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Twisted 'Wicked' is serious, funny
(by Herb Hammer - December 09, 2009)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
Twisted 'Wicked' is serious, funny
The battle of the witches continues at the State Theatre in Playhouse Square. Yes, "Wicked," the smash Broadway hit, has returned to Cleveland for the third time, and again audiences are packing the place.
Adapted from the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, the show previews the run-up to Dorothy's landing in the Land of Oz.
The story is overly complex, very funny and awfully twisted. But when you finally reach the finish line, this rock 'n' roll anthem-style musical completes the story of all the things that just might have happened before Dorothy arrived from Kansas.
Not as lavish as the production at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway, the touring company comes as close as it can, considering the smaller stage and the fact that the enormous set pieces must move from city to city.
Stephen Schwartz's score surely isn't his best, but Winnie Holzman's complex book steers you clear of a great deal of the music.
The script takes you on a journey of explanations. How did the Wicked Witch turn green? What made her so desperate to get her hands on the ruby slippers? And what is it with Glinda the Good Witch?
What it is with Glinda is that, in this musical version, she becomes the star of the show, only slightly topping the Wicked Witch, who may not be so wicked after all.
The two become roommates in a school of sorcery conducted by a professor who is somehow a goat. Don't ask. Elphaba, later the Wicked Witch, is constantly ridiculed. After all, she is green, while Glinda, the striking blond, is everybody's star.
Eventually, Dorothy's house does crash into Oz, and, while we do get a fairly believable wizard, we never see Dorothy, who is off to the Emerald City.
The plot takes far too much time and pain explaining how the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion come to be and even how the Wicked Witch became wicked.
The script is overly political and occasionally deadly serious. But when it's funny, which it is much of the time, and when the second act ties the plot together, you can't help but forgive the twisted story. Everyone falls in love with the Good Witch, Glinda. Yet Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, has some surprises in store.
Chandra Lee Schwartz is a comic treat as Glinda, though she has less voice than you might like. Donna Vivino is a powerhouse as Elphaba.
The witches take over the entire show, leaving the 35-member cast, including the flying monkeys, around as window dressing.
Eugene Lee's eye-popping sets, though necessarily a cut-down version of the Broadway original, is a feast for the eyes. Susan Hilferty's costumes hold true to her New York originals and add still another lift to the show.
"Wicked" is an audience pleaser from start to finish -- but especially when it ties in "The Wizard of Oz."
If you miss this production, worry not. "Wicked" is sure to return, and soon.
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