Women Today

No doubt about it, “Wicked’ is big. From the enormous dragon hanging over the stage and oversized gears hanging at its sides to the backdrops, bridges and dramatic lighting, this is a huge production to be dropped on the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in downtown Appleton.

There are some shows bring that Broadway feeling with them when they travel, and this is one of them. The detailed costuming, large ensemble dance numbers and those finely tuned voices of the show’s leads let you know that Oz, like Dorothy’s house, picks up and travels well.

The play is a skillfully told prequel of the familiar “Wizard of Oz” film. But although the staging enveloped me as I sat in the audience Thursday night, it was the story of friendship that truly carried the show. This solid foundation gives the story its heart offers a simple message that stands out amidst all the glitz surrounding it.

Donna Vivino plays Elphaba, who will come to be known as the Wicked Witch, and Katie Rose Clarke plays Glinda, who will become the Good Witch. They begin the play as determined enemies, a fact cleverly established in the song “What Is This Feeling?” However, a solid friendship develops and is tested by love, ambition and the Wizard himself.

The play skillfully answers some questions not cleared up by the movie, such as where the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow came from, and looking back on the production it’s interesting to see the hints that were dropped during the show. The show also offers some commentary, quite thought-provoking for a musical, on just what “good” means.

I loved the play’s amusing dialogue, but it’s the big production numbers that I’d go back for. The opening sequence, “No One Mourns the Wicked,” and “Defying Gravity” scene at the end of the first act had me wishing I was holding my DVR remote so I could rewind the actors and watch them all over again.

I attended the play with my 15-year-old daughter, and this was an evening we’d both been waiting for since 2007, when it was announced that “Wicked” would be coming to the Fox Cities. We agreed that it was a fabulous production, and now we can’t wait to see it again.

Limited tickets are available. They start at $56 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787 or online at foxcitiespac.com. Additional fees will apply when ordering by phone or online.

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of seats will be held daily for "Wicked," which will be at the Fox Cities PAC through Feb. 28.

Each day, 2 1/2 hours before show time, people who present themselves at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center ticket office will have their names placed in a lottery drum. Thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of seats at $25 each, cash only.

This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Tonight’s performance of "Wicked" will not have a lottery due to the Wonderfully Wicked gala.

Tuesday through Friday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday performances are at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

On Feb. 26, there will be a 2 p.m. matinee performance. There is also a performance on Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
For more from star Donna Vivino, see http://www.mywomenmagazine.com/blogs/blog1.php/2009/02/04/donna-vivino-talks-about-starring-role-a.

For a look at some of the people at Thursday night's performance, see Out and About at http://mywomenmagazine.com/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1247.