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The moment I heard Elphaba’s voice in the musical “Wicked,” I was sold.
The Los Angeles production of “Wicked” is one of the most original and wonderful musicals I have seen. Even though an understudy took over the roles of one of the main characters in the Friday Panteges Theatre performance, the music really shoots this show over the top. Elphaba, played by Teal Wicks, gave the best singing performance I have ever heard in a musical.
For anyone who hasn’t seen the musical, or read the book, the story of “Wicked” covers an alternate universe, where the white witch and the wicked witch of the west actually are best friends in sorcery school. Elphaba, a green-skinned girl, accompanies her sister, Nessarose, to Shiz University. Students make fun of her because of her skin. After Elphaba casts some dark sorcery, the president of the school, Madam Morrible, tells Elphaba that she is gifted. Morrible says that if Elphaba attends Shiz University she can meet the Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba is enthusiastic about her entrance into the university. However, Elphaba isn’t enthusiastic about her roommate, Glinda (played by understudy Laura Woyasz), who acts like that popular valley girl in “Legally Blonde.” However, Glinda becomes best friends with Elphaba after she recommends her to sorcery class.
Elphaba and Glinda both enter the Emerald City of Oz and meet the wizard. Elphaba then receives a magic book, and successfully casts a spell on a monkey to give it wings, but everything changes after the wizard shows Elphaba that his cage filled with monkeys.
The wizard has imprisoned all the animals, including Elphaba’s former goat sorcery teacher, Dr. Dillamon. The wizard tells Elphaba that she has the powers of an enemy, but insists that she can use her powers for good.
Elphaba, confused with the wizard’s intentions, escapes from the Emerald City with her magic book, and a score to settle with the wizard. The rest of the musical covers Elphaba’s life as a fugitive, and her revenge against the Wizard for imprisoning animals and pronouncing that she is an enemy.
I enjoyed this prequel to L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz.” The musical is actually based on the Gregory Maguire book, “Wicked.” The novel portrays a pre-Dorothy universe where the Wicked Witch of the West is not really wicked, but misunderstood, and the Wizard of Oz is some wacky old troublemaker.
“Wicked” has an engaging, complex story and great songs, but the Los Angeles production has some of the best singing I have ever heard. Although both Woyasz and Wicks gave incredible performances, it was Wicks who gave most emotional, show-stopping performance as Elphaba. Don’t miss Wicks’ performance as Elphaba in the LA production of “Wicked.” In fact, I don’t think you could get a better performance than the one at the Panteges Theatre.
