Wicked Musical is currently performing at The Fabulous Fox Theatre – St. Louis, MO. Based on the novel by Gregory Macguire, “Wicked” is the back story of “The Wizard of Oz.” Wicked musical play at The Fabulous Fox Theatre reviewed by Andrea Braun. Here is the review:

The story begins with the birth of a bright green infant named Elphaba conceived in a one-night stand in which her apparently slutty mom slept with a man addicted to a colored substance he shared with her. So, okay, we don’t start out with a woman being anything but a stereotype. As it happens, said woman is married to the Governor of Munchkinland (only he’s not short) whom she does not love. Still, they conceive another daughter, Nessarose, who is born early and damaged from the plant her husband forces upon the mom to ensure the child is not green. Well, she’s not, but she’s premature and has underdeveloped legs, and her mother dies, leaving Elphaba with only a green bottle to remember her by.

We next see the sisters when their father drops them off at Shiz, a tony prep school for well-to-do children of powerful Ozians (Oz is an area divided into several different lands but all are under the control of the “Wonderful Wizard” of Oz.) Elphaba is only sent to be a guardian to daddy’s darling wheelchair-bound Nessa, but she displays her extraordinary powers early (she’s like The Hulk: You really don’t want to make her angry AND she’s green). The headmistress, Madame Morrible, selects her for special training, a privilege the wealthy and spoiled Galinda assumed would be hers. Instead, the vapid blonde and the smart green girl end up roommates who move from “loathing” (“What Is This Feeling”) to BFFs fairly quickly (in musical terms, within two songs before“Popular”).

Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked, tells the story of the “Wicked Witch of the West” before Dorothy blew into town, but the musical is quite different from its source material. Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book) have created an entirely sympathetic Elphaba, a finally admirable Glinda (after she realizes her happiness is not the entire world’s responsibility), and others who are good—Fiyero, beloved of both Elphaba and Glinda, and Boq, a virtual slave to the nasty Nessa—or bad—Morrible, the Wizard. A talented singing and dancing chorus functions as Shiz students, citizens of Oz, palace guards, and those famous flying monkeys. It is a lovely looking show, leaning toward gears and a big clock and stylized costumes. It’s essentially really elaborate Steampunk.

Read the complete review {Via PLAYBACKstl.com}

Wicked will be in Saint Louis MO through January 6, 2013. Buy Wicked The Fabulous Fox Theatre Tickets Online – SAVE $10 when you spend $350+, Use code AFF$10.

Wicked Musical is currently performing at Fabulous Fox Theatre-St. Louis, MO. Based on the novel by Gregory Macguire, “Wicked” is the back story of “The Wizard of Oz.” Harry Hamm reviewed the musical at stlouis.cbslocal.com. Here is the review:

From every production value you can imagine, and some you probably couldn’t until you see the show, “Wicked” is a masterwork of staging and creativity. It is the kind of production that challenges itself on every level and succeeds brilliantly. Casting is always a strong point of this production and in this visit, it is exceptional as well. Christine Dwyer as Elphaba carries the role with a wonderful voice and strident, authentic strength of character.

Jeanna de Waal as Glinda is sweet, funny and full of feeling when it is needed. The performance chemistry between she and Dwyer is genuinely winning.

Supporting and ensemble casts member are all outstanding, especially Jay Russell as Dr. Dillamond, Billy Harrigan as Fiyero and Paul Kreppel as The Wizard.

“Wicked” is a musical that is moving, amusing, exciting, funny and heartfelt. Subtexts abound. There are so many elements that can relate to almost any audience member about instances in their own stories that in many ways “Wicked” becomes a reaffirmation of life. And by the way, the 14 piece orchestra, under the baton of Valerie Gebert, and including 9 local musicians, makes the music soar. “Wicked” will be on stage at The Fabulous Fox Theatre through January 6.

Read the complete review {Via stlouis.cbslocal.com}

Wicked will be at Fox Theatre through January 6, 2013. Buy Wicked Saint Louis MO Tickets Online at discounted prices – SAVE $10 when you spend $350+, Use code AFF$10.

Wicked second national tour is currently in Baltimore, MD for the second time for a month long run from October 03 to November 04, 2012. Wicked first visited Baltimore in 2007.

Here is the review of the Wicked musical by Tim Smith at BaltimoreSun.com:

Equal parts nostalgia and hipness, satire and sentiment, one-liners and philosophy, the hit musical “Wicked” remains a potent brew. Bewitching, even.

This tale-spin about life in Oz, before that rude girl from Kansas crashed the place, is neither quite as profound as its most ardent champions would aver, nor quite as empty as its detractors have charged. But the work’s component parts certainly come together snappily in ways that create entertainment writ large.

The plot, adapted by Winnie Holzman from the Gregory Maguire novel, presents a back-story for the peculiarly green woman we last saw in a puddle — the Wicked Witch of the West, who tried so darn hard for the return of those jeweled slippers in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”

Various details we accept as gospel from that movie get some interesting twists (better to … forget what you remember Margaret Hamilton’s iconic witch doing to the Scarecrow). And, like in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” characters are apt to shift between good to evil without warning.

Oz, it turns out, is not entirely Eden-like. The Wizard happily tells his people lies, because “they were lies they wanted to hear.” Prejudice, intolerance, suspicion of the “other,” power-hunger, fast-flying rumor — it’s all happening in or around this emerald-tinted world.

Some of these issues, especially a campaign against talking animals (a chilling classroom scene is fully Third Reich-redolent), could use more depth. But the fast-moving, if opera-length, show stays primarily focused on the emotional journey of the supposedly wicked witch, Elphaba, how and why she moved toward the dark side.

One of the tricky things about “Wicked” is how to keep the Glinda character from tilting the musical her way; she spreads glitter from the get-go and could go on to steal any scene.

The touring production boasts terrific balance and chemistry between the two leads — Christine Dwyer’s sensitive, wry Elphaba and Jeanna de Waal’s iridescent Glinda. Both are nuanced actresses who manage to tap into something genuine about the characters. Their unlikely friendship, the bond that changes both women “for good,” resonates strongly here.

Dwyer doesn’t just nail the glum, glib side of Elphaba, but unleashes the eager little girl beneath. Even in her most theatrical moments, she doesn’t lose a touch of humanness.

Would that Stephen Schwartz’s score contained a few more items of that cleverness. A lot of the songs are in generic pop mode, spinning their wheels over well-worn harmonic paths and failing to generate a really strong melodic hook.

The supporting cast does uniformly persuasive work. Paul Kreppel makes a disarming Wizard, Gina Ferrall a colorful Madame Morrible. Billy Harrigan Tighe has the fresh, all-Ozian looks and smooth swagger for Fiyero, the man who lights a spark under Elphaba and Glinda.

Read the complete review {Via BaltimoreSun.com}

Wicked musical performances at Hippodrome Theatre will continue through Sunday November 04, 2012. Buy Wicked Baltimore MD Tickets Online at discounted prices, Get $10 OFF on Orders of $350 or more by using code AFF$10.

Wicked Musical is currently playing at Reynolds Hall in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts through October 07, 2012.

Here is the review by Don Chareunsy at Las Vegas Weekly.

The song could be about “Wicked” itself, as the Broadway smash based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire has become a theatrical phenomenon, winning three Tonys in 2004 and thrusting its two dynamic lead actresses Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda (or Guh-linda, with a Guh), and Idina Menzel as Elphie (Menzel, facing off against Chenoweth, went home with the statuette) into the spotlight.

No matter that “Wicked,” a prequel and parallel of Frank L. Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and the 1939 Hollywood classic “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland, has divided critics from day one (it was nominated for 11 Tonys and notably lost Best Musical, Best Book and Original Score to “Avenue Q”); it is critic proof — in the vein of the “Twilight” books and films — and has a devoted (fanatic) following like its predecessor “Rent.”

The scenic and costume design (the other two Tony winners) at Reynolds Hall on Thursday night were exemplary, and the supporting cast — Kim Zimmer (Madame Morrible — and, yes, Reva Shayne from “Guiding Light,” which garnered her four Emmys), Cliffton Hall (Fiyero), Tom McGowan (the Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and Demaree Hill (Nessarose) — under director Joe Mantello were very good.

But it’s no surprise that Parker and Murin are the exceptional standouts, and they hold their own against role originators Menzel and Chenoweth, respectively — big red ruby slippers to fill, indeed.

Murin is a comedic, ditzy blonde delight as Glinda, and she does the book by Winnie Holzman (“My So-Called Life”) proud with every hilarious vocal and physical delivery. Her rendition of “Popular” was a highlight of the evening; it’s good to be Glinda the Good Witch, who travels by bubble.

The audience heaped praise before, during and, in the valet line, post-show. The full standing ovation was immediate — and not just for Parker and Murin — and rousing.

“Wicked” is popular, and it will be po-pu-lar for many years to come. It’s Oz-some.

Read the complete review {Via LasVegasWeekly.com}

Wicked will continue performances at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts through October 07, 2012. Buy Wicked Las Vegas Nevada Tickets Online at discounted prices.

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!

Broadway Sacramento presents the national touring production of the hit Broadway musical Wicked from May 23 to June 17, 2012. Kim Carter (a Lincoln resident) reviewd Wicked and Praised the musical as an Inspiring Musical.

Read the review below:

I’ve wanted to see “Wicked” for years, but every time I’ve been in New York, it has been completely sold out. So I was thrilled to find out that Wicked’s national tour was stopping in Sacramento this summer, which meant I could finally see the show everyone has been raving about and that Variety declared “a cultural phenomenon.”

Lottery tickets: A lottery for $25 orchestra seats will be held before every performance. To enter, visit the Community Center Box Office 2 1/2 hours before the performance. Available only in-person, limit of two tickets per winner. If chosen, winners must pay cash for the tickets and show a valid photo ID.

“Wicked” is a musical told from the perspective of the Witches of Oz, a sort of prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.”

But it’s so much more than just that. It’s a heart-felt and clever experience with something for everyone.

The show has perhaps the grandest costumes and set you’ll ever see but it also has quite a bit of depth as it tackles issues of contemporary relevance, ranging from diversity to political corruption to animal rights.

“Wicked” is as enjoyable as it is inspiring and I highly recommend it (for all ages). “Wicked” has won 35 major awards (including a Grammy and three Tony awards) and I am surprised it hasn’t won even more.

Read the complete review {Via Lincoln News Messenger}

Buy Wicked Sacramento Community Center Theater Tickets online today for best prices. Get $10 OFF on Wicked Sacramento CA Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code #SpringSavings at Checkout!

Wicked is currently performing on tour in Denver, CO and at Buell Theatre Still Stands Strong. Wicked Cast: Starring Mamie Parris, Alli Mauzey, Andy Kelso, Liz McCartney, Emily Ferranti, Paul Slade Smith, Mark Jacoby and Justin Brill. Here is the review by Lisa Kennedy @ Denver Post Theater Critic.

“Wicked” is an outcast tale, a female friendship parable, a story of corruption and chicanery by authorities we — rather the denizens of the Emerald City — put our trust in. It is a wry reconsideration of good (is it overrated?) and evil (is it misunderstood?) — or at least L. Frank Baum’s version of that eternal tussle found in his classic novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

On opening night this production, starring Mamie Parris and Alli Mauzey, was quick-witted, generous and deft with the laughs, of which there are many. Still, I couldn’t help wishing for a better blend of the tender and the hilarious.

Parris and Mauzey portray Elphaba and Galinda. Eventually, Galinda adopts her better-known moniker, Glinda. Elphaba will claim her name, her fame or infamy, as the Wicked Witch of the West. Parris has a rich voice that fills out Elphaba’s sorrow and youthful angst. Mauzey brings stop-on-a-dime comedic timing to Galinda’s antics. She’s a tireless, rapid-fire trouper.

“Wicked” wastes little time in evoking one of the more indelible images of the movie, with winged monkeys climbing above the stage. But memories of Dorothy Gale, Kansas and Oz are quickly turned topsy turvy. The sets are evocative: spectacle without the clutter.

As the play opens, Glinda confirms the Wicked Witch of the West’s death by water bucket. “Wicked” then unfolds as a flashback about how the two came to know each other.

The Green and the Good meet when they arrive at Shiz University. The jade-hued daughter of the Munchkin governor has been sent to school ostensibly to keep an eye on her wheelchair-bound, fair-haired younger sister, Nessarose (Emily Ferranti). There is antagonism at first sight, then a tentative friendship and, later, something of a competing love interest in popular guy Fiyero (Andy Kelso, a graduate of Aurora’s Eaglecrest High School), who turns out to be deeper than his deep pockets.

Elphaba is gifted and the school’s Madame Morrible sees it and seizes upon it. The youngster’s talent might even get her an audience with the Wizard (Mark Jacoby). Liz McCartney as the full-figured doyen of the school takes to her role with a brassy aplomb.

Paul Slade Smith makes Dr. Dillamond touching as a horned professor soon to become a target. The rules are changing in Oz, and magical animals are no longer appreciated.

Three songs have approached classic status. This despite the critical ink spilled since the play’s 2003 debut debating whether the musical has any memorable tunes. A great many reviews said no, but then critics are used to losing arguments with audiences.

Read the complete review {Via denverpost.com}

Wicked Musical will play through Sunday, May 20 at the Buell Theatre, 1101 13th St. Get $10 OFF on Wicked Denver CO Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code #SpringSavings at Checkout.

Wicked is currently performing at Detroit Opera House, Detroit Michigan. Wicked will run through December 31 at the Detroit Opera House.

The music in Wicked is wonderful and the costumes are very beautiful. The stage sets and special effects, particularly the Wizard’s facade, are extremely well. Both Anne Brummel (Elphaba) and Tiffany Haas (Glinda), are inspired performances as actors, providing beautiful and chilling vocals throughout the entire play in both solos and duets.

Wicked musical is simultaneously comedic and dramatic and, combined with the great acting and musical talent, supported the subtext of the play very well. Wicked would be a great experinced musical of great fun, music and stories at the Detroit Opera House and you must not miss this highly recommended musical Wicked who is interested in music, theater, or opera.

Wicked will play at Detroit Opera House through December 31, 2011. Buy Wicked Detroit MI Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Detroit Opera House Tickets Orders over $350! Also Use Code HOL2011 for FREE SHIPPING!

The hit Broadway musical “Wicked” came to Nashville last week for its second Music City tour at TPAC. It’s a unique take on what happened before the Wizard of Oz. NewsChannel 5 got a rare behind the scenes peek at the inner workings of Wicked.

Watch the Video:

“Wicked” runs through November 6 at Nashville TN. The two and a half hour show is recommended for anyone over the age of eight. Buy Wicked Tennessee Performing Arts Center Tickets Online with the discounts, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 off on Orders over $350!

When Wicked first landed in Nashville in 2009, it played to sold-out crowds and broke box-office records. Now, the award-winning blockbuster is back and once again ready to cast its spell on local audiences at Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003 and quickly became something of a cultural phenomenon. Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical explores the untold story (and unlikely friendship) of green-skinned Elphaba and Glinda the Good — and just how they became the witches of Oz.

Anne Brummel brings great strength and sensitivity to the role of Elphaba, wowing the crowd in the show’s defining musical number, “Defying Gravity.” Meanwhile, Tiffany Haas shines as the perky and popular Glinda. Far less chirpy than other Glindas I’ve seen, Haas makes the most of the role’s comic elements, while capitalizing on its more bittersweet moments.

And while the two seemed a bit tentative in their opening numbers, both settle into their roles nicely, sharing a joyful chemistry. “What Is This Feeling?” and “Popular” are especially fun.

Brummel and Haas receive fine support from Jody Gelb (as schoolmistress Madame Morrible), Emily Ferranti (Nessarose) and Dan Pacheco (Boq). David Nathan Perlow is charming as love-interest Fiyero, and film/stage veteran Don Amendolia is … well, wonderful as the Wizard.

Eugene Lee’s elaborate set continues to amaze, and the production’s technical wizardry is dazzling — from the Time Dragon Clock and flying monkeys to Glinda’s gracefully floating bubble. Susan Hilferty’s intricate and colorful costumes and Kenneth Posner’s dramatic lighting add to the spectacle.

Read the complete review {Via www.tennessean.com}

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