Wicked

Last night, Sarah and I went to go see Wicked the musical. It was awesome! It's as good as people say it is. There were some kids that sat behind us that kept talking and they were even more excited than I was about the show.

It's an modern imaginative prequel to the Wizard of Oz. Elphaba is a nice girl that unfortunately was born green. This was due to the sins of her father, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz who had an affair with her mom. He gave her a green elixir to drink. Lesson learned: don't drink alcohol when you're pregnant, especially green ones.

When Elphaba goes to school she meets Galinda, a perky and outgoing blonde. They become roommates and loathe each other in the beginning. Later, they become best friends as they begin to understand each other. Elphaba gets to meet the Wizard because a professor of sorcery sees that she has talent. Elphaba is excited to see him at first but learns that he's the one behind all the animals in Oz losing their ability to speak. She runs away and the Wizard's press secretary condemns her as wicked. Everybody then hates her, except for Glinda and Fiyero, Glinda's fiance who really loves Elphaba.

Call me shallow, but how could anyone fall for a girl that's green? Watching Fiyero and Elphaba french-kiss made me laugh and want to puke guacamole. Fiyero says that Elphaba's beautiful and she tells him not to lie. He says that he means it and that he sees her in a different way. I guess he was under her love spell.

Eden Espinosa who played Elphaba was really good. Her voice was amazing. I can't believe she sings every night for a year or so. Glinda was also good and funny. The guys who played Fiyero and Boq weren't as good as the girls. Their voices were weak and were hard to hear.

The sets, background, singing, and lights were amazing. The lighting effects really were magical. I think this was the best sounding and looking musical ever.

Sarah said that Les Miserables was more emotional and the story was better. I would tend to agree. Wicked was just good fun though.

The best way to see this musical, as with all musicals, is to listen to the songs over and over again until you've learned them. Then, when you go see the musical you appreciate seeing it performed on stage so much more. The only drawback would be that if the actors sing a little differently than what you're used to, you might not like the change.

I wish that they would make DVDs of musicals so that everyone could have a chance to enjoy them. They can distribute the DVDs after the end of the production run. The ticket prices can be very high, especially for the best seats.

Oh, as an aside, don't ever watch the Tin Man mini-series by the Sci-Fi Channel. They tried to make a wild modern remake of the Wizard of Oz, but it's unbelievably dull. Tin Man is absolutely terrible rubbish.

The musical had great themes of love and friendship. You can find tremendous beauty in things if you see things through different eyes. Don't judge people by their outward appearances. Stick to what you believe is right instead of following the herd.

My rating: A, 94.

Highs: Angelic singing, beautiful backgrounds and lights, Glinda was cute and funny, Elphaba's voice was enchanting, catchy songs, great themes.

Lows: Clever twist of a story was subdued by its thin plotline; few characters, there are some problems reconciling the story with the Wizard of Oz, weaker male performances.

Verdict: Wickedly wonderful!