Wicked

Who would have thought that a wickedly funny, brilliantly conceived prequel to The Wizard of Oz could deliver such scathing political analysis? Yet there it is, plain as day, right in front of all those sold-out houses.

In addition to these constant subversive undertones—the use of fear to suppress dissent, for example—there is the hybrid nature of the story itself to consider: Prequels and sequels written by someone other than the original author beg an additional dimension to the usual critical analysis of the plot, the writing, the direction, the performances, and the production elements; the reviewer must necessarily address the continuity and plausability of the grafted story in relationship to the original.

In this case, Gregory Maguire in his novel, and Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman in the book and lyrics for the musical, have woven a seamless backstory for the famous L. Frank Baum tale that delighfully dovetails with the original as the action approaches its climax.

Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba Photo: Joan Marcus

Long before Dorothy donned the ruby slippers and found her way back home from the land of Oz to her farm in Kansas, there was another little girl who grew up not far from Emerald City. Her name was Elphaba (the name derived from Baum's initials). She was bright and had a talent for magic, which was enough to get her into an exclusive Oz prep school. But there was a great obstacle placed in her path to the upper echelons of society: she was born with green skin.

In a perfect world this twist of fate would have had no effect on her career, but for all its dazzling riches, leasure time, and clever technology, Oz was far from an egalitarian world, especially for non-whites and animals who could talk. As the external threats to Oz (more imagined, invented, or abetted than independently real) were increasingly conjured by the Wizard and his henchmen to consolidate their power and wealth, the greater the repressive forces brought to bear on those who—physically, intellectually, or spiritually—stood out from the corporate state-approved mindset.

Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda and Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba Photo: Joan Marcus

Such policies did not sit well with the talented and insightful Elphaba. For a while her opposition remained under the radar, thanks in part to a growing friendship with her unlikely roommate, a ditzy blonde named Glinda. As you can guess, the two of them later turned out to be the wicked witch and the good witch, and eventually, of course, the forces of greed and the forces of sharing have it out—but which witch is which, how they got to be so, and whether such appellations were anything other than propaganda are questions that must be answered by each audience member.

Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda Photo: Joan Marcus

Kendra Kassebaum, as Glinda, has the spotlight early in the show, and sets a high comedic bar with her hyperbolic self-consumed homecoming queen/sorority girl mannerisms and earnest delivery of a series of clueless remarks that are laugh out loud hilarious. Her operatic quality voice shines in her contrasting solos, "Popular" and "I'm Not That Girl."

Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba Photo: Joan Marcus

Though Glinda's transformation is certainly an important element of the story, it is Elphaba's heroic journey that ultimately defines the dramatic arc and moral commentary. Here, Stephanie J. Block's super-charged personality and dynamic vocals bring total conviction to Elphaba, the so-called Wicked Witch of the West, making it very hard not to see the Wizard of Oz sequel to this story in a much different (greener) light.

The supporting performances—Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose (Elphaba's sister), Logan Lipton as Boq (Nessarose's enslaved Munchkin), Timothy Britten Parker as the blacklisted goat-professor Doctor Dillamond, and Derrick Williams as the handsome love interest Fiyero—are all sparkling.

What prevents this great piece of writing from achieving the stratospheric heights of the original, though, and what likely kept it from a Tony for best musical, is the limited range of the score. This is not to say that it doesn't have its moments—it does—but as we have so often heard in the past two generations, most contemporary Broadway composers are unable to get outside the box of pop music and create melodies with universal appeal. The fact that the road orchestra consists of five pieces says it all.

The Denver production of Wicked is sold out except for daily ticket lotteries of 24 seats. Interested parties must arrive two and a half hours prior to curtain to have their names entered. Thirty minutes later, names will be drawn and sold to selected patrons for $25 each. Only two tickets per person are permitted. Cash only. For more information call 303-893-4100 or 800-641-1222.

Bob Bows