REVIEW 'Wicked' is a wickedly good time

The show winds a story around 'The Wizard of Oz' with plenty of humor.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CLEVELAND -- Wow.
The tornadolike spectacle that is "Wicked," the recent Broadway smash hit and Tony-Award-winning musical, touched down in Northeast Ohio last week with great results.
Playing to standing-room-only crowds, this fantastic adaptation of Gregory Maguire's 1995 ingenious novel acts as a back story to "The Wizard of Oz" by focusing on the friendship between the green-skinned Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West) and the aristocratic Glinda (The Good Witch). "Wicked" runs through July 9 at Playhouse Square Center's State Theatre.
While perhaps some of the plot devices are familiar -- the ugly duckling is overshadowed by the swan -- the results are anything but clich & eacute;d as this funny, inspiring and musically lush production keeps the audience's attention throughout its nearly three-hour run.
Early on Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda) sets the fun tone with her over-the-top ditzy blonde performance. "I don't see why you can't just teach us history instead of just harping on the past," Kassebaum quipped with a quintessential inquisitive squeakiness to her college history professor.
For this past Sunday night's show, understudy Victoria Matlock stepped in for Julia Murney in the role of Elphaba. Just as her character grew stronger and more independent as the story progressed, the actress overcame early vocal hurdles to steal the performance by the time the curtain fell.
Having fun
As for the show, what makes "Wicked" so enticing is its ability to have fun with itself while also focusing on larger themes. Considering there are dozens of ubiquitous phrases from "The Wizard of Oz," the production keenly twists classic lines ("There's no place like home" and "We're not in Kansas anymore") for comedic relief as it deals with political and social issues ranging from an oppressive government to animal rights and racism.
More so, the appeal of "Wicked" stems from its ability to fit perfectly around "The Wizard of Oz." So much, in fact, that it does the seemingly impossibly by successfully creating a new ending (wink wink) to the L. Frank Baum classic. Complete with top-notch production elements, including a visit by the scary Wizard of Oz and the evolution of the flying monkeys, the exciting show doesn't disappoint.
Invariably, "Wicked" transcends its hype and is destined to become a classic in the musical theater world for decades to come.
"Wicked" is playing at the State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, through July 9 (times vary). Remaining tickets available are standing room only. Go to www.tickets.com or (800) 766-6048.