Photos by Daniel Horsch
http://www.915lifestyle.com/index.php/out-n-about/events/item/163-wicked-review#sigProGalleria183cb06f87
‘Wicked’ has come a long way from it’s maiden performance on Broadway’s Gershwin Theater and over 3000 performances and 35 theatrical awards later, it has been touted as on of the longest running musicals in Broadway history.
The ‘Wicked’ musical is a modified stage adaptation of the 1995 book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory McGuire which in turn is intended as a prequel to the 1900 L. Frank Baum classic ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. The stage play has seen many tweaks and revisions during it’s run and as a result, the final show has been customized in a way that differs significantly from it’s book counterpart.
‘Wicked’ centers around two main characters; Elphaba (Mami Parris), whom popular culture would know as The Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda Upland (Katie Rose Clarke), better known as Glinda the Good Witch. The stageplay starts off with the assumed death of Elphaba and then takes a significant time warp, starting off from her ill fated conception and following her through her awkward school years.
The performance gernered plenty of laughter from the audience, many times as a result of the airheaded Galinda’s periodic antics. Watching Glinda’s cultural transition from the ‘kind and good’ witch from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz to the pink-loving, spoiled and deceitful ‘Mean Girl’ like demeanor of her youth was interesting to see. In contrast, Elphaba’s character encourages the viewer to sympathise with her unfortunate upbringing and paints the portrait of the ‘misunderstood outcast’ which seems to the running theme of the entire production.
With such a fresh take on the Oz story, the audience is introduced to a handful of new and relevant characters such as Boq, Fiyero, Dr. Dillamond and Madame Morrible. As the musical progresses, we are shown how these individuals make a surprising impact on the future of Oz.
‘Wicked’ really touches on some major human complexities and turning a book that is intended for adult readership and converting it into a lighthearted musical is no easy feat. Although the songs and story line are straightforward and at times superficial, many of the cultural themes throughout the story run quite deep such as: the definition of good and evil, classism, political corruption, deception, and even racism. This amalgamation of external and internal encourage the audience to reflect on the plight of our emerald skinned heroine, Elphaba.
The goal of any musical production is to entertain and engage the senses through catchy show tunes and exciting visuals and the producers of ‘Wicked’ certainly did not dissapoint. Circular motifs with ornamental frames pay homage to an era of art nouveau which was popular in L. Frank Baum’s time and a majority of the custumery along with the prominent gears rotating throughout the performance are very Steampunk-like which in turn takes its influences from the late 1800’s Victorian style.
The musical runs about 2 and a half hours long and is broken into two Acts with a 20 minute intermission between them. Tickets are still available at the time of publication and can be purchased at The Plaza box office or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Ticket prices are $57.50, $77.50 and $125.00.
For those patrons who want an enhanced experience, a special Emerald Garden option is available for an additional $50. This upgrade offers the patron a pre-show dinner, drinks during intermission and post-performance desserts and coffees.
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