The Broadway musical Wicked tour returns to East Lansing, MI and currently performing at Wharton Center – Cobb Great Hall through July 08, 2012. Here is the Wicked musical review by Bridgette Redman.
The production currently at Wharton Center is the second national tour, but unlike some shows that cut budgets and special effects for the second tour, this one shows no signs of being second best. Christine Dwyer (Elphaba) and Jeanna De Waal (Glinda) are strong vocalists who command the space with soaring voices that beautifully blend in their duets. They convincingly loathe and love each other and take the audience along their journey of growth and transformation.
It’s hard to believe a show as commercially successful as “Wicked” could be chock full of so much word play, irony, tragedy and political commentary. Yet, that’s exactly what this musical has. The show was inspired by Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which was in turn inspired by Frank L. Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” It follows the story of Elphaba, the woman who would become the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda (later Glinda) the Good Witch.
The story explores dependency, co-dependency, independence and interdependency. It contemplates how deceptive appearances can be and how truly wicked those who “create” truth by ramping up public anxiety are.
One of the more fascinating characters is Catherine Charlebois’ Nessarose, Elphaba’s sister, who eventually becomes governor of Munchkinland and the famous owner of the ruby slippers. Charlebois plays the innocent, embodying the “beautifully tragic” label that others tag on her merely because she uses a wheelchair. Like her sister, she is judged on appearances in dangerous ways and others underestimate her and fail to see who she really is.
There were no weak performances in this production and all of the stage magic, including a rather gratuitous dragon who existed only to create wonder and set the stage for the wizardry that was to come, remained slave to the most important part of this musical: the story.
Read the complete review {Via LansingStateJournal.com}
Wicked Play at Wharton Center – Cobb Great Hall through July 08, 2012. Experience the Spell of Wicked. Wicked Musical East Lansing MI Tickets are in full Demand! Avail $15 OFF on Wicked Wharton Center Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code SUMMERTIXTN at Checkout!