Joan Marcus Vicki Noon as Elphaba and Natalie Daradich as Glinda

From the moment that Glinda, ruler of Oz, arrives by delicate bubble carriage to the finale when she leaves by same, “Wicked” sparkles like, well, fairy dust.

It’s gratifying that Joe Mantello’s flawless and lyrical production, with its seamless transitions, is still in such tiptop shape. It allows the show to reveal more of its depth and meaning, even if Stephen Schwartz’s score hasn’t gotten any more hummable from repeated exposure.

The power of “Wicked” — created by Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman from Gregory Maguire’s fanciful 1995 novel — rests on its portrait of two young women figuring out their relationship to each other and to men. Loyalty, friendship and love grow out of shallowness and seemingly unbridgeable differences.

“Wicked” also includes a secret connection between Elphaba and the Wizard, played with avuncular ease by former Guthrie and Chanhassen character actor Don Amendolia, who does a charming “Wonderful.”

Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba on Broadway, imprinting their respective characters with flighty cuteness and self-possessed intelligence. In this production, Daradich has the ditz down pat, inhabiting Glinda with a hair-tossing silliness but also with tremendous vocal agility and a wonderful sense of play.

Wicked is performing at Historic Orpheum Theatre mn in Minneapolis, MN till 9/19/2010. Buy your Wicked The Musical Minneapolis Tickets now!

There are many plays that entertain throughout each city’s Broadway run – but no other play gets as much attention or fanfare as Wicked. With enthusiastic patrons attending the show twice, third times or sometimes over a dozen, the Orpheum Theater this year is sure to get a serious boost in income when the Wicked headlines for the 2010-2011 Broadway season. During last summer’s Wicked run at the Orpheum 57,575 people saw the show – selling out 99% of the tickets in its first week. The show was the most successful for the theater in 30 years, and helped to boost the local economy when it brought in a near estimated $7 million for its first run, reports Biz Journals. Now, the show is opening up again with the Broadway season. Here’s the schedule, for those interested in seeing something other than the famous prequel to the Wizard of Oz:

The Color Purple: August 24-29, 2010

• Wicked: Oct. 13-31, 2010

• 9 to 5 the Musical: Nov. 2-7, 2010

• Dreamgirls: Nov. 30-Dec. 5, 2010

• Shrek the Musical: Jan. 18-23, 2011

• Young Frankenstein: March 8-13, 2011

• Monty Python’s Spamalot: May 6-8, 2011

• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: June 14-19, 2011

If interested in seeing Elphaba and Glinda, however, act now and get the best Wicked Orpheum Theatre mn Tickets.

After breaking box office records and selling out its entire run in record time both in 2006 and 2008, Wicked, the smash hit musical, makes its much-anticipated return to Historic Orpheum Theatre mn in Minneapolis, MN, Wednesday, August 11-Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010.

“Wicked has been a major success both times it played the Orpheum Theatre and fans have been eagerly waiting for its return. Few shows generate such repeat and fervent enthusiasm,” commented Tom Hoch, Hennepin Theatre Trust’s President and CEO. “We are obviously thrilled to welcome back Wicked and expect the excitement to keep building!”

Minneapolis is not the only city which has enjoyed such demand. The national tour of Wicked has “cast quite a spell” (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city that it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a Called “a cultural phenomenon” by Variety and just named “the defining musical of the decade” by The New York Times, Wicked continues to thrill audiences around the world.

Performance dates for Wicked are Wednesday, August 11 to Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010 at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Mpls., MN 55403. Performance times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will also be a matinee performance on Thursday, August 12.

Buy Wicked The Musical Minneapolis Tickets now!