How many lies do we tell or refuse to expose so people will consider us good? What is truly good and what truly evil?
With its rolling watch-works, railroad station and hints of Victoriana, Stephen Schwartz’s 2003 hit musical, “Wicked,” is a visual delight, conjuring images in the mind.
The first image is of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Many learned to read on the fairy tale, wrested from elder siblings, perused by flashlight under the bedcovers. The second image would be Victor Fleming’s 1939 film, primarily Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West and Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
“Wicked” is rife with additional literary and musical theatre allusions, so many in fact that one expects Harry Potter, Sweeney Todd, Evita Peron and the Gollum to emerge from the wings at any second. The Prince Charming character, Fiyero, played with great likability and vocal chops by Sebastian Arcelus, puts one in mind of every lunkheaded hunk in modern musical fables.
These allusions are downright delicious, proceeding from Schwartz’s lyrics and music and Winnie Holzman’s book, which is based on novelist Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked,” in turn informed by Baum’s original Oz story. There are even references to Baum’s subsequent books and characters, which were informed by the Industrial Revolution and its possible consequences.
Schwartz adeptly captures the giddy and impersonal “goodness” of Glinda and the frustrated “otherness” that engenders “evil” in his vocal casting. The role of Glinda, here sung by Kendra Kassebaum, was created by chirpy and terminally upbeat soprano Kristin Chenoweth. The role of Elphaba, sung here by the amazing Julia Murney, requires a darker singing voice with belt capabilities (“I’m Not That Girl” and “Defying Gravity” are luscious and miraculous, respectively). Murney is a topnotch actor, adding depth and pathos to the character.
Glinda tells a story that recounts what happened in Oz before Dorothy (not a character in the musical) and Toto came in on a cyclone, killing the Wicked Witch of the West and taking her ruby slippers.
Glinda and Elphaba were friends at college. Which witch is good and which bad, and what creates spin, is the crux of the story, fascinating to Ozophiles, especially when it comes to the creation and motivations of the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion. P.J. Benjamin is a fetching Wizard, much more than the book’s humbug. It’s wickedly clever.
“Wicked” is much more chewy than the usual mindless musical. Those who have eyeteeth alone may wish to enjoy Eugene Lee’s fluid set, Susan Hilferty’s fabulous costumes, Wayne Cilento’s lively choreography, and Kenneth Posner’s stunning lighting, so magical one defies gravity right along with Elphaba.
“Wicked” continues through Sunday, Aug. 6, at the Civic Theatre. Tickets are sold out, though more information on a lottery for limited floor seats is available at www.broadwaysd.com.