With its stunning sets, beautiful costumes, soaring songs and excellent characterizations, this dazzling musical adaptation will delight legions of musical fans. Wicked is unbelievably true to its Broadway origins, from Grande’s many exaggerated ruffles and hair flips as Galinda to Er’s spine-chilling take on Elphaba’s “Defying Gravity.” Yes, there are a few changes, but they’re unlikely to piss anyone off; instead, they offer an opportunity for a bit more story development and the addition of a few new memorable characters.

What quibbles there are are minor: most of the actors aren’t very believable as students, the opening moments of Bailey’s “Dance Through Life” are a bit awkward, and Goldblum somehow always plays a variation on Jeff Goldblum, no matter what he’s in. And there’s no denying that some of the scenes near the end are downright scary (you always seem to go back to the flying monkeys in the Oz movies!). But the story’s themes of friendship and not letting others define who you are are powerful, and the two stars are incredible, living up to the expectations of even the most ardent fans of the musical’s original stars, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Grande perfectly portrays Erivo during “Popular,” Erivo conveys every iota of Elphaba’s hope that she finally belongs in “The Wizard and Me,” and the scene where Galinda rescues Elphaba on the Ozdust Ballroom dance floor is a beautiful moment of empathy and connection. Just be prepared for the kids to jump a few times, and prepare them for the fact that this is only the first part of Galinda and Elphaba’s story: The conclusion is reserved for Wicked: Part 2.