“Wicked” Review
A few weeks ago, I saw Wicked the Musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman on Broadway. The show was an amazing pop of color with dynamic characters and a plot that moved every audience member, young and old. Broadway in general can take you to new worlds in different times with interesting people, but this show in particular absolutely takes the cake.
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 Glinda, 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. In the end, this would prove to 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 also had a stellar cast. Every actor turned into their character and ever actor’s energy was just right for their part! It seemed we all forgot they were real people who are totally different than the characters they played because their acting was so amazing and captivating. 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. The beautiful stage layout made you as if you were personally 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 keeps you from looking away while not distracting from the plot. Along with this, catchy songs and music was top-class. All of the songs were so relatable and filled with emotion.
Overall, the show was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen, 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. The show was so inspirational and I am sure you will not regret it!
