The hit Broadway show Wicked has come to the Tampa Bay area. From February 2nd-26th, The Straz Center has become home to one of the most favored Broadway shows in musical theatre history.

A Wiregrass Ranch High School (WRHS)  sophomore Nick Johnson saw Wicked last week and shared his thoughts on it.

“I loved the musical. I’ve been a fan of Wicked since I was introduced last time it came to Tampa,” Johnson raves. “I had nosebleed seats but the show was still outstanding. I hope this encourages more famous Broadway shows to make an appearance here!”

Wicked is a vivid re-imagining of the classic novel and movie adaptation Wizard of Oz.

“Wicked spotlights the untold stories of Oz’s most famous (or infamous) characters, namely the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good Witch. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the life-changing events which eventually label her “wicked,” introducing spoiled rich girl Glinda, local prince and heartthrob Fiyero and even the Wizard of Oz himself, a troubled man very unlike the one you may remember,” Broadway.com summarizes the play.

Wicked was not always so popular on Broadway.

“The show’s twenty-two songs were written by Stephen Schwartz, and not one of them is memorable,” The New Yorker wrote in 2006 during the show’s Broadway debut.

However, ten years and 3.1 billion dollars later, Wicked has become a staple of Broadway. Details long forgotten in The Wizard of Oz such as the Wicked Witch of the West’s green skin tone, are covered in Wicked. This spin on a classic concept is given credit for the raving success of plays like Wicked and perhaps even Hamilton: An American Musical.

“Wicked is a great musical- it is creative and the songs are great,” WRHS senior, Sarah Mackenzie claims. “You become part of the show.”