Although crowded with sports fans,, the  streets of San Francisco were also packed with  d theater geeks and others to the Orpheum Theater to see the Broadway musical Wicked . Back by popular demand, Wicked has won more than 100 awards and is critically acclaimed for its actors and hit songs, like “Defying Gravity”.

Wicked tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, the evil witch in the Wizard of Oz, who was once an intelligent girl named Elphaba. She was an ordinary child, except for her green skin. When Elphaba entered school for the first time, her spoiled, blonde, arrogant roommate Glinda seemed to be her worst enemy. Wicked is the heartfelt story of how these two girls forged an unlikely friendship.

After watching Wicked with my family this Thursday night, I was pleased to say that it was one of the most amazing productions I have ever seen. The lead actresses, Mary Kate Morrissey (Elphaba) and Amanda Jane Cooper (Glinda), were talented and had incredible chemistry. Despite being understudies, Beka Burnham (Nessarose) and Travis Taber (Fiyero) performed well in their respective roles. And the song “Defying Gravity” was everything I had hoped for–passionate and empowering.

Overall, the experience was one to remember. I am still in awe of how beautiful and how heartwarming Wicked was, how it explored complex themes of human nature, politics, and friendship and yet it could still make the audience laugh.

Wicked stays at San Francisco until April 16. You can buy tickets for Wicked and other musicals at https://www.shnsf.com.