Flying monkeys swing across the audience. An array of green light flashes across the stage. A flying witch levitates above the ground, belting a musical masterpiece of a song. “Wicked” is a staple musical that has been on Broadway for over 20 years. It has captivating music, sets, and characters that leaves any who watches it in awe.
I have seen over 10 musicals in my lifetime and “Wicked” was by far one of the best. From the two times I have seen it on Broadway, it never fails to amaze me. The whole musical was a melody of magnificence with creative costume design, a flawless set, captivating storytelling and mesmerizing talent.
“Wicked” tells a story of two opposites, Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda The Good Witch of the North, becoming best friends and the growth in their journey throughout the Oz universe. It has complex characters that were displayed incredibly with strong vocals and expressive acting. Throughout the musical, new characters were introduced left and right, for example Doctor Dillamond: a goat-human who’s frightened and serious acting portrayed the discrimination and eradication of animals and humans throughout oz. Feriour was a cocky and classy love interest for both Elphaba and Glinda. His charming and love-struck acting portrayed the interesting plot-line of an interesting relationship between him and Elphaba.
McKenzie Kurtz, who played Glinda, exhibited her character in a funny, entertaining and bubbly way that had the whole audience laughing. Her performance in both acting and vocals was amongst the best musical acting I’ve seen. Her performance in “Popular” was both entertaining and hilarious. The scene consists of her teaching Elphaba how to be “popular” and her animated portrayal of the lines and the song make the scene. Along with popularity, the opening scene of Oz presented Kurtz’s vocals as an impressive soprano whose voice sang “No One Mourns the Wicked” beautifly. She displayed Glinda’s character and relationship development perfectly while captivating her character’s vivacious attitude.
The lead actress Alyssa Fox, who played Elphaba, has one of the most impressive vocal ranges I have ever heard. Her ability to belt the song “Defying Gravity” is truly chilling. This song is the closing scene for act two. It consists of Elphaba deciding to separate from Glinda and proceed on her own journey. Out of all the vocal performances I have seen on Broadway, this was the best one. The array of lights, the floating witch and the breathtaking vocals had me in chills. “Wicked” has difficult songs that require powerful and impressive singing skill, not to mention the repetitive performance of these songs multiple times a week takes melodic vocals. Her voice was nothing short of spectacular and made the show the beautiful masterpiece it is.
A big part of the musical is Elphaba and Glinda’s dynamic. Both of the characters are polar opposites from each other. With Glinda being a perky popular character to Elphba being a more serious and ambitious character, their friendship was certainly unexpected but lovely nonetheless. From their rocky beginnings to their humble endings, their relationship is what makes the show engaging. This musical incorporated the duo’s relationship in an entertaining and heartfelt way. The show starts with the characters hating each other, and slowly transitions to a friendship blossoming, to find their sincere separations. I was captivated throughout the musical by their funny and clashing dynamics that show how opposites can truly attract.
Although the talent was amazing, a musical cannot be a masterpiece without good costumes, choreography and set, all of which “Wicked” incorporated tremendously. The costumes were eye catching and creative as they portrayed the setting and attitudes of their scenes. Each of the costumes correctly portrayed the tone of the scenes. For example, when the scene shifted to OZ, the characters were dressed in bright green and unique costumes. In the school dancing scene, the characters all matched in slightly different striped clothing to portray the uniformity of the school.
The set was artistic and mesmerizing with colorful lights and mechanics like none other that illuminated the characters talents and mood of their scenes. Things such as the Wizard of Oz’s giant steelhead, the mechanical dragon that sits at the stage and the flying monkey trapped in their cage were all jaw dropping set pieces that tied the art together.
Lastly, the choreography was flawless with creative movements that flowed well with the song and captivated the attitudes of the show all together. The dancing skills of the performers were eye-catching. Each move was precise with no flaws and brought the scenes to perfection.
“Wicked” is amongst one of the best musicals I have seen, with immense musical talent, entertaining stories, songs, as well as a creative set and costumes. It was hilarious, captivating and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The show was art and a must watch for anyone looking to see their next show on Broadway.
