And that ends the first act of the production of “Wicked” at Popejoy Hall.
Among the many strengths of “Wicked,” humor stands out in particular. Glinda the Good (played by Chandra Schwartz) is a ditzy blonde who likes to frolic on stage in pink. Her character is the most comedic of the bunch, and most of her jokes are directed toward her own silliness. Schwartz delivers her performance with perfection and grace.
Elphaba is not funny as scripted, but Emma Hunton embraces her character and transforms the witch into a role model.
When Elphaba and Glinda meet, they’re entering college; though the play would make more sense if it was based in high school, and even that is stretching it. Glinda is the popular girl who likes to fling her hair, while Elphaba is the polar opposite: she wears black, has green skin and cares about real-world problems.
Movies and plays have portrayed the “opposites attract” scenario so much that it is monotonous and dull. Wicked, too, presents another tedious, all-too-familiar scene:
A love triangle develops when Fiyero (Nick Adams) walks onto the stage and immediately grabs Glinda’s attention. He is a self-proclaimed “bad boy” who wants to shake things up because the students are actually focused on school. Initially, Elphaba has no interest in him, but she falls for Fiyero after the romantic rescue of a lion cub.
Even though the bases for parts of the play are lacking creativity, the set definitely makes up for it.
As the play begins, Glinda descends upon her admirers in a shimmering ball. The lights reflecting off of her ball gown are a little girl’s sparkly dream.
Another remarkable stage set is the Emerald City. The costumes, especially during the introduction of the city, are outstanding. The gowns worn by the women of the town are a variety of grays, blacks and whites with a touch of green. The set design and the costumes aren’t overpowering and help create a magical city.
However, at the end of most scenes a transition wall is used to switch between sets. It was built to mimic the inner workings of a clock, but it has little meaning within the play.
“Wicked” is a retelling to the classic fairytale “The Wizard of Oz.” The Wicked Witch of the West meets Glinda at the elite Shiz University. They become friends, but after unfortunate circumstances revolving around the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Tim Kazurinsky), they never rekindle their strong friendship.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Lauren Marvin is the assistant culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @LaurenMarvin.
