A few weeks ago, I saw Wicked the Musical on Broadway with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. The show was an amazing pop of color with dynamic characters and a plot that moved every audience member, young and old. 

Wicked takes place in Oz (as in the Wizard of Oz) before the arrival of Dorthy Gale from Kansas. The play is told from the perspectives of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, who would later go on to become Glinda the Good Witch. The two share many interactions throughout the story, arguing over core values, fighting over a love interest, dealing with Oz’s unprincipled government, etc. which, in the end, would shape their characters and personalities as they are shown in The Wizard of Oz. It’s a daring, complex journey through Oz and all of the places we know and love, such as the Emerald City and the Poppy Gardens. It was truly an eye opening story.

Wicked was also very well cast! Every actor transformed into their character and their energy was just right for their part! It seemed we all forgot they were real people who are completely different than the characters they played because their acting was so amazing. Plus, the characters were always able to make you feel exactly how they were feeling, which is a hard  thing to do for an actor, especially stage actors. 

The design and direction were absolutely phenomenal! The stage always embodied the location that the characters were in, whether it be the green background and tall crystal like structures in the Emerald City, or the pink plants that lined the stage for the Poppy Gardens. You could really feel as if you yourself were in Oz. In addition, the costumes were very realistic and made each actor look exactly like their character. The show was filled with the perfect amount of eye candy, which prevents you from looking away while not distracting from the plot. And don’t even get me started on the catchy music! All of the songs were so relatable and filled with emotion.

 Overall, the show was one of the best things I’ve watched in my life, and I would definitely give it 5 stars. I would also recommend that if you are interested, you buy tickets! 

While Broadway tickets can be expensive, there are a variety of lotteries you can enter to get discount tickets, for example, broadwaydirect.com. If you can, go see Wicked you will not regret it!