Theater review | Touring 'Wicked' is a very good spin on 'Oz'

Theater review |

"Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?"

Glinda, the "good" witch of Oz, asks the question when the death of the "wicked" witch, Elphaba, is celebrated by the citizens of Oz, in the phenomenally popular musical, "Wicked."

As a polished new national touring Broadway production at the Paramount amply demonstrates, they're a pretty interesting couple of questions to be pondering for three hours (including intermission).

Could selfish, spoiled Glinda, who insufferably refers to her parents as Mumsy and Popsicle, be the real monster? And could guilt-ridden Elphaba, whose skin color (green) and family secrets turn her into a pariah ("I clash with everything"), be the real "good" one?

Making a choice is more difficult than it might seem, and maybe that's the point. As it turns out, the witches have so much to learn from each other that they can both claim in a final duet that "I have been changed for good."

To witness the change, of course, we'll have to flash back to a period in which Elphaba was still alive and capable of changing and causing change. Indeed, the show rewinds all the way to her birth — an episode that brands her the moment closed minds decide that the content of her character is less important than the color of her skin.

In this alternative, enormously popular version of "The Wizard of Oz," adapted from Gregory Maguire's novel by Winnie Holzman (book) and Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics), familiar characters are never quite what you think they should be.

The wizard, who lies to his subjects (but "only verbally"), mischievously creates enemies because he thinks ordinary folks can't do without an adversary. Even an admittedly "deeply shallow" character like the hunky Fiyero, who flirts with both women, reveals unexpected depths when he finds himself forced to choose between them.

Joe Mantello, who directed the original 2003 Broadway production, handled this touring show as well, and he does a smooth job of emphasizing the script's attempts to leave musical-comedy traditions in the dust. There are no conventional heroes here, just flawed people who occasionally form bonds that unexpectedly overwhelm them.

Typical is Glinda's realization that Fiyero is fading: "I don't even think he's perfect anymore, but I still want him."

The standouts in the current cast are Donna Vivino, who transforms Elphaba's loneliness into a kind of weapon (when she defiantly dances alone and without music, she instantly commands respect), and Chandra Lee Schwartz, whose sparkling soprano voice helps to turn Glinda into an irresistible bubblehead, complete with an enchanting Bubblator entrance.

Any Oz adaptation is an invitation to designers to go wild, and fortunately there's little restraint evident in Susan Hilferty's lavish costumes, Kenneth Posner's playful lighting, Chic Silber's special effects and Eugene Lee's sets, which suggest the inside of a giant clock.

Dominating the stage during the intermission and overtures are a giant flying monkey (or is it a dragon?) that's as imposing as any helicopter or chandelier, and a dreamscape map of Oz, including such fanciful locations as The Scalps, The Bridge of Teeth and The Truth Pond.

Holding it all together is Schwartz's score, as rich and catchy as his work for "Pippin" and "Godspell." Just try to leave the theater without humming the peppy "Popular," Glinda and Elphaba's sisterly "Defying Gravity"or that goofy hymn to the unexamined life, "Dancing Through Life."

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com.