Wicked - Pantages Theater in Hollywood

Last night I saw Wicked at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. It ended up being real good - a really lavish production, I must say. The costumes were spectacular, the story a clever spin on "The Wizard of Oz", the vocals excellent, and most of the songs were pretty good. The way this was staged was really quite amazing - I loved the big show-stopper number right before the intermission where they sing "Defying Gravity" and the "Wicked Witch" rises up into the air and appears to really gravitate via the lighting that is done for this number. Neat gigantic bat creature floating overhead, a booming-voiced mechanical "Wizard" that comes rolling out onto the stage, the lighting up of the Emerald City all in green lights - very cool, and love those winged monkeys. One of the best shows I've seen at the Pantages in a number of years. And hey - Jo Anne Worley, well remembered by me from those days when I used to watch Laugh-In every week when it was originally on (yes, I was a mere tot then) - was in this production. I used to go to this theater a lot back in the 70s and 80s when my dad would get season tickets - the sound system is WAY better now, and luckily the absolutely gorgeous art deco interior, original from the 1930s, is still intact (love the deco mirrored powder room in the left-lobby ladies room) - bravo.