Wicked!

I went to see Wicked last weekend, and my newly formed opinion is that it is the second-best musical there is. Yes, I know. I haven't seen them all, and I've never even been to Broadway, but it was so good I found myself grinning practically the entire time.You know those experiences you expect to like and enjoy but end up surprising you by being even more likeable and enjoyable than you ever imagined? Wicked was one of those. I liked it so much I forked over the money to buy a t-shirt, which I never do. I am not going to say how much it cost.

The only show I've seen that I thought was better was Les Miserables. Everyone loves Jean Valjean.

Now that I've started this post, I can't think of any specific thing to say in a review of Wicked, other than it was just, like, you know, really good. I had heard the main songs before (sung by the original cast, who are much better than the tour I went to, but oh, well), and liked them, and I even tried to read the book several years ago (HUGE mistake--it was so dirty I nearly threw it across the room). So I was surprised that there were any surprises in store from actually seeing the show. But there were! That, though, was mostly because someone misinformed me about some of the plot details. Speaking of plot, it was probably the weakest part of it. The reason it was so enjoyable, I think, was the way it portrayed an unlikely friendship. It was all about the weird dynamics between Galinda and Elphaba, and though most of us could probably identify easily with Elphaba--the misunderstood, well-intentioned misfit--I know some Galindas too, and now that I'm older I don't think they're all as bad as I used to believe. In addition, the libretto is really clever, disguised as something silly with all the malapropisms.

I wonder if the audience usually connects as much with the show as ours did. The feeling in the room was one of intense joy the entire show, and everyone was obviously having a good time, laughing at the jokes, gasping at the special effects, and feeling all the outrage and suspense right along with the characters.