This Musical is “Wicked” Good

Camryn Marshall, Columnist

The Broadway production of “Wicked” has been traveling around the nation to bring the the story of Glinda the Good Witch (Erin Mackey), Elphaba (Mariand Torres), and The Emerald City to life. “Wicked” follows the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and how she became evil at the start of the notorious “Wizard of Oz.” This Broadway production, known for its incredibly advanced set and cast, perfectly segways into the development of the “Wizard of Oz” story still known today. However, the show does contain a few plot holes that leave the audience wondering how it connects to the sequential movie.

While the performance was outstanding, the obvious plot holes did not go unnoticed. During the second act (which bleeds into the “Wizard of Oz” movie), Dorothy is referenced as Elphaba claims to have kidnapped her during her conflict with The Emerald City and asks her to remove her “ruby red slippers.” However, Elphaba’s power is developed clearly throughout the entirety of the performance, so the need for her shoes’ power does not exactly match up. Along with that fact, in the original movie, Dorothy was never kidnapped by the Wicked Witch of the West, leaving an obvious plot hole as to where the scene came from. Along with Elphaba’s mysterious powers, it is never explained why she was gifted with such powers, seeing that the story is based around the rarity of being a witch.

Although the show did contain few plot holes, the overall performance, plot, script, and cast did an outstanding job at bringing the story to life. The story ended leaving a great opening for the story of Dorothy and her adventures in the Emerald City. By the end of the play, the story of the tin man, cowardly lion, and scarecrow were explained as to how they are relevant within both stories. The tin man was made from Boq after the Witch from the East shrunk his heart when he proclaimed his love for Glinda and not her, leaving him with a hatred for both witches. Fiyero (Curt Hansen) transformed into the scarecrow when he threatened to reveal Elphaba’s truth and expose the wizard, leaving him with no brain. The cowardly lion was a baby animal that was tested on during the beginning of the performance, before being set free by Elphaba.

“Wicked” is an outstanding Broadway performance and definitely worth the time. While it had solid comedy chops, that part of it was nothing compared to the famous cast and crew that help bring the story to life. The plot holes, although curious, still leave enough room for an almost perfect segway into the Wizard of Oz story.