I thought Wicked: The Musical was fantastic. Elphaba’s costumes were perfect. Glinda’s dress sparkled across the theatre. The songs were great. I really enjoyed the references to the original Wizard of Oz. I’m sure this won’t give anything away, but one of my favourite lines is something like, “Who takes a dead girl’s shoes? What were you, raised in a barn?” It was brilliant.
Much of what I like about the musical, I liked about Gregory Maguire's book, (though there are differences, so I’ll just be talking about the musical). Glinda says, “Are some people wicked or was wickedness thrust upon them?” In the show, I think it’s clear that wickedness was thrust upon Elphaba. She couldn’t betray her principles. She wanted to defend the Animals. She wanted to do what was best for her sister. Elphaba is only made out to be a Wicked Witch. Glinda knows this. Even though her social climbing and then her jealously blinds her to this for a while, she does what she can for “Elphie” and shows that she really is her friend.
I also really liked the ending. It’s not what I expected.
If you’re in Toronto, go see it before it’s gone. If you’re somewhere else, see it when it gets there.
I'm hoping to see the musical next spring! I've always wanted to but never been anywhere it's playing.
ReplyDeleteTraveling Broadway is coming my way though!