Monday 14th April 2014 by Kate Parker
Elphaba and Fiyero in Wicked
It’s received mixed reviews from critics and award-bodies alike, but after an 11 year stint on Broadway and having outlasted every other show which also opened in 2006, there’s no denying that Wicked is an enormously popular musical, and not without good reason.
As you step into the Victoria Apollo Theatre, the green tinted foyer and magical decor instantly transports you to the Land of Oz – a world and whose people you thought you knew so well… until now.
Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name, Wicked is the backstory of how the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy came to be and all’s not quite as it once seemed. Prepare to have your mind-blown and opened to a whole new world of possibilities in this undeniably magical musical.
Elpheba is an embarrassment to her family. Born with green skin and a somewhat stubborn manner, she is outcast by her father and things seem to be no different when she starts at Shiz University – a school of witchcraft and wizardry. At first, Elpheba struggles to fit into the school, befriending only Doctor Dillamond, a talking goat, and made to share a room with the delightfully air-headed Glinda (who prefers it to be pronounced “Gah-linda” and loves no one more than herself). However, the prim and proper Glinda takes pity on Elpheba at the school ball and they become the best of friends; the account of their girly friendship is beautifully portrayed through marvellous wit and panache.
The cast is superbly balanced with characters ranging from the wonderfully wicked to the downright dim-witted. The dashing Prince Fiyero is a favourite of fans (particularly my Mum, although I fear that’s more to do with his tight-fitting attire than his vocal range and acting abilities!) while the fabulously flamboyant Madame Morrible is a character audiences will love to loathe!
With spectacularly vivid costumes, impressive sets which seamlessly change between scenes and a story filled with twists, turns, love triangles and moral issues, Wicked is a universal story with real depth and power. The show is laced with magical, memorable songs such as “Defying Gravity”, “Wonderful” and “No Good Deed”, each ballad as poignant as the next.
For me, I feel that there are clever and subtle political undertones; the silenced animals discerns parallels with people’s fear of different cultures and beliefs; the gullible folks of Oz hanging on their leaders every word, happy to believe what they are told – what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil.
Wicked is a fabulously funny and a most impressive theatre production which is hugely gripping from start to the final bows. But it raises the questions – and consider these carefully – are people born wicked? Are the good entirely deserving of their title? And above all, does no good deed go unpunished?