Review: SHNSF's WICKED Mesmerizing!

Broadway's very own yellow-brick road leads to San Francisco's Orpheum Theater where Wicked is casting a spell over the entire City on its latest National Tour. SHNSF Theatre Company proudly lays claim to having hosted the world premiere of the show in 2003 and the audience welcomed Wicked back like a long-lost, beloved friend. Wicked tells the tale of two sorceresses-in-training and their unlikely friendship in the Land of Oz long before Dorothy drops in. How these two women eventually become Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will mesmerize and delight you. With a book by Winnie Holzman and music and lyrics by the great and powerful Wizard of Broadway, Stephen Schwartz, Wicked has won over 50 major awards and, as Variety stated, it truly is "A Cultural Phenomenon." All the elements of great theater conspire and come together in this gravity defying show. Playing now through April 16, Wicked is guaranteed to thrust you into the stratosphere of sheer artistry and visual delight even if you've seen it before and especially if this is your first time.

Winnie Holzman's book carves out sharply defined and rich characters who at turns give us comedy, anger and angst - and finally love. Emily Koch is a gloriously serious Elphaba and Amanda Jane Cooper is giddily effervescent as Glinda. Both plumb the depths (and the shallows in the case of blonde and bouncy Glinda) of their characters and have great chemistry together.

They first meet at "Dear Old Shiz," a school of witchcraft where magic and mayhem ensue. What a mix of emotions poor Elphaba goes through as the shunned emerald-green girl who never quite fits in. From the pull of family responsibility, to the tug of popularity offered by pretty Glinda -- as well as the tantalizing possibility of working with the Wizard -- Elphaba only comes into her own when the weight of her ethical values come to the fore. At first she finds herself mired in doubt...and then finally is filled with conviction. Then, and only then, does she defy gravity.

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Stephen Schwartz is the musical genius behind Wicked. His consummate skill lies in the ability to create a cohesive, overarching story through song, while at the same time fitting each character with a musical styling that speaks volumes about them individually. Glinda's songs, (Popular, Loathing and Thank Goodness) are light, airy and self-absorbed while the musical flow of Elphaba's songs (I'm Not That Girl, Defying Gravity and No Good Deed) resonate at a more profound level. We know how to feel about each character just by the tone and timbre of the music. Of course, the lyrics are a huge part of that, but the music takes you to a deeper level.

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When dashing bad-boy Fiyero, (a hunky Jake Boyd) comes to the school, the budding friendship between Glinda and Elphaba is threatened. Fiyero's character arc takes him from Dancing Through Life to eventually letting his brain lead him in the right direction. Special nods go to Stewart Zagnit as the charming, yet evil, Wizard and Wendy Worthington as the funny and endearing, yet deviously deceptive, Madame Morrible. The two play both sides of their characters with honesty and conviction.

With a show so well-known and so beloved, it's incumbent on the leads to make the show fresh every time, which isn't always an easy thing to do. There were a few times when they anticipated the audience's response as if the script said "insert pause here," or "cue laughter." It felt like the fourth wall had been broken and for a brief moment the magic of the storyline got lost . Every night needs to feel as if it's the first-time-ever. A few lighting cues were missed and one gel spot gave Madame Morrible a purple hue. But these are small quibbles in a show that has a brilliant cast with a soaring score and a wickedly clever book.

You'll have to see the show for yourself to find out how the story ends. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Orpheum Theater now through April 16. Go before somebody drops a house on you!

WICKED
Book by Winnie Holzman
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
March 9 - April 16
SHNSF's Orpheum Theatre
www.shnsf.com
Photos courtesy of Joan Marcus

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