There's No Place like OZ: A Theater Review of Chicago's Wicked

If you follow Broadway at all then you have probably heard of the play "Wicked." If you haven't then you should know that it tells the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West became so and how Glinda became the Good Witch. As you might imagine, things are not exactly as they seem.

The movie is based on a book, but I have run into people who have read the book and many of them have said it was confusing and rambling and just not very good. If you are a reader of that book, I beg you to put it aside and disregard it and go and see this play.

It is currently playing here in Chicago at the Ford Oriental Theatre in the new Chicago Theater District. That means it is right around the corner from the Chicago Theater, right near the old Marshall Field building and just down the street from the Daley Center. At the very least, you need to go just to check out the Oriental Theater.

Something happened to these glorious old movie houses. At one time you went downtown and you saw the first-run movies at these huge houses with giant screens and huge auditoriums. The Chicago Theater was like that and my dad likes to remind everyone how he saw "The Godfather" there.

These beautiful places ran into hard times until someone decided to save them. The Oriental was saved by the Disney folks when they were looking for a place to put "The Lion King" here in Chicago. That play has come and gone, and "Wicked" seems to have set up permanent residence here.

The story of "Wicked" tells how the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, was born with green skin and dark hair. She is, as you might imagine, ostracized throughout her life as being a freak. Her father is the ruler over Munchkinland. She is sent to and exclusive school but her main task it to watch over her beautiful, but tragic, sister Nessarose. However, while she is there she is discovered to possess great powers with magic and the headmistress immediately takes an interest.