WICKED Family Review
WICKED Family Review – We were invited by Dr. Phillips Center to check out WICKED and we wanted to share our thoughts on this Broadway Across America production. Now, this was my fifth time seeing it, the third performance in Orlando and I’ve seen it twice in New York on Broadway. I can tell you…the show is identical to what you would find in New York. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It inspires you. WICKED is by far in my Top 3 Broadway shows and I highly recommend it for your Central Florida family.
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What:
So much happened before Dorothy dropped in.
Wicked, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz … but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin––smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships … until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “Wicked.”
From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, Wicked––the untold true story of the Witches of Oz––transfixes audiences with its wildly inventive story that USA Today cheers is “a complete triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry and think.”
Powerful story with timeless themes
The story of Wicked encapsulates a variety in themes, including:
- Goodness vs. Wickedness
- Privilege vs. Apathy
- Identity & Self-love
- Power & Propaganda
- Popularity vs. Belonging
- Love
- Dehumanization
- Equality & Justice in action
- True Friendship
- Knowledge & Truth
- Mob mentality
- Bias & Prejudice
Our Video Recap:
Our Review:
WICKED will always be one of our favorite Broadway shows and we will always recommend it to families in Central Florida, and everywhere! If you’ve seen Wizard of Oz, this story will resonate to you. If you’re a fan of seeing the other side of the coin, as we’ve seen in re-invented movies like Maleficent, you will enjoy this side of the story of Oz.
When the show opens, we see the end scene where the Wicked Witch of Oz (or Elpheba) has just died and Oz is free from her wickedness. The fear and hate is still evident by the residents of Oz with the opening. Glinda comes in on a bubble (don’t forget to applaud on her entrance) and we’re right at the end of the Wizard of Oz. That’s there the story coils back to the beginning.
Galinda (as she was known in the beginning) arrives at Shiz, the school for spells and magic. There, she meets Elpheba and her sister. At first, they detest each other. However, as the story goes on, you see their friendship grow through kind deeds (that aren’t always so kind or with good intention from Galinda). Fiyero enters and suddenly, there is a love triangle to complicate their blooming friendship. The story continues as Elpheba and Glinda set off for Oz to meet the Wizard. If you pay attention to the beginning scene of Elpheba’ s birth, you will already know their connection. However, Elpheba is immediately set off by the tone and tenor in the room and realizes the wizard isn’t someone she can trust and doesn’t want to violate her ethics in associating with him.
A wedge is driven between Glinda and Elpheba and with the love triangle complications growing, Glinda betrays her friend. This is the point when Dorothy enters the story, but she’s never truly addressed but in a minor dialogue or two. As the story begins to wrap up, Elpheba embraces her wickedness and has given up on everything Oz. She wants the best for Glinda, but is ready to set off for love and a quiet life where she can live without the ridicule.
One of my favorite moments is the song “For Good” where Glinda and Elphaba profess their adoration for each other and admit that they each helped one another to grow and develop into better people. While we won’t spoil the ending, let’s just say the story doesn’t end the way it does in Wizard of Oz. There’s always more to the story and WICKED covers it all.
You will definitely laugh throughout the show. You may get goose bumps before intermission. You may cry. Either way, we believe your family will enjoy this take on the classic. I can tell you that you’ll never watch The Wizard of Oz the same way again!
This show is running through February 12, 2023 and tickets are on sale now.
Cost:
varies
More Information:
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