Some WICKED good fun at the Orpheum!

February 7, 6:46 PMSF Showbiz ExaminerRobert Sokol

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Is it The Emerald City or just a Wicked San Francisco City Hall?
(Photo: Cece Hugo)

Wicked, the phenomenally successful musical about defying both convention and gravity, returned to Oz last night.  The fanciful show premiered in San Francisco five years ago, before going on to become the Tony-winning, trend-setting girl power phenomenon of Broadway. As Dorothy would say, “There’s no place like home!”

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked tells the story of the witches of Oz “before Dorothy dropped in.” At its core, it is a classic conflict of the insider and the outsider moving from enemies to frenemies to best of friends, sharing youthful dreams, sobering disillusionments and grown up consequences along the way. From day one, Wicked tapped into the zeitgeist of tween angst, romance, fantasy, and overcoming “otherness.” It paved the way for a Broadway onslaught of kid friendly shows, especially girl friendly shows, like Legally Blonde, The Little Mermaid, and Jason Robert Brown’s 13.
The handsome production that will cast its emerald glow over San Francisco for the next several months - even City Hall was bathed in phosphorescent light on opening night - is a pleasing, energetic and generally satisfying experience. In a post Prop. 8 San Francisco, the sub-plot of protecting the rights of a minority from the oppression of even a minor majority – in this case animals, who are being stripped of the ability to teach in university or even speak – rings with a special resonance.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, author of such hits as Godspell and Pippin, as well as lyrics for the scores of Disney’s Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wicked soars on power ballads like “Defying Gravity” and “No Good Deed” as well as catchy personality driven tunes like “Popular” and “Dancing Through Life.” The songs and much of Winnie Holtzman’s frequently clever book are scattered with insider nods to familiar people, places and events from the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz that are never quite groan-inducing and create a festive mental game of connect-the-dots while watching the proceedings. 

     Teal Wicks As Elphaba and Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda
(Photos: Joan Marcus)

Original stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth left behind enormous ruby slippers to fill and Kendra Kassebaum and Teal Wicks do an admirable job of honoring that legacy while making the roles their own. Kassebaum visually evokes a saucy young Angela Lansbury blessed with the unselfconscious comic mania of Sally Struthers. “Is this thing on?” she asks nervously, while whacking away at her new magic wand. Her Glinda is a preening first cousin of Elle Woods, a manic terrier, all ego and pout masking a core of vulnerable insecurity.  The colorfully named Wicks is Elphaba, the angry green girl on her way to a broomstick. Wicks, a powerful singer, leans a little too heavily on her character's hard edges. “The artichoke is steamed!” cracks Glinda at one point and this carries through much of Wicks’ interpretation. The scenes, however, between the women as they lower their defenses and learn to trust and ultimately love one another are touching and most effective. In the party sequence at the Ozdust Ballroom, they perform a gentle pas de deux, dancing not only through life as the song suggests, but also into acceptance.

     Carol Kane as Madame Morrible and David Garrison as The Wizard
(Photos: Joan Marcus)

Stellar work is done by many of the company. Carol Kane, Academy Award nominated for Hester Street and well known for her stint as Latka’s girlfriend on the hit series Taxi, is a revelation. As Madame Morrible, Kane sings with gusto and drops comic zingers with glee and laser-sharp timing. David Garrison, a Tony nominee and Married with Children alumnus, perfectly plays the light and dark sides of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He charms and floats like a seasoned vaudevillian through “A Sentimental Man” and truly disappoints you when his character’s empty and manipulative core is revealed. Handsome and agile, Nicolas Dromard avoids the two dimensional pitfalls that could easily apply to his slacker-prince character of Fiyero. He gamely leads the company through “Dancing Through Life,” one of the most effective ensemble numbers in the show. Eddie Rioseco as Boq, the Munchkin who pines for Glinda, is dweebily delightful throughout the show. The only off note in an otherwise excellent cast is Deedee Magno Hall who, as Nessarose, Elpheba’s wheelchair-bound sister, seems to have only embraced her character’s petulant victimhood and would do well to dig deeper.

Glinda and Madame Morrible rally the citizens of Oz in "Thank Goodness"
(Photo: Joan Marcus)

Directed by Joe Mantello, the production moves briskly through Act One and only bogs down occasionally in the second half, where there is less story to tell. A sequence called “Thank Goodness” where Glinda becomes a willing pawn in the Ozian government machinations strikes a visual tableau reminiscent of the balcony scene in Evita, but feels over extended. Elphaba’s second Act manifesto “No Good Deed” is well-sung, but feels like a time filler. It isn’t until the duet “For Good” that the show regains some of the heart and humanity that make the first half so enjoyable. Credited as musical staging rather than choreography, Wayne Cilento’s efforts here are minimal and unremarkable. Fortunately, in addition to sporting a talented cast, the show is a visual feast well served by Susan Hilferty’s imaginative and seemingly endless costumes, expertly complemented by Tom Watson’s wig and hair designs. The set, by Eugene Lee, is clever and flexible in the large-scale production numbers. The only major technical flaw is the sound design, and I'm not sure whether it is the fault of the production or of the Orpheum, but from where I sat in the front house left orchestra section, many of the song lyrics were unintelligible, especially when more than one singer was involved. 

Wicked is a family friendly, heartstring-tugging, smile-inducing romp that will please both the young and young at heart. The open-ended engagement - it ran for a year at the Pantages in Los Angeles - is currently selling tickets through June.