Reviews

Reviews of Wicked on Broadway. See what all the critics had to say about Wicked and read all the reviews, including the New York Times & More...

Ben Brantley reviews musical Wicked, with music by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holtzman, directed by Joe Mantello; Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel star; photos (M)

Wicked tells the backstory of the witches of Oz, but it’s lifeless; Golda’s Balcony is the perfect merging of playwright, actress, and character.

It's not easy being green. Or blonde, for that matter. Those are just two of the many lessons to be learned from this big, murky new Broadway musical. But maybe the most salient pointer is that it ain't easy being a Broadway musical. A strenuous effort to be all things to all people tends to weigh down this lumbering, overstuffed production.

The show hasn't changed a bit. But the substance of it resonates more profoundly now than 3 years ago.

Ten years ago, ‘Wicked’ opened on Broadway. Here’s how a ‘popular’ good witch, a tortured green witch, and a legion of fans defied bad reviews—and gravity—to change Broadway.

There have been moments in the history of musical theater when, like a twister, the sheer talent and whirling spectacle of a production have flattened any negative criticism that stood to get in its way. Take October, 2003 for example. That was the month that Wicked opened in New York to generally dour reviews. But since then, more than 8.8 million people have found the heart, nerve and wisdom to pay a visit, resulting in the happy scene of a Broadway house filled with as many teens as adults, and making a tale, born from a 115-year-old children’s novel, one of the top five highest grossing shows of all time.

"The most complete, and completely satisfying, musical I've come across in a long time."

Wicked reviews - audience reviews for Wicked. BroadwayBox offers cheap Broadway tickets - up to 50%off Broadway ticket prices.