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Photo Cred: Broadway and Flickr
Each season, it seems there are half a dozen new shows hitting the Broadway stage. Most come and go, but there are those few that become classics and and maintain a well-deserved, endless run. Wicked is one of those.
Wicked is the clever prequel to the Wizard of Oz story as you know it. It’s based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The book came out in 1995, and after several years of negotiations and preparations, it hit Broadway in 2003.
In supremely entertaining and hilarious fashion, it tells the story of how Glenda (the good witch) and the Wicked Witch of the West (real name: Elfaba) met long before Dorothy was even in the picture. You’ll find out why Elfaba has green skin and that Glenda was a bit of an airhead in school. Questions you never knew you had while watching the classic Oz story will be answered, and you’ll fall in love with new characters – new and old, good and bad. It’s an enchanting and charismatic show that you can see time and time again. The actors are superb, the music is wonderful, and the story is captivating.
The decor and stage production of the show are whimsical and over the top. The Gershwin Theatre is bigger than most on Broadway. All the space is utilized, especially when the flying (and slightly creepy) Oz monkey’s take flight above. The story you loved as a child gets a clever grown-up boost. The talent of the performers, the length of its run, and the praise it’s received have all helped solidify Wicked as one of the best Broadway productions of all time.
