Salt Lake theatergoers had 'Wicked' time

The witches are getting ready to pack up and head home.

"Wicked," the mega-hit musical ends its Salt Lake run tonight, and from the feedback I've received, most folks seem pretty pleased with what they saw.

Comments included "amazing," "I loved it," "incredible" and so on.

On the flip side, I heard people say, "I can't believe some people have already seen this show and they're taking up all the tickets here, too. Thanks a lot," or "Not everyone can afford those tickets — people should spend their money to help those less fortunate" and "Guess I'm not meant to see my favorite show."

When I read these comments, I chuckled slightly and shook my head. Of course it's disappointing when you don't get something you really want. But those who can afford the tickets, who got up early to wait in line or got lucky in the "Wicked" drawing should not be derided for their good fortune.

So buck-up Ozians and create your own magic. Start saving now, and take advantage of some great travel deals.

Here is a list of cities near Salt Lake City where "Wicked" is or will be playing:

San Francisco, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre; Tempe, Ariz., July 1-26; San Diego, Calif., July 29-Aug. 31; Seattle, Wash., Sept. 2- Oct. 4; Denver, Colo., Oct. 7-Nov. 15.

You can go to www.wickedthemusical.com for the complete list.

And, speaking for those who saw the show, thank you to the cast, crew and Broadway Across America for presenting such a top-quality production.

In other Broadway news:

Nominations for the Drama Desk Award have been announced. The precursor to the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk pits Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off Broadway shows against each other, making for unique competition. Leading the pack are "9 to 5" and "Shrek: the Musical," with 15 and 12 nominations, respectively.

"Billy Elliot" was third with 10, followed by the new revival of "Hair" with eight.

I was a bit surprised with the announcements. I've not seen "9 to 5," though I'm dying to … But I thought "Billy Elliot" was superb and I expected it to nearly sweep the awards circuit.

On a local note, Will Swenson, who starring in "Hair" as Berger, was nominated as Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

He grew up in Provo and is the grandson of Ruth and Nathan Hale of the Hale theaters.

Swenson's brother, Cody, was in New York City for the opening. "He's so excited to be doing this show, he's just loving every minute of it. He's been working on this for so long," Cody said.

Will starred in "The R.M.," and "The Singles Ward," and he worked regionally and in touring shows such as "Miss Saigon" and "Fame." He finally settled in New York off-Broadway, and he made his Broadway debut in "Brooklyn," "Lestat" and "110 in the Shade."

"We're so proud of him," Cody continued. "He was the talk of the town when we were back there, he's gotten to be a big name around town."

The Drama Desk Awards will be announced May 17. Will Tony be next?

E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com