Wicked is Wicked Good
Take everything you thought you knew about The Wizard of Oz and throw it out the window. Wicked will blow you away and give you more of a background on what happened before Dorothy landed in Oz.
At the risk of giving away to much, this review will be rather vanilla in its approach for that reason. If I tell to much about it, I will give too much away and that just wouldn't be fair to those who have yet to experience this hit musical.
The story is based around who the witches were in the "merry old Land of Oz" and how they grew up. From the birth of Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of The West) to how she became who she ended up being in The Wizard of Oz and beyond. As well as, the back story of the relationship between she and Glinda, (the Good Witch) starting out as Galinda, pronounced with a Ga.
The sheer production value of this show is worth the price of admission. The songs and acting are amazing and will keep you leaning in to get more out of them. It is a very fast paced 2 acts of pure entertainment delight, that will be loved by young and old alike. Although there may be some spooky moments for the very young. But assure them it is all just make believe and you should be fine. (The Flying Monkeys will kinda freak you out)
There are plenty of ooh's and ahh's to be had and lots of laughter as the story unfolds in front of you. Vicki Noon, who plays Elphaba, gives a stellar performance and has superb vocal ability and range. She really does steal the show and makes you have a whole new appreciation for The Wicked Witch. Natalie Daradich, who portrays Glinda, is cute and bubbly, with an infectious amount of narcissism and straight ahead conceitedness. All in good fun though, she is the child of privilege, as opposed to Elphaba ,who is her polar opposite in more than just skin tone.
The show itself has much to say about acceptance and what powers decide who is wicked and who is not. It also has subplots of society issues such as environment protection and government corruption. From the reluctance of these two culturally different young women to be roommates to the heart tugging attempts to protect each other, it never stops entertaining.
The music is simply astounding and will keep you captivated the entire time. Stand out songs to look forward to, "The Wizard and I," "Popular," "Defying Gravity" (which will have the hair on your entire body standing on end) and "For Good." The entire songbook is solid throughout.
The show, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, is a complete original and will wow you without a doubt. Even for the lightest of theater fan, you will be astounded. Do not miss this musical.
Kudos to Celebrity Attractions for bringing this back for a second year. Let us just hope that it will be a regular engagement in Tulsa.
WICKED is playing now at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center through November 28th, 2010. The performance schedule will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday Evenings at 7:30 pm, Friday Evenings at 8:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2:00 pm and Saturday Evenings at 8:00 pm. No performance on Thursday, November 25th due to Thanksgiving holiday. Tickets starts at $30.00.
WICKED is presented by Celebrity Attractions 2010-2011 Broadway Season which includes the nationally touring Broadway productions of BURN THE FLOOR, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE ALUMINIUM SHOW and 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL along with the add-on productions of BILL COSBY and CATS.
WICKED at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center 110 East 2nd St, Tulsa OK
Tickets for the return engagement are sale now via phone (918) 596-7111, (800) 364-7111, in person at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center ticket office, or order online at www.MyTicketOffice.com or visit select Reasors locations.
Photos courtesy of Google Images