Wicked

WICKED CASTS ITS SPELL ON MANCHESTER WITH A FIVE STAR MESMERISING AND MAGICAL PRODUCTION

Pink and Green should always be seen!  That seems to be the current mania sweeping across the nation, and rightly so with a wonderful tale that beautifully employs the essence of imagination, magic and vision to explore prejudice, acceptance, authenticity and developing a belief in ourselves.  It encourages us to live to our own standards, no matter what.  I have read all the books by Gregory Maguire, and I’m not going to lie, some get very dark and twisty – certainly not a children’s read.  I have seen the musical before, now the film, and I am none the less excited to see the show again this evening.  So why are we all going gaga for green?

The concept of this show is enthralling from the off.  Take one of the most beloved stories ever – The Wizard Of Oz – and not only write a prequel, but write it about the magical world rather than the real world of Dorothy.  Then – make the villain the main star, and topsy turvy the whole balance of everything you thought you knew by making her the hero!  It really is the epitome of not judging a book by its cover, not listening to the rumours, and not getting caught up in mob mentality.  It challenges the concept of popularity, how it can be built around entirely shallow outward appearances rather than internal morals and doing the right thing.  It faces prejudice and marginalisation head on, and it does so with a righteous grandeur knowing it has unfathomably powerful songs with lyrics and messages that could serve as any motivational speech!

So, as we meet Elphaba, a young girl whose Father resents her threefold for being the result of her mothers affair, her mother dying, and oh yes, being green, she is simply there to assist her sister as she starts university – an assist that only Elphaba recognises Nessarose doesn’t need.  Following a misunderstanding, it is at Shiz University that Elphaba is roomed with Glinda, the popular and beautiful student who all adore.  After a rocky start, their acts of kindness towards each other solidifies their friendship and thanks to Elphaba’s natural flare with magic, they set off to The Emerald City to meet The Wizard.  But as we know, The Wizard is not all he pretends to be, and soon Elphaba is faced with a choice, stay by his side and help him with his plan which would buy her fame, fortune and popularity, or stick to her morals and do everything within her power to ensure his dominance over animals never sees the light.  As Elphaba takes flight, she makes personal sacrifices for the good of others and never once loses sight of what she believes in.  It is a beautiful story of the greater good and the price one green witch must pay.

This outstanding cast off 33 and full company of over 100 creatives take us on a thrillifying journey to the Emerald City and beyond.  An entirely new world has been beautifully sewn together and brought to life from the costumes, the design, the colours and even the language!  Who knew there was such a thing as an Ozmopolitan or that someone could be Galindafied?  But when you have your own linguification then I guess anything is possible!  Bewitching us into the magic are Laura Pick (Anyone Can Whistle, Sound Of Music) as Elphaba and Sarah O’ Connor (Frozen, The Commitments) as Glinda.  They are a formidable duo and I adore that the main relationship focus of Wicked is female friendship and the complications it can endure.  They played their contrasting characters to perfection, showing us their twisted and complicated intertwined lives.  When Laura Pick sing her first song “The Wizard And I” this already incredible show is stepped up even further.  Crystal clear tonality, diction and a unique sounding powerhouse to boot, we were blown away.  The audience response at the end was insane!  The applause and appreciation went on and on, and deservedly so.  “Defying Gravity” is so well known now, yet Pick still managed to make it her own, and combined with the lighting by Kenneth Posner, this was one of those moments you will never forget.

I have to talk about another Elphaba song though, “No Good Deed,” which in my opinion isn’t talked about enough.  This has to be one of the most difficult songs out there, full of spellbinding vocal gymnastics and executed tonight with such skill, that it blew my mind, and that of the audience, for yet again, the applause and response did not stop.  Laura Pick really brought us the beautiful complexity of Elphaba, strong and feisty, yet vulnerable and scared.  In stunning contrast we have Sarah O’ Connors delivery of Glinda, who takes her on an equally changing journey from entitled and perky to unsure, confused, kind and gentle, ending up with a mixture of traits making her a perfect, yet heart broken leader.  She played such fabulous quirks and mannerisms with her character and really had fun with it, making someone who ultimately starts out as a mean girl likeable.  These skills were highlighted in songs such as “Popular” where she owned the stage completely.  Compare that to her heart wrenching reprise of “I’m Not That Girl,” and her rich, stunning vocals are given a full repertoire of emotions to shine, and shine they do.  Her opening of “No One Mourns The Wicked” sounded almost operatic, showcasing to the full Sarah O’ Connors versatile talent.  

Carl Man (Death Note, Starlight Express) as Fiyero owns the stage the moment he arrives, with his suave, flirtatious manner and has all of Oz eating out of the palm of his hand.  He flings himself around the stage in “Dancing Through Life” with athletic ease.  He also takes us on a smooth and clear journey of Fiyero as he too changes, in more ways than you could imagine, and he makes it make sense by subtly allowing his reactions to not always match his words, making it clear that Fiyero is saying what is expected of him, but perhaps thinking something entirely different.  It is a wonderful performance.  Donna Berlin (The Way Old Friends Do, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Madame Morrible and Simeon Truby (War Horse, Sweeney Todd) as The Wizard and Doctor Dillamond are both masters of playing duplex characters.  Neither turn out to be who we think they are, and as a team they are formidable.  They take us from figures of trust to figures of fear and the transformation is beguiling.

Jed Berry (The Book Of Mormon, Kinky Boots) as Boq is the shining light that is never put out.  He plays the character with such boundless enthusiasm, devotion and love, with a heart of gold that you can’t help but love him.  Unrequited love is so often played as melancholy or with mourning, but Jed Berry flips that on its head as Boq, and really brings a fresh, youthful energy to every scene.  Megan Gardiner (Allegiance, The Wizard Of Oz) as Nessarose starts out so sweet, yet clearly independent, and her transformation into bitterness shows the range of acting and vocal talent Gardiner has.  Her scene with Elphaba in Act II where she changes into a new character (not saying just in case it is a spoiler for anyone reading) is executed so well that all the clogs start slotting into place and you revel at what is unfolding.

The Wicked set, designed by Eugene Lee, definitely has the wow factor.  Firstly, you are greeted with a stunning map setting out the land of Oz and all its different areas, with a huge metal dragon hovering over it (and yes it does move slightly throughout the show).  Then you have all the cogs and whirring clogs of the time clock that are effortlessly slotted in.  We are taken from Shiz University to the Emerald City, poppy fields to The Wizards lair, the Oz Dust Ballroom to train stations and abandoned castles!  It is bewitching to behold.  Add a unique style of costumes into this, designed by Susan Hilferty, and the style can be recreated to include university uniform, community, the glitz and glamour of the Oz Dust Ball (from which I would like to ‘borrow’ several costumes please) and the dazzling welcome to the Emerald City.  They are exquisite!\

I don’t even know where to begin with the songs!  We know in musical theatre the songs are there to express, to tell the story, to fill us in on the characters inner thoughts, feelings, fears, desires, you name it, they do it.  But Wicked has songs that reach so much further than the show they serve.  They inspire, nurture, and wrap themselves around your own life, finding meaningful comparisons.  ‘Defying Gravity’ is a metaphor for anyone who has ever felt squashed, minimalised or simply not felt seen.  “I’m through excepting limits, ‘cause someone says they’re so.  Some things I cannot change but I try I’ll never know.”  There is a visceral force with this song that you feel.  You quite literally feel the energy change in the theatre as everyone sits a little taller, puffs their chest our a little further and lifts their chin a little higher to face their own personal challenges.

Then in contrast, there’s the fabulously fun and catchy ‘Popular,’ an honest rebuttal at what it often takes to get ahead in life.  ‘For Good’ is an incredibly personal song to me, with an emotional memory behind it, so it is no surprise it made me leak a few tears tonight, and even though my mind wandered to my own memories of the song, it was still powerful enough to simultaneously hold me in the story and its own message of friendship.  Laura Pick and Sarah O’ Connor displayed a beautiful tenderness and honesty in this performance, a real vulnerability of their characters that allowed each to be truly seen for who they are.  Stephen Schwartz is truly a master of his craft and I hope he knows how much his songs mean to people.  

Wicked has to be one of the hottest tickets in town right now, and Manchester is incredibly lucky that is has flown into our city in the middle of all the mania!  Within the first 5 minutes of the show, agile flying monkeys enter the stage, mesmerising you with their movement, a streamer canon has joyfully exploded across the audience, Glinda flies in and across the stage and it is filled with bubbles and bursting with talent.  If you find yourself in a position to go, then grab that opportunity and fly with it.  It is clear why it has won more than 100 global awards and no doubt will continue to do so.  So whether you’re team pink, green, or somewhere inbetween, Wicked will rejoicify you as it casts its spell, turning you into a Wizomaniac of the highest order!

WE SCORE WICKED...