In “The Wizard of Oz,” the Wicked Witch of the East, Nessarose, gets her five minutes – more like one minute – of fame when a young girl’s home fatally lands on her. The rest of the story proceeds to tell how Dorothy, a girl traveling through the land of Oz wearing the witch’s sparkly red shoes, attempts to find her way back home with the help of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

However, if there is one character from “The Wizard of Oz” who deserves a back story, it’s definitely not the young girl whose house gets blown away by a tornado. Instead, it is Elphaba (Mamie Parris), sister to the Wicked Witch of the East (Cristy Candler), who has a more compelling story to tell – one about a time where she wasn’t wicked at all.

The musical “Wicked” currently playing at the Pantages Theatre tells that story and continue through January 29, 2012. The show begins with the munchkins of Oz celebrating the death of Elphaba. The production does an extraordinary job in the storytelling and performance while also including just the right amount of comedy and wit in between. “Wicked” combines love, tragedy and ethics to create a story with a not-so-predictable happy ending.

As Glinda (Katie Rose Clarke) enters and celebrates with the rest of Oz, one of the munchkins questions whether she was once friends with the Wicked Witch. As the munchkins gasp in disbelief that someone would ask such a question, Glinda begins to tell the story of when she first crossed paths with the Wicked Witch – a time where she and Elphaba became good friends.

Each number the cast performed ended with a roaring applause from the audience while every joke, whether minor or major, was reciprocated with just the right amount of laughter echoing through the Pantages.

The stage production was also very impressive, with smooth transitions between scenes and performances.

Clarke does an amazing job as Glinda, an overconfident, popular and spoiled girl who always gets her way. From her exaggerated movement on stage to her knack for using a lot of made-up words, Clarke had a stage presence that kept the audience wondering what she was going to do or say next.

Parris also does a spectacular job in playing just the opposite of Clarke, a green (literally) character who has no friends and is blamed by her father for why her sister has to be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

As the plot carries the audience through Glinda and Elphaba’s time as students, roommates and friends, “Wicked,” includes frequent references to “The Wizard of Oz” – telling a back story of how the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow all came about.

The musical reveals many ideas that would have never been evident just by watching “The Wizard of Oz.” “Wicked,” at some points in the musical, makes audiences who have grown up with the “The Wizard of Oz” story feel cheated and mislead about “the wonderful wizard” as well as the wicked and good witches, but at the same time happy to finally know the truth.

Read the complete story {Via DailyBruin.com}

Wicked will be performing in Los Angeles CA through January 29, 2012. Buy Wicked Pantages Theatre Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Los Angeles CA Tickets Orders over $350!

Wicked Musical is currently performing at Wicked is currently performing at the Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles CA through January 29, 2012.

Yesterday… Dorothy Lucey went to the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, where “Wicked” is playing… and for one brief, shining moment… she got to play the part of “Glinda”… who’s normally played by Katie Rose Clarke. Katie showed Dorothy how “Glinda” makes her grand entrance… in a bubble that descends from the rafters. Check out video below:

{Via Fox Television Stations}

Wicked will play at the Pantages Theatre through January 29, 2012. Buy Wicked Los Angeles CA Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Pantages Theatre Tickets Orders over $350!

Wicked is currently performing at the Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles CA. Los Angeles first encountered Wicked in 2005 when it broke box office records. It returned two years later for an extended run that lasted two years. Now Wicked is back, leaner but still a terrific crowd-pleaser. The cast is smaller as is the orchestra but that all goes to make the show seem even more intimate.

Wicked is the story of two witches, Elphaba, the unfortunate girl with the green skin, and the blonde and perfect Glinda. They grow up together and become rivals for the attention of the handsome Fiyero. They also eventually differ in their stands towards the Wizard’s regime and policy of taking speech away from animals. Elphaba sides with the animals and is called the Wicked Witch of the West while Glinda the Good becomes known as the Good Witch of the North.

If all this sounds familiar it is because Wicked is a parallel story to the famous L. Frank Baum story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Wicked, the book, concerned the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked, the musical has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz with a book by Winnie Holzman. When the musical opened on Broadway it was drubbed by the New York Times and received decidedly mixed notices, but went on to get ten Tony nominations, winning three, six Drama Desk Awards, and the Grammy. It opened in 2003 and to this day remains the top grossing show on Broadway on a regular basis. The show has spawned numerous international productions and two national tours. It remains the 14th longest-running Broadway show in history.

The cast is the all-around best I have seen and I have seen the show twice before. Katie Rose Clarke has a blast with Glinda and squeezes every possible laugh as well as exploiting the poignant moments in the script. Mamie Parris is a feisty Elphaba. Boy, can these women sing!

Mark Jacoby is the Wizard and does more with the role. The same can be said of Liz McCartney as Madame Morrible. Kyle Dean Massey is a revelation as Fiyero. Who knew Fiyero could dance? Stephanie Brown is an exceptional Nessarose. And it is nice to see Los Angeles native Kevin McMahon as part of this talented cast.
{Via blogcritics.org}

Wicked will play at the Pantages Theatre through January 29, 2012. Buy Wicked Los Angeles CA Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Pantages Theatre Tickets Orders over $350!

The popular musical Wicked returns to the Pantages Theatre from November 30, 2011 and performing through January 22, 2012. Wicked broke box office records and sold out in record time When it first played the Pantages. Now back by “Popular” demand, “Wicked” returns to its Los Angeles home for a limited engagement, Only for 8 Weeks.

“I’m very pleased that we have secured a return of ‘Wicked’ for Los Angeles. It has been a thrill to have so much excitement at the Pantages Theatre again,” said the theatre’s General Manager, Martin Wiviott. “In my opinion, the national tour is even better than the Broadway production, which I also loved. The producers of ‘Wicked’ should be complimented for sending out such a high-quality show.”

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell,” “Pippin,” Academy Award-winner for “Pocahontas” and “The Prince of Egypt”) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So-Called Life,” “Once And Again” and “thirtysomething”), “Wicked,” the untold story of the witches of Oz, is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (“Take Me Out,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!,” “The Vagina Monologues”) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (“Aida,” “The Who’s Tommy,” “ How To Succeed…”).

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One – born with emerald-green skin – is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. “Wicked” tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Buy Wicked Los Angeles CA Tickets. Save $10 on Wicked Pantages Theatre Ticket Orders over $350! Use Code AFF$10.