If you haven’t read or seen the Wizard of OZ, you have either been living in a cave deep in the abyss or were somehow not exposed to childhood best sellers. Either way, Wicked: The Musical is a must-see for any and every young professional.
We have been getting profoundly peer pressured to see the musical, which is showing in Montreal until August 26th, by close friends who fell completely in love with it. So we took their advice and went. Before we give our five cents, here’s the nitty gritty.
The musical is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and centres around the green, far-from-pretty Elphaba and her polar opposite, Glinda. It is a story told from the perspective of the witches of The Wizard of Oz and digs deep into the untold relationship between Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
First of all, we have to mention that the sets are utterly elaborate, the special effects really stand out and the storyline itself completely draws you in through the entire show. Vocals in musicals are always a big hit or miss; here, however, everything was on point and pitch – we even tried singing along a few times with lack of success.
We also found ourselves laughing and smiling at a large portion of the musical; there are plenty of memorable, humorous moments that make you forget about the “jump in your seat” ones – yes, there are those, too! For the ladies, there is a very charming prince named Fiyero, who is known to captivate not only Wicked’s characters’ hearts, but audience members, too (warn your significant other!). Other notable characters include Boq, a munchkin, and Doctor Dillamond, a talking goat professor.
Not sold yet? How about the fact that you can finally find the answer to your most sought-after Wizard of Oz head scratchers such as what the origins of the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion are, why Dorothy and Toto were sent to the Land of Oz in a tornado, and what makes those monkeys fly?
The musical is ideal for every age group and we guarantee that you will leave the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier with a big smile on your face and convincing the next group of friends that it’s a must-see. Wicked plays almost daily and tickets can be bought here.
Photo courtesy Joan Marcus
