Twenty years ago, the Broadway show Wicked debuted — yes, it opened on Halloween. The show is based on Gregory Maguire 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which followed up L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its classic 1939 MGM film. Featuring songs including “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” it looks at what happened in the Land of Oz from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman born with emerald-green skin who is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships — until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”
Go see it if you can!