Wicked Week

I actually saw ' Wicked' at the Orpheum yesterday, and it was pretty good. No, nowhere on the angst scale near Les Mis, which is still the best thing I’ve seen on stage.

I had read the book the Musical is based on, and it kept to the story pretty well, but simplified things and added a few twists. Lots of bad puns, and more than a few jokes to pay homage to the original film. (In one scene, the Witch returns to her home after being ‘declared’ wicked. When her sister asks why she came, she says ‘There’s no place like home’.

Glinda was essentially played as a dumb blonde, in sharp contrast to the smart (and compassionate) Witch. It was interesting, as she provided the comic relief, was a foil through most of the play, and also provided some emotional conflicts.

In this running of the Musical, Carol Kane (Scrooged, Princess Bride) played the Wizard’s press secretary and was decent. The surprise of the show was David Garrison, who you probably know as ‘Steve’ from the early episodes of Married with Children. He played the Wizard, and did a pretty good job of it.

The women who played Glinda and Elphaba (the Witch) were both fantastic.

All in all, a good show.