café on the second floor.  Keep going up and go through the door on the left on the third floor.  This is the ticket counter as well as the front entrance.  It’s not that hard to get lost and it’s easy to find.

Now for the downers.  They never do shows on Mondays unless it is a special holiday weekend.  Also they do not sell certain tickets for certain shows.  So when you go to buy your tickets, you will see a white paper on the counter that shows all the shows, times and what seats are available.  It’s in Japanese so here is the rundown; a circle inside another circle means that the seats are all open.  A single circle means that a good number of them are left open.  A triangle means that there are very limited seats for this showing and you may not be able to get a group of people together in the same row.  The number ‘1’ means that only one seat is available here and there and no groups can be taken.  Then they have something I call 'The Cross' (it has four dots up down left and right of an ‘x’).  This sign means that they will not sell any tickets for that section for that show.  If the show starts at 6:30 get there from a half hour to an hour early and eat something in the mall (they have a McDonalds inside on the first floor if you can’t stomach Japanese cuisine).  Because if Japanese people can be summed up in one word, it is “punctual”.  They will start the show on time so don’t try the “We’ll get there 10 minutes before it starts” routine because if you get lost or the train breaks down, then you have a problem.

Overall, the Japanese version is almost up to par with the American version with a few exceptions.  But the music is the same melody and tempo as the original and you don’t need to know Japanese if you have seen it in English.

Hope this helps.  Enjoy the Show!!!