Wicked

"Wicked," Omaha’s most “popular” musical, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin — smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

Who's playing

This is Wicked, the Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel. At the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, the story centers on Elphaba and Glinda before Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz.

What to expect

Expect a full-scale musical that blends the familiar world of Oz with a character-driven story about perception, friendship, power, and who gets labeled a hero or a villain. The event description’s “popular” wink points to the show’s playful side, but the heart of Wicked is the changing relationship between two very different young women.

Why go

Wicked is built for audiences who know The Wizard of Oz and for anyone drawn to musicals that revisit a classic story from the margins. Seeing it at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater puts that big Broadway-style storytelling in one of the city’s signature performing arts venues.