Finally, finally, finally "Wicked" has flown into Richmond. The 2003 musical has had long stands in bigger cities and has another national tour going, but the production that's arrived for an unprecedented three-week engagement at the Landmark Theater is big, lush and full-blooded.
The power songs Stephen Schwartz wrote for this deconstruction of "The Wizard of Oz" (based on Gregory Maguire's dark and often murky novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West") have already conquered the hearts of millions of listeners. Layer on top of that the stunning design -- an intricate clockwork set by Eugene Lee, wildly inventive costumes by Susan Hilferty and spectacular lighting by Kenneth Posner -- and you have an eye-popping environment for this ambitious show.
Book writer Winnie Holzman has drastically simplified and tidied up Maguire's complex and politically heavy imagining of the backstory of "Oz." The Wicked Witch of the West, here named Elphaba, was a green-skinned outcast at sorcery school, we learn, while the good witch we know as Glinda was a self-absorbed prom-queen type. Their unsurprising mutual dislike morphed into grudging respect, though, when Elphaba's magical talents -- and Glinda's not-entirely-shallow character -- emerged. The two are caught up in sinister doings involving the Wizard, with clever references throughout to the Oz we know from the Baum novels and the Victor Fleming film.
Marcie Dodd brings a big voice and substantial intelligence to her performance as Elphaba, but Natalie Daradich naturally outsparkles her as Glinda -- how could it be otherwise? Joe Mantello's direction bestows endless cute stage business on Glinda, and Daradich carries it off expertly. Marilyn Caskey is fabulous as Madame Morrible, head of the sorcery school, and Don Amendolia's Wizard is both adorable and scary. All the supporting players are strong, particularly Chris Peluso as Fiyero, the love interest of both witches, and David De Vries as Doctor Dillamond, a teacher at the school. It's a joy to see the large, colorful ensemble and to hear the 15 musicians of the orchestra.
Choreographer Wayne Cilento did the musical staging, which features nearly nonstop action that's well integrated into the story, and Chic Silber's special effects are indeed special. As for the sound -- always a challenge at the Landmark -- individual voices are easily understood, while in choral work the lyrics are muddled, and when Dodd belts it could blow you out of the theater. But in the age of "American Idol," that's what people seem to like, and at last Richmond has entered the 21st century, theatrical-tour-wise.
Susan Haubenstock is a Henrico County-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at shaubenstock@gmail.com.
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