Wonderful 'Wicked' skews our knowledge of Oz, its citizens

Maybe it was the soaring voices of Marcie Dodd and Natalie Daradich or the sly dialogue and staging that simultaneously pokes fun at other Broadway musicals and draws us into the world of Oz.

Whatever the reason, Wicked owned the audience in the Stranahan Theater Thursday night.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked tells the story of two girls who grew up to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, characters first introduced in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Most in the audience will be acquainted with the characters from the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley. Wicked seamlessly meshes its story with the film and stands just about everything we know about Oz on its head.

A multitude of surprises run through the story. Beautifully costumed and visually stunning, the plot holds the attention even as the Stranahan's acoustics render some lyrics incomprehensible.

That's not as much a problem with Wicked as it is with some other musicals, because the songs in Wicked generally don't replace dialogue to propel the story forward. Instead, they elaborate on the characters' emotions, such as the song "The Wizard and I," in which Elphaba, who is tired of being shunned and feared and laughed at because her skin is green, dreams of finally being accepted.

A serious student, Elphaba (played by Dodd) is taken aback to learn that she will be rooming with Glinda (Daradich), a shallow blonde beauty, at Shiz University. The young women are polar opposites, but they come to discover that they have more in common than they first believed.

Dodd and Daradich are superb. It's easier to love Elphaba at first, because we all root for the underdog, don't we? But Daradich is a delight as she journeys from empty-headed material girl to a woman able to step up to responsibility.

Though far less flashy, the rest of the cast is just as solid, from Zach Hanna of Napoleon, Ohio, as Boq, the Munchkin who longs to be noticed by Glinda; Chris Pelusa as Fiyero, the playboy prince who captures the hearts of both Elphaba and Glinda; Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz, who has her own agenda; Don Amendolia as a wizard who can justify all sorts of behavior; and Michelle London as Nessarose, Elphaba's beautiful sister, who also dreams of being normal.

Such dreams are exercises in futility, for this is Oz, and the word normal has no definition.

Wicked provides quite a bit to think about. Built into the plot are commentaries on the suppression of minority viewpoints and free will, the manipulation of events for political gain, and how first impressions can be utterly wrong.

The genius of the play is that it explores such series themes while being solidly entertaining. From the acting to the spectacle to the delights that run throughout the story, Wicked is wickedly good fun.

"Wicked" continues through April 18 in the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Seating is extremely limited for some performances. Remaining tickets are $73 and $83. Information: 419-381-8851.

Contact Nanciann Cherry at:

ncherry@theblade.com

or 419-724-6130.