Wicked

Jess and I saw Melbourne's production of Wicked last night. For the few unfamiliar with this musical phenomenon (Were talking hype levels to Cats and Rent standards), it is the untold story of the Wizard of Oz.

It was playing at the Regent Theater, which was a pretty average venue for the most part, not old enough or contemporary enough to be of any note. At concessions, they were serving "Ozmopolitans", which were green slushy vodka drinks in a glowing green glass. It was the hip drink to have that night. It is not too often that women, hipsters, and old men all choose to drink a green mixed drink from a martini glass. $10 seemed a little rich for my tastes, but you did get to keep the glowing martini glass.

The show was very entertaining. Of everything, it was probably the story that was the standout. It was neccessarily great, but I always find it fun when stories insert themselves into other famous works, much like Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead. The lead actress playing the wicked witch did a great job. None of the acting was bad, but she was the main standout. Actually, a guy playing a goat did a very good job as well. None of the songs really stood out for me. Musicals usually have really catchy songs and none of them were bad, there was no great standout song like "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music, "Do Re Me" from the Sound of Music, or even "I am 16 going on 17" from the Sound of Music. The singing though was topnotch. The set was fantastic and spectacular, obviously expensive. The main object was a giant moving dragon above the stage.

For those who love musicals, I'd recommend checking out Wicked if it comes to a theater near you. For those who don't love musicals (like me), it was entertaining enough to enjoy with friends and loved ones.