OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS

One of the most popular musicals of all-time, WICKED plays at The Orpheum Theater with a three-week run from April 27 to May 15, 2022. There’s a never-ending amount of books, TV  and movies you could consume to get you excited for this show! Check out this Omaha Public Library list or read on for some O-pa favorites!

What better place to start than Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The basis for the smash hit musical, Gregory Maguire's breathtaking Wicked views the land of Oz, its inhabitants, its Wizard, and the Emerald City, through a darker and greener lens. Wicked offers us a radical new evaluation of the much-maligned Wicked Witch of the West.

Then, of course, there’s the classic original story by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Marvelous World of Oz, which has enchanted readers for over a century. Follow the adventures of Dorothy and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house is swept away by a cyclone and they find themselves in a strange land called Oz.

If you’re looking for a story similar to Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, check out Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Mr. Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of lost and forgotten books from England's magical past. He then travels to London and raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. All goes well until a rival magician, Jonathan Strange, appears. For Mr. Norrell, their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.

As far as what to watch, obviously the place to start is The Wizard of Oz, the Hollywood classic that introduced color to the world of cinema and still captivates audiences after all these years. Or you could watch the 1970’s remake The Wiz, starring Diana Ross, which puts a Motown spin on the story of Dorothy.

There’s also the recent classic Pan’s Labyrinth by Oscar winning director Guillermo del Tormo or the movie he won an Oscar for, The Shape of Water. Both deal with other worlds and monsters that may not be the monsters they appear to be.

Broadway tickets are available for purchase on Ticket Omaha. There’s also still time to put together a group (10 or more) and save some money on the cost of tickets and handling fees. For more information about group sales, check out our group sales page.