It has been ten years since Wicked parked itself at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway, and from almost the moment the Time Dragon clock starting counting the receipts, the juggernaut has done over a million dollars a week and shows no signs of any decline. After a three year run in Chicago (and two tours later) Wicked returns to is other home, the Oriental Theatre. Not to have any bias, but architecturally, the Oriental seems to have been built for Wicked , more so than any other theatre the show may play. After ten years of continual play (this marks my 22nd time seeing the show), many lesser musicals would begin to show some wear and tear. Not so with Wicked , which is adapted from the novel by Gregory Maquire with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. In fact the cast of this national tour, which skewers to the younger side, gives us performances that are always of the moment and and notwithstanding the fantasy element, ring very true. Wicked is billed as the "untold story of the Witches of Oz". But it is so much more Wicked stands for the notion that what we are taught to be the truth, the black and white of a matter, is always scattered with matters of gray. It is filled with life lessons for both young and old told with iconic characters that have been part of our social demographic for almost 80 years.
