Schwartz’s score still glows and burns, still stirs and soars, as it delivers gem after gem, whether funny (”Popular,” “What Is This Feeling?”), anthemic (”The Wizard and I”), or intimate (”For Good”). “Wicked” is, of course, the back story to “The Wizard of Oz,” based on Gregory Maguire’s novel and featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It’s got a freshness, even urgency, about it, as if doing justice to this musical matters as much to this stellar road company as it does to the young spectators in the seats, many of whom have doubtless devoured the cast album but are seeing the show live for the first time. Nor was there any guarantee that the tandem of Lissa deGuzman, as Elphaba, and Jennafer Newberry, as Glinda, would prove to be as terrific as they are.īut not a moment of this Joe Mantello-directed “Wicked” feels rote or phoned-in. Still, given the guaranteed bankability of “Wicked,” it was not a given that the current touring production would be as outstanding as it is. High stakes are thus built into every performance of “Wicked.” The unwritten terms of the usual contract between performers and audience are unusually exacting ones when it comes to this show.
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