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I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Wicked: A New Musical on Saturday night with three friends and I have to say, if you have the opportunity, this play is a must-see. You don’t even have to be a fan of The Wizard of Oz to be able to enjoy it. One of the pluses of the musical is, if you have a child around the age of 10, it would be enjoyable for them as well (any younger than that and they might get a little frightened).

The music was well done and the songs are catchy enough to get stuck in your head (March of the Witch Hunters has been running through my head since Saturday night). The props and costumes are well done and definitely “Oz” worthy. The special effects, though not a big part of the show, are well done as well. Although I was disappointed not to get to see Wicked with its original cast (if only I could have seen Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel as Glinda and Elphaba), I thought the actors did a very good job in keeping with the characters. My only nag would have been the complete character change they gave Fyero (but they were combining three other male characters into one in him).

For those who don’t know, Wicked is a musical play adapted from the book of the same name by Gregory McGuire. However, the book and the play could actually be looked at as two separate entities. The bare skeleton of the play is the same, but they’ve altered the characters and the plot almost completely. Both are about Elphaba a/k/a The Wicked Witch of the West and how she came to be known as such as well as her friendship with Glinda the Good Witch of the North.

The play starts with Elphaba and Glinda at finishing school in Shiz. Glinda is pretty and popular while Elphaba is odd (well, she does have green skin) and an outcast. Through circumstances beyond their control, the two become friends until situations arise that have Elphaba rebelling against the Wizard that rules Oz, making herself Public Enemy No. 1; while Glinda ignores the grievances caused by the Wizard and rises to become one of Oz’s most famed and admired political figures. The two girls must somehow come to terms with their new roles in life and figure out how their friendship will play a part in their decisions and actions.

Definitely see this play if you have the opportunity. You won’t regret it.


Quote:
(Glinda) Elphie…Can I call you Elphie?
(Elphaba) It’s a little perky.
(Glinda) Elphie, I’m going to make you my new project.
(Elphaba) You really don’t have to do that.

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