Wicked north american national tour is currently performing at State Theatre Cleveland (1501 Euclid Avenue, Suite 200, Cleveland, OH 44115) through January 05, 2014.
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Wicked is Back Again at State Theatre – Cleveland, to Dazzle You with Big Tunes, Witchy Spells and Major Glitz – Reviewed By Christine Howey, CleveScene.com.
Wicked is about the original Wicked Witch and her counterpart Glinda the Good Witch, not the versions Hamilton and Billie Burke created in the iconic flick. But their indelible performances always seem to hover around and about this show, featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman.
This show has been performed so many times in so many places, it’s as seamless and smooth as a billiard ball. But that’s how the devotees of the play, many of whom tend to be teen and pre-teen girls, want it to be.
This production doesn’t disappoint from that perspective. Indeed, it may even exceed previous touring companies in some respects.
Featuring a story with some fairly complex plot turns that chronologically straddles the arrival of Dorothy in Oz, Wicked is a polished and stunningly designed production that never fails to amaze. Even when some of the set pieces and effects are clearly extraneous, they still have to power to fascinate.
If a house landed on you when you were young and you don’t know the story, suffice to say that the mean green witch (actual name Elphaba) and Glinda (actual name Galinda) met when students at Shiz University. Pursuing their studies in sorcery, they eventually bond, but are clearly flying their brooms in different directions, career-wise.
Glinda is a ditzy Legally Blonde-ish kind of witch, a fave of everyone who meets her. But she has a good heart and shares her crowd-pleasing knowledge with the sharp-edged Elphaba in the catchy song “Popular.”
In that role, Hayley Podschun dutifully mimics the performance markers set down by the original stage Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth. (Hey, this show is a valuable corporate product and like any good corporation, they’re looking for consistency.) But Podschun nails her songs with verve and high spirits, and what more can you ask?
Of course, Elphaba is an entirely different sort of enchantress. This is cemented in the show’s sterling song, the Act 1 closer “Defying Gravity,” in which Elphaba declares her independence in a rush of beautifully scored self-help aphorisms: “Too late for second guessing/Too late to go back to sleep/It’s time to trust my instincts/Close my eyes and leap!”
Read the complete review {Via CleveScene.com}
Tickets are still available, Buy Wicked Cleveland OH Tickets before they go on Sale completely. The tickets are selling fast for Wicked Musical at State Theatre Cleveland, Hurry to Buy NOW!
