Wicked

“In retrospect, Wicked seems an early sign of the cultural clout which is to say buying power of a generation of girls (and now women) whose desire to see, read, and sing along with stories about female empowerment has become a snowballing trend.”

“A musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz, that explained how the Wicked Witch of the West got that way, and explored her true relationship to Glinda the Good Witch. A combination of outstanding elements.”

“Two of the producers of the musical Wicked bear the name Platt, which (in German) means flat, and one the name Stone, which (in English) means heavy. Why not also one called Long, although it is too much to ask for one called Boring, all of which apply to the show.”

“The best moments in 'Wicked' come when the stage is least crowded. I'm done niggling. 'Wicked' is funny and touching and full of beans (not to mention child-friendly). It'll make a great movie one of these days, and it's going to make Kristin Chenoweth a star right this minute. Go.”

“A lavish, ambitious and problematic new Broadway musical that dares to see Oz from another angle.”

“'Wicked's' at its cleverest with the girl stuff; the streamlining of Maguire’s story – reducing a totalitarian allegory to an animal-rights flap – weakens the narrative logic. Catchy Stephen Schwartz songs compensate for a dreary opening number, but it’s the 'Wicked' witches who really make magic.”

“What is spectacular about the show is the spectacle. That old Emerald City has never had it so good, with flying monkeys and giant Munchkins with extendable necks. Kids will love it, even if they don’t quite understand it. But this yellow brick road is also paved with oppressive music and banal, if sometimes pretentiously amusing, lyrics and a complex, if foolish, book.”

“It's safe to say that this is the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I've come across in a long time...Wicked offers a post-feminist, socially conscious reinterpretation of the story of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West...A fine ensemble helps ensure that even the most flagrantly cute and sentimental moments are hard to resist.”

“Nothing in Oz, you see, happened the way Judy Garland thought it did. In 'Wicked', the ruby slippers aren’t even red. So, all ye who enter here, check your cynicism at the door and get in touch with the little kid inside you who’s been begging to get out. Neither of you will want to leave 'Wicked.'”

“Everything looks so tangible, touchable…an argument for live theater”

“This show with the current political climate has more relevance now than ever before. 'Wicked' is the story of a gifted woman in the fictitious Land of Oz with an unfavorable physical condition, who is driven to public service, fighting for minority rights against a regime who wants to silence and imprison minority members of its own society...I’m in love with this show; I’m in love with the message it sends and the lesson that there is perhaps wickedness thrust upon good people at times.”

“There have been moments in the history of musical theater when, like a twister, the sheer talent and whirling spectacle of a production have flattened any negative criticism that stood to get in its way...The latest incarnation of this impeccably oiled entertainment machine finds a new gear courtesy of a British import.”

“I continually come across people who want to shame me for my abiding love for Wicked. Something this popular, they seem to say, can't possibly be good. I beg to disagree. Wicked is simultaneously an entertaining, well crafted, and intelligent show.”

“Great leads. Clever source material. Fans who turn the show into a religion, spending hundreds—thousands—of dollars on repeat visits.”

“This musical is full of glitz and is a big Broadway spectacular; it is also a charming story with a wonderfully catchy score. 'Wicked' is satisfying in a sparkly way, and also in a storytelling way...The popularity of 'Wicked' can be explained by the last minute or so of the first act. It is an incredibly successful merging of dramatic spectacle and character development - and is one of the few truly unforgettable moments I have seen in a Broadway musical.”

“No one mourns the wicked," goes one big number in the new Broadway musical Wicked. But in this shrewd and enjoyable retelling of the Wizard of Oz story from the witches' point of view, they get something better: understanding.”

“It's an ambitious musical...There are so many wonderful things in Wicked that to dismiss it as so many critics have done strikes us as perverse...It has a heart, a brain, and the nerve to have opened on Broadway.”

“While the show suffers from a lack of a clearly defined identity, it does succeed in reaching out to all the different audiences targeted. It's real weak spot is the music.”

“Wicked, a hideous mess of a musical that wants to be many different things, and rarely succeeds in being any of them. All this from a creative team that, aesthetically speaking, seems barely able to walk and chew gum at the same time.”

“A marvel of organization and inventiveness. Lusciously composed, smartly written and beautifully staged, 'Wicked' is one of the rare shows in town that justifies a $100 ticket. The cost is easily paid back in memories alone.”

“The new musical at the Gershwin is a thoroughly mechanical and unmagical musical. It is the ultimate whitewashed example of how a musical written to pander can even fail at that when it has no centralized guiding force.”

“A 9 out of ten. This show is amazing and highly recommend it to anyone who ever loved the Wizard of Oz. A full stage of special effects, detailed costumes and an overall great show.”

“Wicked makes endearingly whimsical noises, the sounds of a bona fide crowd-pleaser. Much of the rest of the time, however, the magic fades as the show pursues its rather charmless agenda as a parable about the roots of political evil.”

“'Wicked' tries, in its ambition, to do so much that it's inevitable that it fails to be a smooth, cohesive show. It's too long - two-hours-45- minutes - and it often has a lumbering quality. But its reach, its attempt to be meaty and relevant and theatrical, is not only admirable, it’s stimulating. This is a musical that offers many pleasures as you watch it, and - this is rare - also stays with you.”