Have you ever wondered what life was like at Oz before Dorothy made the scene? More specifically, what was the history of the good witch from the North and the wicked witch from the West? After all, they were hanging around, doing their own thing until Dorothy’s arrival. Surely, they must have had their own story.

They certainly did! Wicked begins with Dorothy’s encounter with Elphaba, the supposedly wicked witch who has imprisoned her. However, was she really all that evil? When Glinda, the good witch, arrives to confirm Elphaba has indeed melted, she begins to reflect on their own memories of entering Oz.

Elphaba, as explained in the enchanting musical, was actually a college roommate of Glinda, and with time, they had become friends. Elphaba had been fiery tempered, stubborn and opinionated, as well as having green skin, but she wasn’t exactly evil. In fact, her motivations for entering Oz was to consult with the wizard and find out why the animals were losing their power of speech. Glinda, as it turns out, was pretty and popular, but somewhat empty headed. When they arrive in Oz, Elphaba learns it was the wizard who was responsible for the animals’ waning power of speech. Angry at his betrayal, she leaves she escapes the wizard’s clutches, who then pronounces that Elphaba is indeed wicked. In the meantime, Glinda doesn’t have a clue and becomes the wizard’s assistant.

The plot contains a lot of surprising twists, including how the tin man became the tin man, the scarecrow’s narrow escape from death and why the lion considered himself cowardly. It also gives the history of the magical red shoes that Dorothy used to return home, and explains the circumstances of the wicked witch of the East.

With beautiful musical scores, enchanted creatures, and an unexpected story line, Wicked makes a close examination of good and evil, revealing that wickedness doesn’t always have a clear definition. It makes you wonder who the real heroes truly are, or perhaps there are no real heroes at all, just circumstances and the inevitable conclusion that we can all make mistakes.

The original production of Wicked first opened in 2003 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. The Broadway production was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Original Score, Scenic Design and Choreography. It has also won six Drama Desk awards and four Outer Critics Awards. In 2005, it received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. This is a musical production designed to enchant the entire family. Return to Oz and discover the secrets behind the witches of Wicked!