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Ongoing – Sun. Nov. 11 Green is good. We knew that already, but “Wicked” makes that point clear with the Witch formerly (or erroneously) known as the Wicked Witch of the West. My lord, how that woman terrorized us year after year on TV when “The Wizard of Oz” came around and we were glued to it like … those poppy fields were addictive, or something. Now, we’ve got “Wicked” – the Broadway hit musical that’s won 15 major awards (including three of the Tony sort) – and, really, there’s a lot to love. Caveat: If you didn’t know the music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz, the guy who did “Godspell,” you might have guessed. The songs sung here are big Broadway rock-schlock opera anthems – over the top emotions, big choruses, sentimentality on parade. But, that’s not a bad thing here. You surrender. And you easily take to the premise – that something was going on in Oz before Dorothy and her house crashed the party. You go along for the ride with the two witches. That would be the blond and beautiful Glinda (Christina DeCicco) and Elphaba (Victoria Matlock), the dark-haired, green, clever and misunderstood-by-history one.
What we mean is that in this re-envisioning of the Oz world (novel by Gregory Maguire, book by Winnie Holzman), there’s quite a back story. This all unfolds at the Opera House through November 11.
And there’s a lot of razzle dazzle, heart and a political subtext. What’s the latter, you ask? The Wizard (P.J. Benjamin) explains how what we know as history is just the version told by the winners and "The way to bring folks together is to give them a really good enemy." Mmm … anyone else thinking "Bush White House?" But what captivates is the hate-love relationship between the two witches – both friends and foils - and the way they play off each other, in song and in the script. Glinda isn’t as bubble-brained as you might think – despite great lines like "Something is wrong. I didn’t get my way" – and it turns out Elphaba is something of an animal rights activist. Really. She turned the monkeys into mutants (flying monkeys to be used by the Wizard as spies on Oz’s populace) and she very much wants to rectify that. And Dr. Dillamond (Tom Flynn) is a professor/goat – the last of Oz’s talking animals. Then, he’s hauled away and silenced, reduced to saying "Baaa" when asked a question. Elphaba’s not too happy about that either. There’s quick wit and sly "Wizard of Oz" references; there’s a thoroughly unexpected answer to how the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow become what they became. And there’s a good deal of subterfuge amidst the spectacular settings of Oz. The real surprise, perhaps, is that you walk away with a bit of a lump in the throat – you realize you care about these people (the witches, especially) and the "Wicked" people haven’t just knocked you out with song and spectacle; they’ve told a story, too. Tickets range from $132.50 to $35. The show is up Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30, Friday and Saturday at 8 with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2. 539 Washtington St., 617-931-2787 www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or www.ticketmaster.com |
