[powel]

When the musical "Wicked" first landed on Broadway, the word on the street about it was not all that encouraging.
Reviews during the tryout run in San Francisco of the show, which focuses on a Good Witch (Glinda) and a Wicked Witch (Elphaba) from the classic L. Frank Baum "Wizard of Oz" books, were just so-so.
You may wonder what about this show defied critical opinion, and the overall odds, to become a long-running smash. (It's still on Broadway, where Pacific Northwest natives Megan Hilty and Shoshana Bean formerly played the lead roles.)
First off, [mod edit - commercial link removed] has become increasingly family-friendly in recent decades and wicked tickets are selling like hot cake. Some blockbuster Disney shows ("Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King") led the way by becoming must-see pageants for the little ones.
But those kids grew into middle-schoolers — that notoriously difficult-to-amuse and hard-to-please demographic, suspended between mid-childhood and adolescence.
For girls of that uncertain age, at least, "Wicked" was a natural next step in theatergoing.

[actor]

[Oli-Ol]

[Salome]

because lately..like hollywood..broadway has been caterin g to the lowest common denomiator.

if you read the novel..."Wicked" is far from "family freindly" crap.

schwartz and company made a horrible musical out of a wonderful book.

[Oli-Ol]

The book was much stronger but I guess it was too sprawling and... i don't know... un-family-friendly and...


why am I even making excuses for this rubbish?
Sure the musical isn't completely terrible, it does have a few redeeming factors, but it could have been so much better

think of what could have been done with it




and then look at what happened. *sigh*

[actor]

The only reason I've been to Wicked a few times is to hear the amazing voices they cast (especially the Elphabas) and to experience the set, costumes and effects etc.. Plus the belty score (despite the terrible lyrics) is a guilty pleasure of mine.

As a theatre piece, Wicked is terrible.

[elphieglinda16]