We spent this past weekend in New York catching a couple of the hottest shows on Broadway, as well as enjoying the town (no visit is complete unless you go to The Strand).

Saturday night, we saw Wicked, based on the book of the same name by Gregory Maguire, about the real story of the Wicked Witch of the West, wrongly maligned by history and that annoying little girl. The story is exceedingly clever, mixing in several new threads into the Oz world, including minority rights and police state issues. The dialogue on stage matches the smart plot, being witty, referential to both the classic movie and book, and yet never breaking the illusion of the story being presented in front of the audience. The music is adequate: a little too much of the pop and diva influence for my taste, and no melodies that stuck in your brain, but yet not jarring or out of place. The two lead players handling Glinda (the Good Witch of the North) and Elpheba (the Wicked witch of the title) had strong voices and great presence, with Kristin Chenowith's mugging in her role of an exceedingly self-centered blonde especially funny, although Idina Merzel's voice was the definite stronger. The other lead actor, Joel Gray in a supporting role as the Wizard, stole the show every time he was on stage, so it was a good thing that the role was somewhat limited.

All of that would likely give the musical some legs at the box office, but it's the amazing and intricate sets that make this one of those shows that's going to be playing for a long time. The set design does a wonderful job of portraying a magical world without taking away from the story (unlike Phantom of the Opera, where, after awhile, you just watched for the sizzle and the splash, because there was no story).

The other show, in marked contrast, was the Hugh Jackman vehicle, A Boy From Oz. The sets, while still functional, were minimal compared to Wicked, and the cast, besides Jackman, was simply good. What made up for it was the clever script and even better improvisations by Jackman and the songs, which I wouldn't want to hear on the radio again (I heard many of them when they were new in the 70s), but which were imminently more hummable than anything in Wicked. Jackman's energy made the play. He's a star to watch.