Just a year after the first Seoul run of the popular Broadway musical “Wicked” ― performed by an Australian cast ― Korea celebrated the opening of the first Korean-language rendition of the show last week, starring local big-name stars as the two beloved witches.

Sunday’s show was greeted with tumultuous applause and a standing ovation at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, Seoul. The audience repeatedly cheered as actresses Oak Joo-hyun and Kim Bo-kyung took their bows.

“Wicked,” which is marking its 10th anniversary, is widely known as a ravishing spectacle and captivating fantasy, mixed with the touching account of a difficult youth, life-changing friendship and the process of growing up. The musical also offers a compelling allegory about racism and discrimination, and about human dignity.

It tells the story of the two very different witches in the Land of Oz ― the green-skinned and alienated Elphaba (played by Oak Joo-hyun) and the beautiful and popular blonde Glinda (played by Kim Bo-kyung). Because of her green skin, Elphaba is disowned by her father and becomes an outcast among her classmates. She has indescribable magical powers, but this only gets noticed by Madame Morrible, the headmistress of the school.

Glinda, on the other hand, is good-natured and liked by everyone, but has no talent in magic. She and Elphaba are paired as roommates. The two girls, at first horrified by one another, eventually become good friends.

Meanwhile, Elphaba and Glinda’s goat professor, Dr. Dillamond, loses his job, as speaking animals are no longer allowed to teach at universities in Oz ― “Animals should be seen and not heard.” The case of the goat teacher ― who is later confined, abused and rendered mute ― reminds one of the Holocaust. Elphaba is practically the only one in the school who is upset about the situation, but experiences the futility of solitary outrage.

Elphaba is invited to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz, whom she admires and has wanted to meet all her life, only to find out he is in fact the criminal mastermind behind all the injustice in Oz. She is disillusioned when the wizard says, “The best way to bring people together is to give them a really good (collective) enemy” ― a reference to his deeds against the animals. He then asks her to join him.

Elphaba eventually chooses to use her special powers to do what she believes is right, although joining the wizard and helping to carry out his plan would’ve given her a comfortable life as well as power. Her decision also requires Elphaba to say good-bye to Glinda forever ― the “only friend she had.”

One of the most memorable things about this musical, along with the visual spectacle and incredible music, is the life of Elphaba and the decisions that she makes.

The young woman, who has been discriminated against all her life for something that she cannot control ― “green skin” ― and is alone after being disowned by her father, chooses to bypass the easy way through life in order to stand up for her beliefs.

“There seems to be a universality in Elphaba’s story ― the feeling of being an outsider, a misfit, someone who is misunderstood but whose integrity does not allow her to compromise her principles in order to achieve acceptance,” writes Stephen Schwartz, the composer and lyricist for “Wicked,” in a letter to his Korean viewers.

“And there is something in the story of Elphaba and Glinda, these two very different women who loathe each other, love each other, and ultimately change each other, that seems powerful in all cultures.”

Both Oak Joo-hyun and Kim Bo-kyung are convincing in their portrayals of the witches, who share a life-changing friendship in spite of their differences.

The Korean production, thanks to the two lead actresses, manages to successfully deliver the message that makes “Wicked” so timelessly universal ― it is about the courage to follow one’s convictions, choosing the hard path, and about the ways we can sometimes have an unintentional but crucial impact on someone else’s life. Two other actresses, Park Hye-na (Elphaba) and Jeong Sun-ah (Glinda), are sharing the role of the two witches with Oak and Kim during this on-going run.

“Wicked” is currently being performed at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, Seoul. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)