Last Thursday Molly and I traveled to a very cold Atlanta to catch a performance of the musical Wicked.

I have been such a fan of the Wizard of Oz since I was little — which of course was back when the dinasours roamed the earth — that I really had no intention of seeing a play that might complicate my permanent, special, thoughts of the movie version of this book.

But since I have loved Broadway musicals, especially since the time I saw my first as a teenager — Camelot, I relented and decided to take a chance.

I didn’t care that this show has been seen by 44 million people around the world or that Wicked was declared a Cultural Phenomenon’ by Variety.

I just wanted to be entertained.

As we settled into our seats I didn’t quite know what to expect and I was prepared not to be impressed. But wow, was I in for a delightful surprise.

From the first scene to the closing song, the cast of Wicked made sure that we were entertained.

The humor, the songs and the staging were all about as good as it gets.

Carrie St. Louis’s interpretation of the good witch Glinda brought a delightful cheer to the cold night. Her bubbly interpretation of Glinda was just superb.

Alyssa Fox did a great job of making the Wicked Witch of the West look and feel human and forever changed my vision of her.

Unfortunately Fox became ill and Emily Koch stepped in after intermission, but she never missed a beat. Both ladies did a great job of humanizing Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wizard played by John Davidson was portrayed with such finesse that you had no doubt that for sure there really was a real life Wizard of Oz.

The music was lively and touching at the same time.

I really liked the story of how the witches of Oz came to being and how they were portrayed by the cast as being very human and not as starchy as they are portrayed in the Wizard of Oz movie.

I know for sure that I was entertained the whole time. This play made me laugh, feel a little sad and happy all in the period of 2 ½ hours and since I have not much of an attention span as it is.

This presentation was a pure pleasure.

If you want to be pepped up and see a first class performance, I have good news Wicked will be playing at the Fox for the couple of weeks, tickets can be purchased starting at $48, and you can either go by the theater on 660 Peachtree Street or visit foxtheater.org/wicked for more information.

This play would be great for your pre-teens and teens as well.

When you drive up to the Fox from here we found it easy to take the 20 to the 85 and exit at the Peachtree, Spring street exit turn left on Peachtree go two blocks and there you are.

The folks at Broadway Across America, who have brought Wicked to the Fox, recommend that the best availability of tickets is for Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday shows.

I give this play double thumbs up.