And Your Little Dog, Too!

Last night was the premiere of WICKED at the Pantages Theater, which goes on record as my second most interesting encounter with flying monkeys. Without getting into too much detail, I can tell you that the first involved the L.A. Zoo, a showboating simian named Mr. Chimpo and a sudden, distressing need for an umbrella capable of withstanding the acid-like qualities of monkey urine. Seriously – that stuff must have about the same pH balance as the monster blood in ALIEN.

Okay, in spite of my disclaimer, that was probably too much detail. But what can I say? I paint pictures with words like monkeys paint walls with…well, you get the idea.

Since THE WIZARD OF OZ is one of those movies that everyone loves – and if you claim you don’t, I’m coming over with a super soaker full of holy water to send you back from whence you came – I was pretty interested in seeing how such an elaborate world could be represented within the limitations of live theater. Also being a fan of the play’s source material, a Gregory Maguire novel that pulls no punches in its re-imagination of the Oz as an oppressive dictatorship, I was keen to see the Wicked Witch brought to life as a political activist who’s branded as a villain by the powers that be. And I also really wanted to buy a stuffed flying monkey, since I thought that having one would be kinda cool.

So how did things turn out?

Well, the production itself was pretty astonishing. Huge sets, elaborate costumes and some really clever staging – not to mention the use of a crazy huge robot head I want in my living room – made a charmingly skewed version of the filmic Oz come to life right there on stage. The source material was refracted through a similar prism, ending up as something closer to the cute second cousin of the novel than a straight adaptation. Gone are almost all traces of the book’s political commentary and fascinating, war-torn history of Oz. In their place is a story of the Wicked Witch as an animal rights crusader. In other words, less Che Guevara and more Dr. Dolittle. Although this was initially a little disappointing, the kids in the audience seemed to get a kick out of it and the concept did, at the very least, provide a pretty good explanation as to why the witch has a faithful army of winged simians. Stuffed versions were, by the way, on sale in the lobby, but they were a hideous shade of green that nature typically reserves for the underbelly of deep sea predators. I mean, come on – flying monkeys I can get behind, but flying green monkeys? Gimme a break.

If you get a chance, I’d say read the book and check out the musical, since they’re both enjoyable and – in the end – pretty darn distinct. Or, if you’re broke and hate books, just keep watching TCM until they rerun THE WIZARD OF OZ, then think about politics and animal rights until the end credits roll. Now if anyone needs me, I’ll be at the L.A. Zoo – I have a score to settle with one Mr. Chimpo…