The Witches Return to the Paramount in WICKED

The touring production of "Wicked" has returned to Seattle's Paramount Theatre.  And for those of you that weren't able to catch it last time around during it's all too brief two week run, now is your chance to rush out and catch one of the juggernauts of current Broadway.

Now for those that have never seen the show, you are in for an incredible journey.  And for those that have seen it, indulge yourself in revisiting a great time.  And then for those that are not familiar with this show, what rock have you been under?  Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, with book by Winnie Holzman and music and lyrics by the incomparable Stephen Schwartz (creator or "Godspell" and Pippin"), the musical of "Wicked" tells Maguire's vision of what happened before Dorothy landed in the magical land of Oz and exactly how the Wicked Witch of the West got the way she was during L. Frank Baum's classic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".  And based on this account, the witch was a very misunderstood person.  And the Wizard?  Well, maybe not so wonderful. 

In this production we have the pleasure of having our wizard played by Lenny Wolpe (who may be familiar to some as the original Mr. Feldzieg in "The Drowsy Chaperone").  Wolpe manages to make the wizard both loveable and detestable all at the same time.  And as the love interest of both our witches, Fiyero,  Richard H. Blake (the original Warner in "Legally Blonde") is superb.  He exudes just the right amount of sex appeal, cockiness and heart to make his transformation both believable and heart warming. 

But the stand outs here are of course our two leads.  Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda and Donna Vivino as Elphaba both shine as the two unlikely friends.  They both have incredible voices and keep these outrageous characters fascinating and yet still very grounded in reality.  Vivino makes Elphaba amazingly sympathetic and Schwartz's bubbly, vapid Glinda still manages to break your heart as her perfect world has it's cracks shown to her.  Both actresses prove why these touring shows are better off cast with veteran musical theater performers instead of the stunt casting that is so often forced upon us.  It's hard to imagine that we would have had as enjoyable a show if the witches were played by members of the cast of "The O.C." or the latest "American Idol" runner up. 

Add into this wonderful choreography, vibrant sets and costumes and a lighting design that pushes all the right buttons and you cannot help but have a great time.  So do yourself a favor and catch one of the most solid and best musicals of the contemporary theater scene before another tick of the Time Dragon Clock goes by.

"Wicked" plays at Seattle's Paramount Theatre through October 4^th.  For more information or to purchase tickets call Ticketmaster at 206-292-ARTS (2787) or visit them online at www.ticketmater.com/wicked.

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