'WICKED' Opens at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall

If confession is indeed good for the soul, then so be it: During my youth, I spent numerous sleepless nights after seeing those wretched flying monkeys in the annual television airing of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. So be forewarned: Those very same flying monkeys--albeit in less menacing, though much hotter forms--are cast as evermore portentous plot devices in the Tony Award-winning, internationally acclaimed, fanaticism-inducing stage phenomenon known as Wicked, that sat down at TPAC last night for a three-week run in Andrew Jackson Hall.

Everything you've heard about Wicked is true; it's an awe-inspiring stage spectacle filled with special effects, gorgeous sets and lighting, exquisite costumes, an amazingly gifted cast, a glorious musical score and an immensely entertaining, yet slightly irreverent (perhaps even a little subversive) script. It also has plot points so broad that you could drive a freight train through them, but if you're willing to suspend disbelief and allow yourself to become totally immersed in the phenomenon, you can't help but walk away tremendously satisfied, humming those wonderful tunes and having a sort of "which came first: the chicken or the egg" debate with your companions.

Based by composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman on Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, Wicked may best be described as a "prequel" to L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but I prefer to think of it more as a "reimagining," if you will, of Baum's earlier work, with a contemporary eye and ear. But trying to follow a linear path from Baum's book to the Victor Fleming film to Maguire's Wicked and on to the stage musical is wrong-headed; they are at once connected by the stories' basic facts, but they are disparate in the time, place and manner in which each was conceived. Considering the various versions together is something of a Rashomon-like endeavor: You get a slightly different, but altogether similar, story from each perspective.

The undercurrent of subversion is not new to the piece, as both Baum's book (which in reality launched a whole series of works based in Oz) and the much-heralded movie version have engendered debate about political posturing since their own debuts. For example, in the film, as the Wicked Witch of the West disappears in that bucketful of water flung at her by the simple Kansas farmgirl, she's heard to utter "What a world, what a world," which some film scholars contend was a nod to union organizers' efforts during the 1930s. In Maguire's book (which itself has become the first part of a trilogy), there are certainly political overtones to be found and Holzman's book for the musical doesn't shy away from controversy, what with its indictment of society for its prejudices, its religious zealotry (they worship the Wizard in Oz, don't forget) and the culture of celebrity-worship, and its various treatises on animal rights activism, women in positions of power and the dangers of social demagoguery.

While that may sound somewhat heavy-handed and overwhelming--and something of a buzz-kill for a musical comedy--it sure as hell doesn't play that way. In fact, Schwartz and Holzman, in adapting Maguire's darker, some might say richer, novel for the stage, have found a unique way of lightening the story to make it more palatable to theatre-going audiences. They have much to say about love and friendship, the power of first impressions and, yes, even animal rights in Wicked.

And it keeps you riveted to the action onstage from start to finish. During curtain calls, you'll find yourself in disbelief that you've been glued to your seat for more than two hours. That, my friends, is indicative of the storytelling efforts brought to life before you.

The story itself is truly the stuff of musical theatre legend: Two young women (named Elphaba and Galinda) meet in college, find themselves instantly at odds with each other, only to become fast friends, fall for the same boy and realize their own potential. Then all hell breaks loose. Seriously, the story (at first blush) is that simple, but in Wicked's multi-faceted retelling, the layers of emotion and genuine affection make it more complex and compelling, particularly given the knowledge that those two girls ultimately become The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

Holzman's script effectively tells the emerging story of the relationship between the two women while providing the backstory we've all come to know. She makes ample references to the earlier works and deftly intermingles genuinely somber strokes of drama with uproariously funny comedy. Clearly, it's not an easy task, yet she makes it work admirably. Her script is very clever and the attentive audience member can see foreshadowing in her words, which could be clunky if created by a lesser talent.

Schwartz's score is a superb collection of memorable tunes, including the effervescent "Popular," the soaring ballad "Defying Gravity" and the almost hymnlike "For Good" (I dare you not to be misty-eyed when you hear that one). Schwartz intelligently uses recurring themes as a musical leitmotif to set the stage for what's to come and to move the action along in a seamless manner.

With such an impressive structure in place, Wicked boasts an equally impressive cast to bring these characters to such colorful life. Marcie Dodd is ideally cast as Elphaba, possessing an incredible vocal instrument that blends fire and Ice To perfectly capture the duality of her character's persona. She is completely lovable and her transformation into her wicked self comes naturally, making it all the more moving. Her first act solo, "I'm Not that Girl" is beautifully sung, setting the stage for her later performances of "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed."

She is paired with HeleNe Yorke as Galinda (who becomes "Glinda, the 'Ga' is silent"). Yorke gives a beautifully nuanced performance, displaying a versatility that is winning and winsome at the same time. Yorke has some wonderful comedic moments in the piece ("Popular" is essentially a joyous romp of a number that showcases her abilities), which effectively underscore her more dramatic scenes. "Thank Goodness," her second act number with Madame Morrible and the citizens of Oz, gives an affectionate nod to Evita.

As Fiyero, the "callow, shallow boy" who comes between Galinda and Elphaba and then brings them back together, Colin Donnell is charmingly sexy and performs with an ease that makes his character all the more appealing. His "Dancing Through Life" is particularly fun, and his second act duet with Dodd, "As Long As You're Mine" is one of the evening's highlights.

Tom McGowan is very effective as the ineffectual Wizard of Oz and his final scene is particularly well-played. As Madame Morrible, the girls' professor at Shiz University and later the Wizard's press secretary, Marilyn Caskey is delightfully smarmy and manipulative, eventually getting her comeuppance just after the Wizard gets his. David de Vries, as Doctor Dillamond, is understated and quietly effective.

This company, the second national touring company of the acclaimed Broadway production, is efficiently and creatively directed by multiple Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello, while one of Broadway's brightest lights, Wayne Cilento, handles the wonderful musical staging. Special praise must also be given to the production's orchestra, conducted by Adam Souza, and featuring five traveling musicians and nine Nashville musicians in the pit. They were wicked good.

Wicked. Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Winnie Holzman. Directed by Joe Mantello. Musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Orchestrations by William David Brohn. Music supervision by Stephen Oremus. At Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Through September 20. For tickets, call (615) 782-4040 or visit the website at www.tpac.org. Visit the Wicked website at www.wickedthemusical.com.

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