Wicked, now running for over nine years, is quite possibly the best broadway show ever produced. I have seen the show twice, once right after it opened and again a few years later. I know people who have seen it as many as six times. Yes, I know the other biggies, Oklahoma (very good, not great), Phantom (slow at times), Cats (hated it), Les Mis (excellent), Chorus Line (superb), Rent (very good and poignant), Lion King (excellent, but a little simplistic) but Wicked stands above them all.
While some may say Wicked is simplistic or even a child's story, it is significant on many levels. It is NOT the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz takes place over a couple of hours in real time while Dorothy is unconscious, for a few days in Dorothy's "dream time" in the land of Oz, but Wicked takes place over years and gives the background of how the political climate in the land of Oz and its characters came to be. The Wizard of Oz IS a scene in Wicked, but only for a few minutes in the relatively long production.
In the production, we are shown how those who may be portrayed as evil by people in power are actually good and those portrayed as good are really the most evil. The events in the book, written by professor Gregory Maguire, has been likened to the history of Europe in the early twentieth century between the world wars.
I would be remiss if I didn't also say that the music is absolutely wonderful. Even without seeing the show, the quality of the music on CD stands on its own as a great listening experience--a rare occurrence today.
While some may say Wicked is simplistic or even a child's story, it is significant on many levels. It is NOT the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz takes place over a couple of hours in real time while Dorothy is unconscious, for a few days in Dorothy's "dream time" in the land of Oz, but Wicked takes place over years and gives the background of how the political climate in the land of Oz and its characters came to be. The Wizard of Oz IS a scene in Wicked, but only for a few minutes in the relatively long production.
In the production, we are shown how those who may be portrayed as evil by people in power are actually good and those portrayed as good are really the most evil. The events in the book, written by professor Gregory Maguire, has been likened to the history of Europe in the early twentieth century between the world wars.
I would be remiss if I didn't also say that the music is absolutely wonderful. Even without seeing the show, the quality of the music on CD stands on its own as a great listening experience--a rare occurrence today.