Finally Seeing "Wicked"

On a recent trip to Chicago my family and I finally got a chance to see the show that everyone raves about - Wicked. It's a hugely successful show, and after years on Broadway it's still the top-grossing show every week.

In Chicago, it's part of Broadway in Chicago, and it's been running for a couple of years there, with each show a virtual sellout.

The show tells the story of the movie The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of "The Wicked Witch of the West," who gets a name in this show - Elphaba. Because of her distinctive green skin, when she goes to school she's an outcast, though she eventually finds a friend in the ditzy Glinda (the Good), but she also finds a cause - and makes enemies.

The story cleverly weaves around the original film and offers some interesting new angles on the famous story.

It's easy to see why the show is so popular. The performers are amazingly talented, and the songs are terrific. The set is a star all by itself, and features the most impressive stage and lighting effects I've ever seen - the show is worth seeing just for the staging.

In fact, the only problem with the show (and here I steel myself for the storm of outrage)... is the fact that I didn't like the story very much. I should explain that I'm a fan of the books by L. Frank Baum. He wrote a dozen Oz books in addition to the original "Wizard," and the story of Wicked breaks away from those stories in several places. Of course, that's because it's actually based on the film, not the Oz books.

But the other problem is that, in order to make Elphaba a heroic figure, all the other characters must become less likable - so the Wizard, for example, instead of being a lovable humbug, is a bit more malevolent.

Still, I can understand why Wicked is so popular - it's an amazing theatre experience, and even with the plot points I struggled with, it's still a terrific show and one I'd recommend to everyone.

I guess for me it just comes down to this - the bad guys in a story are as much fun (if not more) than the good guys - and there's no better villain than Margaret Hamilton in the original Wizard of Oz. ("I'll get you, my pretty - and your little dog, too!") I liked Elphaba better when she was truly Wicked.