Wicked

I FINALLY SAW WICKED!!!!!

Last night, Phil and I traveled to Tampa to see the national tour of the Broadway hit, Wicked. I absolutely loved it. This musical has now taken the place of my long-time favorite, Miss Saigon.

Wicked is the untold story of the witches from the classic book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The viewers are giving the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, Glinda the Good. I've read the book (one of my favorites), but went into the theater knowing not to expect the same story line. Even though the events in the musical were different, the essential message of "wickedness as a choice or being thrust upon someone" was the same.

Everything about the production was amazing! The sets and costumes were so imaginative and colorful. The vocalists were pretty good (no one takes the place of Idina Menzel). The character of Galinda was perfect. The incorporation of the original story of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was very creative, expecially the scene with Dorothy and figuring out how the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow all came about. I particularly enjoyed the songs "Popular" and "Wicked Deeds Don't Go Unpunished." My favorite scene was "Defying Gravity", when Elphaba flew on her broomstick. The creativity behind that!!!!

I do have one complaint: the ending. I won't give it away, but I did not like the feel-good ending of the plot. Even though I've read the book, I still like the tragic ending Gregory Maguire crafted in his novel much better than the ending I viewed last night.

I highly recommend this musical. It truly is a magical exerience.