Review: WICKED!

Wicked, the fairy-tale account of The Wizard of Oz's leading ladies, prior to Dorothy's arrival, the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and Glinda, The Good Witch is nothing less that SPECTACULAR! From its visual-appealing sets (sensational), flashy costumes, and melodious singing, Wicked has all the elements of a "top of the line" Broadway musical.

A family friendly production, Wicked had a storyline that captivates the interest of all age levels. Ovens Auditorium was packed with adolescents, teens, "in-betweens" and adults filled with excitement. From the opening scene of the birth of the "green" ugly-duckling baby witch, to the introduction of the beautiful blonde and ever-popular Glinda, we took a journey filled with adventure and incantations of two young ladies with their exclusive issues and challenges for different reasons. The Wicked Witch of the West had to deal with issues of rejection not only from outsiders that she encountered but also from her Dad. Because of her odd, green skin tone, she was ostracized, seen as inferior to, yet served as the full-time caregiver to her sister, Nessarose, who was handicapped and confined to a wheelchair. In contrast, Glinda, the Good Witch, had a sense of entitlement derived from being rich and beautiful, which she soon discovered didn't always give her everything she wanted. She soon discovers that sometimes genuine love prevails.

Wicked is based on the novel, written by Gregory Maguire. It is interesting how the writer dropped tidbits of correlations to the characters in the original Wizard of Oz by alluding to associations between Fiyero to the Scarecrow, and Boq to the Tinman. It even had the flying monkeys - an interesting bunch to say the least.

The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz - and the cast of singers did an awesome job bringing his musical compositions to life on stage! The audience showed their pleasure with boisterous applause and standing ovations.

Wicked is a must see - make it a family night out! The best of Broadway comes to Charlotte! It's an experience that's unforgettable.

*WICKED, presented by Blumenthal Performing Arts, with performances at Ovens Auditorium, Jan 6-31, 2016. For more information on ticket purchase visit http://www.blumenthalarts.org

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