BWW Reviews: Broadway Sacramento Brings in a WICKED Good Cast

Good news! Wicked is back in Sacramento for another three weeks, and the goods just keep getting gooderer. Although Thursday's performance had some very minor technical glitches, the spectacle garnered a standing ovation. The lights, costumes and music supply ample goose bump moments in this "popular" musical.

A creative back story for the Wicked Witch Elphaba and school friend Glinda the Good still shocks new audiences and excites returning musical lovers. Something bad is happening in Oz, and only Elphaba and her professor seem to notice. When her dreams collide with reality, fate thrusts the heroine toward her Wicked demise. But along the way, she also meets love, finds new confidence and makes new friends.

The Sacramento touring cast brilliantly highlights Wicked's character arcs. Gina Beck gives Glinda her own trademark laugh, along with several toss tosses of her blonde hair, but later breaks through stereotypes and faces the consequences of her desire for public acclaim. Emma Hunton infuses the younger Elphaba with awkward movements and a discomfited lack of self-esteem. Her more abrupt temper problems also lead to a powerful transformation when she fires her cause with emotion.

Powerful vocals pack the three hour show. Known for his turn on Broadway in the original cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Nick Adams plays the princely Fiyero. Tony Award nominee Alison Fraser plays Madame Morrible. And former Saturday Night Live member Tim Kazurinsky gives the Wizard a comedic flair. The remaining ensemble live up to the show's name. They're Wicked.

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WICKED
Through June 18
Broadway Sacramento
http://www.californiamusicaltheatre.com/?

Follow Harmony Wheeler's theatre adventures on Instagram and Twitter @HarmonyWheeler.

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