Wicked

Wicked

            The rain pitter-pattered everyone who shuffled down Broadway, but not even the rain could wipe away the twinkle in the eyes of Pforzheimer Honors College students when they turned onto 51st Street and saw the huge illuminated sign for Wicked.  They had walked eleven blocks from Grand Central Terminal through the downpour, the murky puddles from clogged sewer drains, and the umbrella-wielding crowd to reach Gershwin Theater. They all gathered quickly outside the entrance to the theater, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their tickets on that Friday night, March 7th, 2008.

            Wicked is the story of the Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West and how she became wicked. Her name is actually Elphaba. She is the only green child at school, daughter to an alcoholic, a product of an affair, and raised by her mother’s husband, a general of Oz. When sent away to college with her crippled younger sister, Nessa, Elphaba meets Glinda, the famous good witch, who eventually becomes her close friend. Elphaba is plagued by her social awkwardness and wants to meet the Wizard, the one being she believes can help stop the injustices occurring in Oz and who can help make her normal.

            Once handed their tickets, the students darted into the spacious theater’s lobby, where they were greeted by ushers in green attire who took their tickets and directed them up lengthy escalators. Upon reaching the top of the dizzying escalator, the students were shown to their seats by more ushers in green uniform.         When finally seated, the students were faced with a stage just eight mere rows in front of them. The stage’s complexity was beyond comprehension. The curtain was a weathered map of Oz with the Emerald City in the center. The sides of the stage were decked with cranks, dried underbrush, and hidden there were ladders, stairs, and a landing for actors to utilize. In a sense, guarding the stage was a monstrous mechanical dragon that hung over the top.

            The lights dimmed shortly after the students were seated and the mechanical dragon came alive as the music of the first song, “No One Mourns the Wicked,” began to fill the theatre. The audience quieted from the previous roar to a hush and the show was underway. The three-hour performance, including a fifteen minute intermission, was received with a standing ovation at the end of the show. 

            If interested in more information about Wicked you can visit www.wickedthemuscial.com or contact the Gershwin Theatre box office for performance times and prices.