Wicked

June 28th, 2005
Los Angeles, The Pantages Theatre
Musical, with Rachel and Troy

What happened before Dorothy dropped in? A lot.
This musical unravels the backstory of The Wizard of Oz, with Elphaba the Wicked Witch at the center, as well as her friendship with Glinda and the other famed characters of this pop-culture icon. I was one of the few I know who loved the music from the start. And I snickered to myself as I watched snobby critics who first denounced it, then recanted closer to Tony Awards time (they had tons of excuses).

That said, on Broadway it was a five star experience.
I take away one star here for the touring company as there is just no replacing Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel (Tony winner) for me personally.

I am happy to report that they spent a lot of money making the tour a faithful reproduction, and it's thoroughly enjoyable with Stephanie J. Block.