Every musical that lasts more than a few seasons on the boards goes through the same transition “Wicked” now experiences.
After six years on Broadway and several cross-country tours, after the smash sound
track and scores of tickets sold, the play is morphing from something new to something known.
The plot twists are expected by die-hard audiences who have seen it two, three or six times before, the lyrics so ingrained folks sing them aloud.
Familiarity isn’t a bad thing for a play — no one has been surprised by the ending of “Hamlet” for quite some time. But it does change the experience of seeing it.
And so the crowds jamming the Buell Theatre for the latest presentation of the Broadway production — the third go-round and slightly better than the last — bring a different energy. The clever lines, and there are many, elicit polite chuckles rather than guffaws. The characters are greeted as old friends instead of fresh faces.
When “Wicked” rolls into town now, it doesn’t matter if the day’s cast nails it. What audiences want is nostalgia, a chance to connect the key
scenes to moments in their own lives, when a song like “Defying Gravity” or “For Good” inspired them or brought them closer to their kids or best friends.
In that regard, this production succeeds. The feel-good moments are fully felt, thanks to a cast that sings its heart out and delivers each line as if the audience were paying $125 a ticket, which most of it is.
Both Chandra Lee Schwartz, as the good Glinda, and Donna Vivino, as evil Elphaba, are up to the task of belting out this concocted prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.”
And there is good news for regulars. Maybe it’s the cast, or maybe it’s because of a few tweaks in timing, but the love-hate friendship between Elphaba and Glinda comes off a little richer; so does the love story of Elphaba and Fiyero.
“Wicked” will never overcome its flaws. The story develops its two main characters at the expense of all others. There’s not enough umph in Act II. The happy ending is a cheat.
But it endures for good reason. Its inside jokes include everyone who has seen the “Wizard of Oz” — and who hasn’t? Its theme — that people don’t always choose evil, it chooses them — will always resonate.
Moreover, the show, with its glistening songbirds and cheerleading anthems, remains totally charismatic. Not as smart as its musical theater contemporaries but simply more likable.
“Wicked” is, to borrow the one-word lyric, “Popular.” Deservedly so.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540 or rrinaldi@denverpost.com
“Wicked” *** (out of four stars)
Musical. Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Through Nov. 15. 2 hours, 45 minutes. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 p.m. Thursdays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. $35-$135 (plus daily lottery for 20 $25 orchestra seats). 303-893-4100 (800-641-1222 outside Denver)or
