Vicki Noon as Elphaba in "Wicked" (Photo by Joan Marcus)
Before Stephen Schwartz' hit musical came along, we were left to believe all sorts of scandalacious lies about the Wicked Witch of the West: Water will melt her. She's ugly. And, worst of all, she's wicked.
Well, hold on just a tick-tock.
"Wicked," based upon Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel by the same title, is a prequel to L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," published 95 years earlier. The story explores the lives of the Wicked Witch (whose name, we learn, is Elphaba) and Galinda the Good (who later changes her name to Glinda) before that wretched girl in the gingham dress drops into Oz.
This show doesn't exactly mimic the familiar imagery and characters from the "Oz" film, but there are moments that will put a smile on your face simply because they're so familiar.
One of them: "Lemons and melons and pears. Oh my!"
Vicki Noon plays Elphaba, a role she has been involved with since 2008 in Chicago. Noon's pretty face shines through the green makeup, and she's got the voice the role demands.
On Thursday night, Noon played Elphaba for most of Act 1; when she began feeling ill, standby Anne Brummel stepped in and finished the show with aplomb.
Natalie Daradich is Glinda, the perky, optimistic Good Witch who becomes Elphaba's unlikely ally. But when both witches fall in love with Fiyero (Chris Peluso), their unexpected friendship takes an unexpected turn.
"Wicked" is full of big, enchanting musical numbers that demand your uninterrupted attention. In "One Short Day," when Elphaba and Glinda visit the Emerald City, the Fox stage transforms into a beautiful kingdom colored with a million shades of green. It's so bright the actors wear sunglasses. (Green, of course.)
Daradich sings "Popular," Glinda's signature song, with plenty of perkiness. Her hilarious lesson in hair flipping could easily be swapped with Elle Woods' famous Bend and Snap from "Legally Blonde."
Brummel's rendition of "Defying Gravity," the song made popular on Broadway by Idina Menzel, was perfect. While not an exact replication, she successfully made the song her own.
Scenic design by Eugene Lee, lighting by Kenneth Posner and projections by Elaine J. McCarthy create magical settings and effects that are very cinematic. Costumes by Susan Hilferty are both elegant and over the top.
There isn't a weak spot on this tour; "Wicked" fans will get the spectacular show they're looking forward to.
No comments:
Post a Comment