REVIEW: Wicked Is A Fantastical & Thrillifying Ride

Wicked: The Musical starring Aline Mayagoitia and Claudia Bennett is based off of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is just one of four books published in 1995. Wicked stands as the fourth longest-running musical on Broadway, running over twenty two years with ten Tony nominations and movie adaptations released in 2024 and 2025. The musical presents a story between two witches. Society defines them from their looks, one perfect and one not. The two unexpectedly become roommates at their new school. What happens when the most popular queen bee in school meets the unpopular outcast? A long winded complicated rivalry forms. In the end, these witches are crowned with their titles: one becomes known as “wicked” while the other becomes known as “good.” Throughout the play, you must ask yourself if they truly live up to their titles.

At 7:00 pm on September 24, 2026, I arrived at Citizen’s Opera House to see the play. The curtains opened at 7:30 pm on the dot. I had the pleasure to talk to many people before, during, and after the performance. There were people watching the play again for the sixth time, and there were others who had never watched it at all. Steffanie, who read the book and watched the performance for the first time around eleven years ago, said, “It is always important to read the story first and then see the visual.” The performance introduced a love for theater to new timers and allowed for a fresh interpretation for avid fans alike.

From the beginning, I was charmed by Glinda (Claudia Bennett) lowered by her magical bubble in a dress covered in blue sequins. Her perky smile and quirkiness became a staple. Whenever conflict arose, you could perfectly see the cracks in her perfect facade. Kirby, another recurring audience member of Wicked and pianist, emphasizes her love for Glinda’s character. “You wanna hate her but you can’t,” she said. Bennett did a fantastic job portraying the character’s emotions and mannerisms throughout the performance.

At the end of Act One, I was blinded by solar rays as Elphaba (Aline Mayagoitia) soared through the sky singing one of the most popular songs, “Defying Gravity.” When the light illuminated the stage and Glinda’s arm reached out for Elphaba’s, I felt as if I was witnessing a singing god above me. Kirby said, “Sometimes you hear misharmonies, sometimes you hear voices that are not quite matching, but I’m not getting that from this.” The musical is widely known for their song numbers such as “Popular” and “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.”

During the performance, you watch as Elphaba descends on a journey of braverism to help all the talking animals that are forced into silence by magical transformation. She opposes the Wizard of Oz (Tom McGowan), a corrupt governmental figure who dehumanizes the animals by encouraging the transformation in the Ozmopolitan Emerald City.  The musical addresses themes of racism and governmental corruption by addressing the revocation of the first amendment right especially from those of a different race. Even with Elphaba’s efforts, it is not enough.

Society ultimately ends up turning against her due to her bad reputation governed by her green skin, propaganda from the government, and many misunderstandings. The play encourages people to avoid judging others by their looks, to question the ethics of people who run society, and to assess the ultimate motive of public figures.

At the end of the performance, I approached a man called Andrew who watched the play back in 2013. I asked him if he had any critiques of the performance. He said, “My expectations were definitely met.” In that simple sentence, he accurately described my own experience. The complex development of moral ambiguity and sheer betrayal of each character tore me apart. I did not expect how strong dependency would eventually turn into twisted selfishness or how a false sense of carelessness replaces the jealousy underneath. I was fascinated by the way the characters revealed their true nature and developed at the end.

I would recommend this show to everyone, as it’s an all-ages magical performance. Children and adults alike dressed up as their favorite characters in sparkly dresses and funky witch hats. Wicked will be in Boston until November 15 at the Citizen’s Opera House. So, you can buy tickets at boston.broadway.com whether it’s for the first or the fifteenth time with your family and friends!