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One year later, these witches are still kicking.

Thursday May 11, 2006.     By Cynthia Avery

Theater Feed

The Chicago company of the musical phenomenon "Wicked," playing at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, will soon have been running for a year. Still, nearly every show is absolutely packed, and it seems that the show will be running here for some time to come.

As so many billboards and advertisements point out, "Wicked" is the musical back-story of the Wicked Witch of the West, who was better known as Elphaba while she attended magic school with the girl who eventually became Glinda the Good. Since Centerstage last covered the show, there have been some cast changes, most notably the replacement of Ana Gasteyer with Kristy Cates in the role of Elphaba, and the ascension of previous standby Stacie Morgain Lewis to the role of Glinda. Until June 25, the Carole Shelley will also be filling in for Chicago actress Rondi Reed in the role fo Madame Morrible, the role Shelley originated on Broadway.

The show seems to be standing the test of time, as well as the test of cast changes. While it seems that some of the performances (mostly in the ensemble) are getting a tad stale with the passage of time, the audience still responds with massive enthusiasm to the two leading ladies.

While the comic moments in Cates' portrayal of Elphaba don't seem to appear quite as organically as they did when Gasteyer played the part, Cates brings a vocal authority to the role (particularly in the famed act one closing number, "Defying Gravity") that's hard to argue with. Lewis manages to mine comic gold with the spastic self-aggrandizing mannerisms of Glinda; her rendition of the hit song "Popular" rivals that of the original Broadway Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth. While Rondi Reed is also excellent in the role, Carole Shelley seems to have a pitch-perfect grasp of when to be campy and when to turn on the evil as Morrible.

Supporting Chicagoans Heidi Kettenring as Elphaba's sister Nessarose and Gene Weygandt as the Wizard continue to make strong impressions, as does Kristoffer Cusick as the love interest Fiyero (particularly with the teenage girls in the audience).

As the run continues, no doubt other changes in the cast while slightly alter the dynamic in the show. "Wicked" remains a piece that's unassailably strong on its own, and is certainly a worthwhile show for visitors to the City to enjoy. For those on a more limited budget, there is a drawing for $25 front row seats the same day of most performances. So if this kind of show is your thing, check out "Wicked," and keep checking back with Centerstage, as we re-review it with each passing year.

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View Centerstage's theatre calendar listing about Wicked for more info on dates and times.