'Wicked' brings new spin on classic tale
Nicole Barreca
Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: Features
There is one reason the Des Moines Civic Center has been a full house almost every night for the last month: "Wicked."
The majority of the cast has a Broadway background, bringing their expertise to the Civic Center stage.
As it was my first time seeing "Wicked," I was pleasantly surprised at the humor within the production. I was laughing with the crowd through the performance and waiting eagerly for the next "green" joke cracked at Alphaba, the Wicked Witch.
As a young child, I adored Glinda, the good witch, and was hopeful to see her keep her good side in this quite opposite "Wizard of Oz" tale. She was bubbly and cheery like predicted but also had a very keen and deceptive side at times.
A wonderful cast who made it very clear they were ready to back up these Broadway stars complemented the two main characters.
The stage was transformed into a giant dragon that draped across the curtain. On the curtain was a detailed map of the Land of Oz showing the route of the yellow brick road as well as the hometown of Alphaba.
The production opened up with Glinda descending from the ceiling in her signature bubble. To my surprise, the dynamite voices of the supporting cast rang throughout the theatre in the first number, "No One Mourns the Wicked." This was followed by a short intro of Alphaba's history before going into the main story of the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West.
The one downside was the length of the production. The three-hour show was well worth the wait, though, when a sight twist in the end left the audience quite surprised. The production closed with the popular song, "For Good," saying every person makes an impact in peoples' lives, whether good or bad.
The production proved to be not only worth every penny, but also the long lines to exit the theatre. Wicked brings many new facts and faces into the classic tale "The Wizard of Oz" and should be a joy for all ages.
The majority of the cast has a Broadway background, bringing their expertise to the Civic Center stage.
As it was my first time seeing "Wicked," I was pleasantly surprised at the humor within the production. I was laughing with the crowd through the performance and waiting eagerly for the next "green" joke cracked at Alphaba, the Wicked Witch.
As a young child, I adored Glinda, the good witch, and was hopeful to see her keep her good side in this quite opposite "Wizard of Oz" tale. She was bubbly and cheery like predicted but also had a very keen and deceptive side at times.
A wonderful cast who made it very clear they were ready to back up these Broadway stars complemented the two main characters.
The stage was transformed into a giant dragon that draped across the curtain. On the curtain was a detailed map of the Land of Oz showing the route of the yellow brick road as well as the hometown of Alphaba.
The production opened up with Glinda descending from the ceiling in her signature bubble. To my surprise, the dynamite voices of the supporting cast rang throughout the theatre in the first number, "No One Mourns the Wicked." This was followed by a short intro of Alphaba's history before going into the main story of the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West.
The one downside was the length of the production. The three-hour show was well worth the wait, though, when a sight twist in the end left the audience quite surprised. The production closed with the popular song, "For Good," saying every person makes an impact in peoples' lives, whether good or bad.
The production proved to be not only worth every penny, but also the long lines to exit the theatre. Wicked brings many new facts and faces into the classic tale "The Wizard of Oz" and should be a joy for all ages.
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