While I was waiting for Wicked to begin, I noticed that fifty, maybe sixty percent of the audience was female. In general, I suppose musicals attract more women than men, but the disparity seemed more noticeable at this performance. Perhaps it had something with the fact that Wicked is one of the few musicals to feature two strong female leads, with the major male lead not appearing until well into the first act.
Having not read the book, I can’t say how faithful the musical adaptation is to the source material. I did find it to be a clever retelling of the Oz story. I especially liked the portrayal of the Wizard as something of a petty tyrant. There always did seem to be something vaguely fascist about that guy in the original. There are even some disability undercurrents in the story, although I found it somewhat unfortunate that the girl in the wheelchair turns out to be the Wicked Witch of the East and, well, a clingy little bitch. But such minor gripes aside, it was great show.
It became even greater during those numbers that included a fetching redheaded dancer with a great smile. Surely, there must be a fan club for her. If not, I’d totally start one dedicated to her. If I knew her name, which I don’t. But if I did, I would.