Wicked Tour -- Cities, Tickets, Cast, Reviews

Wicked Tour Reviews and Articles

We also invite you to read about Defying Gravity--a book with 150 pages on Wicked's development. Autographed copies signed by composer Stephen Schwartz and author Carol de Giere are available. www.defyinggravitythebook.com/

REVIEWS AND ARTICLES for Wicked on Tour

January 2010 - Philadelphia ... "Whether your resolution is to be popular, defy gravity, accept who you are, or rally against social injustice, Wicked is sure to inspire you in all of your 2010 endeavors." Wicked review - Phillyist

November 23, 2009: Musical is a ‘Wicked’ly good time

“Wicked” is wonderful. For anyone who thought that composer Stephen Schwartz peaked with his scores for “Godspell” and “Pippin” back in the ‘70s, “Wicked” offers incontrovertible proof that there are indeed second acts in American life — or at least the American musical theater. Wicked tour review - Cleveland 2009

October 27, 2009 "Wicked is Wonderful"

A reviewer from the Wichita Kansas area wrote: "The entire cast was incredible in both performance and voice, but none shown as brightly as Marcie Dodd, who played Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). He vocal, dramatic and comedic range moved viewers through an exceptional story.

Helene Yorke, who plays Glinda the Good, was also impressive displaying the overriding lightness of her role but still brought depth to her character with her understanding of the emotional price being paid by Elphaba." Augusta Gazette Wicked in Wichita Tour review

September 9, 2009 - Wicked A Surefire Hit with eye-catching flair

Elizabeth Ayres of the Herald-Citizen Staff writes: ....There are many enjoyable facets to the show, one being the arc between “Wicked” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Ever wondered what was so great about those spangled shoes Dorothy stole from the Wicked Witch’s sister? Where exactly did the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow come from? You get your answers with “Wicked.”... Ayers also praised Schwartz's score. "I suspect the largest draw to the show... is the show-stopping musical numbers, most of them being Elphaba’s. Marcie Dodd, who is playing the role of 'Elphaba' in Nashville, has got some pipes and isn’t afraid to use them."

Tennessee reviewer, Martin Brady, comments: "Let's get this on record: Wicked is great. There are few chinks in its armor, and on many levels it beats other brand-name road shows that have come to Nashville in recent years..."

Another creative Nashville writer, Jonathan Pinkerton, calls Wicked a "modern version of Oz's yellow brick road less traveled." Among his comments, he praises the score: "The songs, while perhaps not as instantly recognizable as some other musicals, are absolutely fantastic. Glinda's Popular is cute and fun while Elphaba's I'm Not That Girl is touching and emotional. Defying Gravity and For Good feature both leading ladies and showcase their talents as well as those of lyricist and writer Schwartz. There's not one part of the show that is a let down, save when the curtain falls and the house lights go up at the end. Go see Wicked, or you'll be green with envy towards anyone who did." Jonathan Pinkerton at Examiner.com

July 18, 2009 Tulsa World Review - Wicked Good

'Wicked' just feels so darn good! Magic rules the PAC stage before the curtain falls.

March 6, 2009 Wicked' ways
Musical smash makes magic, steals hearts

Article from the Ft. Meyers Florida News Press:

It's not easy being green. People stare, people laugh and people persecute. No wonder the Wicked Witch of the West went to the dark side. And Glinda, the so-called "good witch" in "The Wizard of Oz"? Not always such a goody two-shoes. Can you say spoiled and self-centered?... the smash Broadway musical "Wicked" peers behind the curtain.... News Press Article on WICKED Tour in Florida.

March 10, 2009 - Portland Review: "Wicked" musical makes for bewitching stage spectacle

See review at Wicked Review - Oregon Live

February 7, 2009 Wicked Delivers Magic...

See review in Appleton paper Wicked tour review

November 8, 2008, Funnier, deeper 'Wicked' resonates with times

As Glinda the good witch in "Wicked," Katie Rose Clarke descends from the sky like a fairy goddess, her wheel-like conveyance giving off bubbles. "No one mourns the wicked," she sings in the show's splashy opening, setting up a simplistic good-versus-evil narrative. Yet the story that unfolds has never seemed more nuanced or current....

Star Tribune - Wicked Tour review

September 6, 2008 Wicked Continues to Dazzle

Making its second appearance in Pittsburgh, the national touring company of "Wicked" is still soaring high and defying gravity. The visual spectacle continues to dazzle the eye, performances are strong and Stephen Schwartz's songbook remains a source of lyrics that are clever, articulate and smart, paired with a score that's tuneful, complex and electric.

Winnie Holzman's adaptation of Gregory Maguire's novel streamlines the story so that it's accessible without dumbing it down or eliminating his more serious messages. WICKED TOUR REVIEW: Pittsburgh Tribune

August 15, 2008 Theatre review: Wicked is Ozsome

Patrick Langston, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008 Wicked review - Canada.com

December 16, 2007 Wicked in St. Louis...

"Wicked," the Stephen Schwartz musical that enjoyed a hugely successful run at the Fox last season, is back — still dazzling to look at, still immensely entertaining, still able to turn adult theatergoers into little kids, breathlessly entranced by a story they've loved all their lives.

Sept 28, 2007 Touring Company Is 'Wicked' Good

For those who think the smash hit Broadway musical Wicked is nothing more than a tween girl sensation, take a look at the crowds that are buzzing in the lobby of the historic Opera House now that the national tour of this record-breaking phenomenon has landed in Boston once again. Families, younger couples, older couples, groups, teens, tweens, and men and women of all ages are clamoring for tickets to this musical juggernaut that in five years has become a world-wide franchise....

Sept 15, 2007 Cape Cod Times: 'Wicked' still casts a powerful spell

...Nothing about this latest version of "Wicked" that has swept into town suggests the traveling company is witch-weary. Christina DeCicco is perky-times-infinity as Glinda, who meets Elphaba when they are forced to room together in boarding school. Her version of "Popular," as she flits, blond curls bouncing, about the stage, suggesting makeover tips for Elphaba, is the show's funniest moment (and there are many in competition).

As the tortured but kind-hearted Elphaba, Victoria Matlock brings the required vulnerable interior hidden in hautiness — as well as a bring-down-the-house voice. She's fabulous.

May 16, 2007 Denver Post: "Wicked" gives good the evil eye

John Moore reflects on why Wicked is so popular. Also see his review: Wicked Tour review May 2007

April 20, 2007 'Wicked' a cauldron full of wonders"

Says the Dallas Morning News: "the entire cast takes the stage and makes every role sparkle.... All hail the wonderful wizardry of Wicked. And those who keep it up to snuff." DallasNews - Wicked Review

Another Texas reviewer, John Garcia, especially liked the Fiyero actor in the touring Wicked. "Cliffton Hall takes a firm, masculine hold of the role and delivers a dynamic, exciting, and vivid performance. This is first time ever that I actually enjoyed hearing the songs sung by this character. Hall has a pop tenor quality to his voice that worked magic on the songs." He also praised Glinda. "Christina DeCicco brings the same blonde bimbo overtones as the previous golden hair beauties, but it is her attack to the darker, more dramatic elements of the character that makes her performance both immensely moving and powerful to watch."

March 15, 2007: Wicked: A Spellbinding Masterpiece

Victoria Matlock as Elphaba:...She is at once powerful, thrilling and heartbreaking.....

February 1, 2007: Something 'Wicked' This Way Comes "...It's a grand, entertaining spectacle. But it's also a serious examination of the power of political propaganda. That could make "Wicked" sound like a poor-man's poly sci class. But this show is smart, powerfully entertaining and wrapped in spectacular production values...." Frederick News Post

October 2006: The witches of Oz are back with a cast that delights, thrills, dazzles and touches the heart

"...Wicked has been put together by people with showbiz savvy and theatrical boldness, but it's the feelings they convey that make the show such a winner. Sure, they've got the brains and the nerve, but best of all, they've got the heart. Plenty of it." RICHARD OUZOUNIAN - Toronto Star

"On second look, Wicked is even more enjoyable as an emotionally involving tale of an unlikely friendship between two women as well as a campy deconstruction of The Wizard of Oz mythology....Stephen Schwartz's score proves richer and more addictive with successive listens"--Globe and Mail

August 26, 2006: Wicked fills Gammage [Auditorium] with oohs and Oz

Forget “The Phantom of the Opera” and that lurching chandelier. Declaw “Cats” and “The Lion King.” Ditto the grumbling fur ball with the dancing housewares in “Beauty and the Beast.” When it comes to musical theater as grand spectacle, my money’s on “Wicked,” that clever and whiz-bang bombastic prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” that recasts the Wicked Witch of the West as something closer to a misunderstood hero, and Glinda the Good Witch as a flighty, spoiled girl..... - East Valley Tribune.

Aug 11th: Orange County Register Review: A touring version of the phenomenally popular musical arrives in O.C. with all of the show's trademark attributes intact.

July 28, 2006: From San Diego area NCTimes.com Spectacular, entertaining 'Wicked' was worth the wait: "...Schwartz's score is magical, packed with big-finish ballads, harmonizing romantic and friendship duets and big ensemble numbers, without a clunker among them. The most thrilling numbers are Elphaba's show-stoppers, which all end on a stratospheric top note, including the optimistic "The Wizard and I," the high-flying first-act closer "Defying Gravity" and the formidable song of defiance "No Good Deed." The second-act friendship duet between Elphaba and Glinda, "For Good," brings tears to the eyes...."

July 28 Review: Witty Wicked Delights Spellbound Audience - San Diego

Wicked in San Diego Review July 27, 2006 by Welton Jones. "...Here, Elphaba is the sensitive one who sympathizes with the animals and resists wizardly mind-control. Her inevitable spiral downward toward her watery fate at the hands of an unseen Dorothy is done with far more style in the novel but more elbow-digging realism on stage. The play becomes a duo for Elphaba and Glenda, the nice witch played by the creamy-white Billie Burke. In the novel, they meet as school chums, along with a brace of other fetching youngsters...."

Voice of San Diego "...this production sparkles, shines and enchants in every way. From twinkle lights to flying monkeys to giant wizards (and the little men that hide behind them), the show leaves you breathless."

Theater review July 15: 'Wicked' has more than a sense of humor

The giggle has landed. After much salivating and anticipating, "Wicked," the ballyhooed Broadway prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," finally opened Thursday night at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre. It's surprisingly funny, a hoot on a broomstick.. Minneapolis Star Tribune.

AWARDS:

Touring Broadway Awards The Wicked touring company took home three top prizes at the Touring Broadway Awards including Best New Musical, Best Production Design and Best Musical Score. AND in Feb 2006 - Wicked Tour's Stephanie Block won the Helen Hayes award. Read Wicked Awards!

REVIEWS FROM THE FIRST TOUR

Wicked in San Diego Review July 27, 2006 by Welton Jones. "...Here, Elphaba is the sensitive one who sympathizes with the animals and resists wizardly mind-control. Her inevitable spiral downward toward her watery fate at the hands of an unseen Dorothy is done with far more style in the novel but more elbow-digging realism on stage. The play becomes a duo for Elphaba and Glenda, the nice witch played by the creamy-white Billie Burke. In the novel, they meet as school chums, along with a brace of other fetching youngsters...."

Theater review July 15, 2006: 'Wicked' has more than a sense of humor

The giggle has landed. After much salivating and anticipating, "Wicked," the ballyhooed Broadway prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," finally opened Thursday night at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre. It's surprisingly funny, a hoot on a broomstick....

Toronto Star for the Wicked Tour, 2005: "The book by Winnie Holzman (based on Gregory Maguire's smashing novel) is a truly clever piece of work. It offers us the backstory to the witches of Oz — good and wicked — as well as filling us in on where the ruby slippers came from, how the Tin Man and Scarecrow wound up like they did, etc. But it's also a serious exploration of the nature of friendship, as well a cautionary fable about the danger of governments who rule by fear. All of this is also captured by Stephen Schwartz's tuneful score, which knows when to soar with inspiring pop anthems or when to make you smile with its musical and lyrical cleverness."--Richard Ouzounian

Wicked Links; Questions and Answers

Visit Wicked home page for links to 50 Wicked-related pages

Enter drawing for autographed CD: Wicked drawing

Questions or comments to share? Write to Carol (that's me, the webmaster) at carol@musicalschwartz.com with the words "Question" or "Comment" in the subject heading. (If you don't hear from me please write again - it got lost in my spam filter or yours).

Is Wicked on Tour appropriate for children?

This section has moved to its own page: Wicked for kids?

Where can I find Wicked lyrics and libretto (script)?

For lyrics see our Wicked Lyrics page or the sheet music or CD. The Wicked Libretto will be published along with lyrics and lots of photos, etc. in a book. Wicked: The Grimmerie

What's the URL for the official tour site for more photos, etc.? http://www.wickedthemusical.com/