Wicked

Whether you are familiar with the “Wizard of Oz” from its original stance as a children’s book, the renowned 1939 film or its alleged connection to Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” chances are you remember the story. But do you know the story before Oz?

If not, you might want to check out the Broadway performance of Wicked.

While the overall musical is, in my mind, magnificent, the beginning might leave some spectators confused. Or better yet, searching for their ticket stubs to make certain they aren’t at the first showing of Legally Blonde on Broadway.

The good witch, Glinda, lands in her bubble in Munchkinland which is full of near average adult patrons. How they somehow later turned into lollipop eating children, the world may never know.

When munchkins immediately question the somewhat ditsy Glinda about her connection with the recently deceased Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West), Glinda begins her past tale. This is the scene for the entire performance. She explains how she unwillingly became friends with the shunned upon, green-skinned Elphaba when the two met in college.

But this is when the Broadway fable becomes a little too “pink”. The high-pitch voiced Glinda joyfully explains how she and Elphaba met and are as opposite as they come.

Elphaba is the outcast with strong PETA-type beliefs and a knack for casting spells. The dashing Glinda is, well, the most popular girl, ever.

Annoying as part of the act may be due to the ditsy factor Glinda continuously portrays, the other performers make up for it. They showcase their amazing talents as they belt out every lyric in perfect tune and beat.

The plot of the witches’ college days are full of entertaining sing-song battles over the same love interest and opposing views of the corrupt government that controls Oz and the Emerald City. The show takes a quick “ah-ha” turning point when the audience learns the two have something in common. Both are chosen by the university’s headmistress to undergo special witch training.

The first loophole in the performance is shown as the pair magically arrive in Emerald City in hopes to find the Wizard. The city looks as if it could be the birthplace of Elton John with actors dressed in 60s inspired couture with tiny, round sunglasses listening to upbeat music.

The witches, and the audience alike, are shocked to find the Wizard is an average guy with no special power (enter his need for the wicked Elphaba). This is when the edge of your seat chaos begins.

The stage becomes a darkened world of disaster, as Glinda becomes the prized princess witch of the town, and Elphaba begins casting spells that turn into evil and corruption.

Throughout this abrupt town-wide madness, the audience learns the dead witch Munchkinland is in celebration over is actually Elphaba’s crippled sister, Nessarose. Suddenly, the original “Wizard of Oz” tale begins to fall in place as the sisters humorously turn Nessarose’s mistreating ex-boyfriend into the Tin Man with no heart and caged lab-tested monkeys into escapees with wings.

The performance picks up even more when Glinda and Elphaba’s common love interest is transformed into a scarecrow with no bravery, due to his difficult time leaving his miserable relationship with Glinda for his true love, Elphaba.

This presents an odd twist to the show, but not nearly as odd as when the actors showcase why Elphaba is green and who her father really is. But I’ll leave that part to the imagination.

The performance continues to grip the audiences’ attention, as the town actively hunts for Elphaba. Glinda soon finds her and arranges to aid Elphaba in faking her death so she can run off with the scarecrow.

Legend turns to myth as a little dash of H2O takes the Wicked Witch of the West away for the duration of the musical.

Another loophole comes toward the show’s end when mention is made of Dorothy. While she was never seen on stage, she was apparently being held captive by the hiding Elphaba since she stole her dead sister’s jeweled shoes. How the pigtailed Kansasan wound up in Oz/Munchkinland is left to the audience’s imaginations.

At the show’s end, little is explained as Dorothy is apparently set free to run off on the yellow brick road.

Even with a few loopholes, the show was magnificent thanks to great writers and a musical cast that was beyond talented.

- Reviewed by Christine Rojewski