Theatre Review: Wicked

Abigail Brosnan
Staff Writer

On Thursday, February 7, I took a trip to New York City to see the Broadway musical “Wicked.” I have always wanted to see this show ever since it opened on Broadway in October 2003. My expectations were very high. “Wicked” is playing at the Gershwin Theater on 222 West 51st Street. The performance was packed with vis­ibly excited tourists and show-enthusiasts hum­ming tunes from the show.

The first act of the show was slightly dis­appointing and it seemed to me that the actors weren’t quite warmed up to one another on stage. Understudy Donna Vivino, played the witch, Elphaba Thropp, for this performance. Under­studies rehearse their roles equally but don’t get to perform for audiences nearly as often; some­times they don’t get to go on at all. Vivino started off a little slow in the beginning, but eventually warmed up and I was impressed with how she belted the high notes.

Once act two began, the plotline came together and I noticed myself at the edge of my seat. It was intriguing how Winnie Holzman, writer of the musical’s book based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, portrayed the characters and the events that took place prior to Dorothy’s landing in Oz from the old classic “The Wizard of Oz.” Bringing back these characters gave me a sense of nostalgia as I grew up hearing the story of “The Wizard of Oz” from both the movie and the book.

James Hayes, a junior music education major, gave The Pioneer his perspective on the show. “It’s an awesome musical with an impres­sive score, combined with a different perspective on a classic story that everyone knows.”

Each character is portrayed with an un­suspected twist to their background. This depth kept audience members engrossed in the perfor­mance, yearning to learn more about the beloved characters they thought they knew.

“I have seen the show seven times and each time has been even more thrilling than the last,” said Kathryn Brust, a freshman management ma­jor. “No other Broadway show can compare. You haven’t experienced Broadway until you have experienced Wicked!”

Overall, I recommend the show for any fan of the distinguished “The Wizard of Oz” movie, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” children’s novel written by L. Frank Baumnovel, and all mu­sic or Broadway enthusiasts. If you’ve enjoyed “Wicked” on Broadway, there’s a movie version in development. Universal Pictures bought the rights to “Wicked” and Holzman agreed to write the screenplay.