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Gregory Macguire wrote his book Wicked to argue the idea that “there is no such thing as evil,” and that people make choices based on what they believe is right. The Hitlers and Pol Pots of the world really thought they were making the world a better place, didn’t they? Macguire’s story takes the ultimate icon of pure evil — the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz — and tells what might have been her side of the story. In Wicked’s world, The Wizard is a simplistic and totalitarian warlord fond of revisionist history, Glinda is a stuck-up bitch, and the Witch is just misunderstood. She’s not really that “wicked” at all. The story has been adapted into a brilliant musical with scintillating songs and dazzling imagery, but don’t expect a simple retelling of the familiar version of Oz. Wicked is a tale of lust, murder, and betrayal, with characters so rich and real that when Dorothy throws that fatal bucket of water on the Witch it’s actually… sad. Why does she melt, anyway? Watch the show and you’ll find out. And FYI, the Wizard’s character isn’t really based on President Bush, similar as they may seem. This award-winning musical begins tonight and runs through March 25 at the Carnival Center’s Ziff Opera Ballet House.
March 14-25
