#1
Posted: 11/1/03 at 8:48am
October 31, 2003
By MICHAEL SOMMERS
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Truly an enchanting musical, "Wicked" is a fabulous new Oz fable for the 21st century.
Extravagant in ambitions and looks, the rich, enthralling tuner whirled into the Gershwin Theatre Thursday night, delivering the sort of classic musical theater sensibilities and spectacle that make Broadway at its best such an unforgettable experience.
Imaginatively derived more from the early portions of Gregory Maguire's delightful novel than the arc of the 1939 movie classic, the musical follows the unlikely friendship between the so-called good and wicked witches of that beloved alternate universe known as the Land of Oz.
Beginning with a smoke-fuming mechanical dragon, an amazing meltdown and a swelling "No One Mourns the Wicked" chorale, the mostly pre-Dorothy saga is rendered as a flashback.
At first, as mismatched college roomies, bubbly Glinda and brooding Elphaba loathe each other. After they recognize each other's best qualities, the sociable blonde and the green-tinted geek become inseparable chums.
Then politics and a mutual yen for the same guy bedevil them. Glinda turns into a joy-spreading shill for the Wizard's dubious regime. Elphaba employs her sorcery skills to defy his repressive policies. Somehow their girlhood bond survives betrayal and loss. "Because I knew you," they sing at last, "I have been changed for good."
Such scanty description does not account for the ingenuity of Winnie Holzman's clever text or the surging melodiousness of Stephen Schwartz's score in conveying the intricate story. With its touching study in feminine friendship and fun fracturing of Oz mythology, the dramatic musical illuminating the darker side of the rainbow is meant more for adult (or at least age 12 and up) consumption.
Despite its superior entertainment values, the show isn't perfect; a few moments veer into camp ("Take a dead woman's shoes!" Elphaba shrieks at an offstage Dorothy. "Must've been raised in a barn!"), while an otherwise jaunty vaudeville-style number for the Wizard appears too much like a deliberate -- albeit pleasant -- diversion from a frequently sorrowful second act.
Splendid performances and a dazzling visual production ease bumpy spots along the Yellow Brick Road, however, and the show is destined to be one of Broadway's must-see wonders.
A compelling Idina Menzel depicts misunderstood Elphaba with supersonic musicality as she believably and passionately charts her character's evolution from awkwardness to militancy. Menzel's fierce, literally high-flying "Defying Gravity" first-act finale makes the crowd roar.
With the effervescent "Popularity" as her trademark aria, an endearing Kristin Chenoweth is superb, her glittering soprano and kittenish airs delineating Glinda's transformation from sorority princess to ice queen.
Together, they're a pair of bewitching misses whose luminosity is never overshadowed by the fearsome splendor of designer Eugene Lee's eccentric Industrial Age of an Oz, which glows under Kenneth Posner's color-suffused lighting.
Wittily dressed by Susan Hilferty, the featured players are a treat. Joel Grey makes a whimsical Wizard, Norbert Leo Butz is appealing as an easygoing student prince and Carole Shelley is grand as a shifty schoolmarm. Whether winged monkeys or college kids, the ensemble whips expertly through choreographer Wayne Cilento's tumultuous musical staging.
Director Joe Mantello's production is a marvel of organization and inventiveness. Lusciously composed, smartly written and beautifully staged, "Wicked" is one of the rare shows in town that justifies a $100 ticket. The cost is easily paid back in memories alone.
Michael Sommers is theater critic for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. He can be contacted at msommers@starledger.com.
By MICHAEL SOMMERS
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Truly an enchanting musical, "Wicked" is a fabulous new Oz fable for the 21st century.
Extravagant in ambitions and looks, the rich, enthralling tuner whirled into the Gershwin Theatre Thursday night, delivering the sort of classic musical theater sensibilities and spectacle that make Broadway at its best such an unforgettable experience.
Imaginatively derived more from the early portions of Gregory Maguire's delightful novel than the arc of the 1939 movie classic, the musical follows the unlikely friendship between the so-called good and wicked witches of that beloved alternate universe known as the Land of Oz.
Beginning with a smoke-fuming mechanical dragon, an amazing meltdown and a swelling "No One Mourns the Wicked" chorale, the mostly pre-Dorothy saga is rendered as a flashback.
At first, as mismatched college roomies, bubbly Glinda and brooding Elphaba loathe each other. After they recognize each other's best qualities, the sociable blonde and the green-tinted geek become inseparable chums.
Then politics and a mutual yen for the same guy bedevil them. Glinda turns into a joy-spreading shill for the Wizard's dubious regime. Elphaba employs her sorcery skills to defy his repressive policies. Somehow their girlhood bond survives betrayal and loss. "Because I knew you," they sing at last, "I have been changed for good."
Such scanty description does not account for the ingenuity of Winnie Holzman's clever text or the surging melodiousness of Stephen Schwartz's score in conveying the intricate story. With its touching study in feminine friendship and fun fracturing of Oz mythology, the dramatic musical illuminating the darker side of the rainbow is meant more for adult (or at least age 12 and up) consumption.
Despite its superior entertainment values, the show isn't perfect; a few moments veer into camp ("Take a dead woman's shoes!" Elphaba shrieks at an offstage Dorothy. "Must've been raised in a barn!"), while an otherwise jaunty vaudeville-style number for the Wizard appears too much like a deliberate -- albeit pleasant -- diversion from a frequently sorrowful second act.
Splendid performances and a dazzling visual production ease bumpy spots along the Yellow Brick Road, however, and the show is destined to be one of Broadway's must-see wonders.
A compelling Idina Menzel depicts misunderstood Elphaba with supersonic musicality as she believably and passionately charts her character's evolution from awkwardness to militancy. Menzel's fierce, literally high-flying "Defying Gravity" first-act finale makes the crowd roar.
With the effervescent "Popularity" as her trademark aria, an endearing Kristin Chenoweth is superb, her glittering soprano and kittenish airs delineating Glinda's transformation from sorority princess to ice queen.
Together, they're a pair of bewitching misses whose luminosity is never overshadowed by the fearsome splendor of designer Eugene Lee's eccentric Industrial Age of an Oz, which glows under Kenneth Posner's color-suffused lighting.
Wittily dressed by Susan Hilferty, the featured players are a treat. Joel Grey makes a whimsical Wizard, Norbert Leo Butz is appealing as an easygoing student prince and Carole Shelley is grand as a shifty schoolmarm. Whether winged monkeys or college kids, the ensemble whips expertly through choreographer Wayne Cilento's tumultuous musical staging.
Director Joe Mantello's production is a marvel of organization and inventiveness. Lusciously composed, smartly written and beautifully staged, "Wicked" is one of the rare shows in town that justifies a $100 ticket. The cost is easily paid back in memories alone.
Michael Sommers is theater critic for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. He can be contacted at msommers@starledger.com.
