By Diana Nollen

The Gazette

DES MOINES — Something magical has landed with aahs.

(Joan Marcus photos) Elphaba (Marie Dodd) taps into her fiery side after an illuminating trip to the Emerald City in “Wicked,” onstage through Oct. 18 at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines.

Broadway’s blockbuster “Wicked” has followed the Yellow Brick Road to the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines for a four-week run that ends Oct. 18.

Don’t wait any longer to order your tickets. This is the most exhilarating theatrical experience to come down any road in years and you don’t need a rainbow to get to this Oz.

(Although you may wish you had one if you get stuck in the road construction dead zone on Interstate 80 east of Altoona. I left in plenty of time Thursday to get to Des Moines, get parked and have a leisurely dinner downtown. Traffic backed up for miles, however, when I-80 narrowed to one lane, and I ended up with time for peanuts and pop in the Civic Center lobby.)

The Tony- and Grammy-winning musical tells the evolution of the witches of Oz. One is good and one is evil. But which witch is which?

The 2 1/2-hour show starts with the death of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and spins back to the greener days of her youth. As if having emerald skin wasn’t enough to deal with in adolescence, she’s shipped off to boarding school, only to get stuck rooming with the perennially perky golden girl, Galinda (Helene Yorke).

But Galinda — who later changes her name to Glinda — is actually manipulative and self-centered, while good-hearted Elphaba (Marcie Dodd) is just socially awkward and bookish, possessing scary powers she doesn’t understand.

Yorke and Dodd are forces of nature in their leading roles, with powerhouse voices that defy gravity and characterizations that bring out the charm in each witch.

Yorke plays Galinda/Glinda with just the right touch of annoyance in the beginning. She’s everyone’s high school nightmare, conniving to keep the Munchkin boy Boq who adores her at bay while she snags the playboy prince Fiyero who has just swooped onto campus. They are shallow and callow and deserve each other.

The road to Oz is paved with problems for Glinda (Helene Yorke, left) and Elphaba (Marcie Dodd). The witches of Oz, as different as night and day, have landed at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines in the award-winning musical “Wicked.”

Then the most amazing thing happens. Galinda sees Elphaba flailing and comes to her side. Thus begins a most wondrous friendship that changes both for the better. Yorke injects goofy charm into her bubbly anthem “Popular,” as she takes Elphaba under her wing for a makeover.

And then everything starts to unwind after a disastrous trip to see the Wizard, who isn’t as wonderful as he seems.

Dodd moves fluidly from awkward to courageous, always keeping the humanity in her witch. To hear her sing and watch her fly takes your breath away.

Everything about the production is top flight, from the wizardry of the scenery and ingenious costumes to the jaw-dropping special effects, dazzling choreography and fine ensemble performances, beginning to end.

Be forewarned: The effects might be a little too intense for your littlest munchkins. The Wizard’s thundering voice and menacing machinery, along with the flying monkeys and the witch hunt toward the end won’t make for sweet dreams. But for older kids and adults, they’re all wonderful.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, 221 Walnut St. Tickets are $32.50 to $137.50, through the Civic Center Ticket Office, 1-(800) 745-3000, all Ticketmaster locations or www.civiccenter.org The best availability for tickets is on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.