Wicked – REVIEW
Image: Courtney Monsma and Sheridan Adams in WICKED Image: Jeff Busby
Before that eventful walk along the yellow brick road; before the catastrophic twister that lifted a helpless girl and her dog, house and all, high into the air and dropped them into the mysterious land of Oz, there was another story. A tale of two young women with supernatural powers, born to different fortunes and fates.
At least, that’s how Gregory Maguire imagined it in his novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a post-written prequel to the immortal L. Frank Baum children’s classic, The Wizard of Oz.
Just as Baum’s book did, Maguire’s story inspired a musical adaptation and Wicked, written by Winnie Holzman with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz has become a repertoire fixture ever since its acclaimed debut in 2003.
Wicked opened last night in Sydney for its 20th anniversary season, and if audience response is anything to go by, the production has been green-lit (excuse the pun) for a very successful run.
Visually, this is a sumptuous offering. From footlights to proscenium and beyond, there is a design delight for the eyes to marvel at. A large pterodactyl-like dragon with glowing red eyes protrudes from the top of the stage. The creature comes alive in the opening number, wings slowly flapping, beak menacing as smoke is expelled from its mouth. It’s an example of the technical wizardry (again, ‘scuse pun) that makes Wicked one of the most extravagant and complex shows to mount.
The set, by Eugene Lee, switches through a mixture of fairy-tale multi-colour and fantasy-horror red with occasional touches of steampunk. Moveable props, smoke machine, wires and staircases allow for a variety of scenery and special effects.
Equal to the stage design are the costumes by Susan Hilferty. Everything from the bold-striped school uniforms to Glinda’s Legally Blonde inspired wardrobe to the elegant pomp of Madame Morrible has been meticulously thought out so that it harmonises with the set and story.
The entire cast is exceptional, with Courtney Monsma as Glinda and Sheridan Adams as Elphaba standouts. Monsma’s Glinda is very much like Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods: naïve, vain, self-absorbed, popular. Glinda also has the dragon’s share of the good one-liners, all of which land.
Adams is intense and engaging as Elphaba. From her first appearance on stage she has the audience in the verdant palms of her hands. Elphaba gets the hold-your-breath clutch-your-program moments including the show-stopper, “Defying Gravity”.
Liam Head is very dashing as Fiyero, who first comes off as conceited and shallow, but later proves himself to be a veritable, if somewhat flawed, hero.
Shewit Belay plays Elphaba’s wheelchair-bound half-sister, Nessarose, an underdeveloped, problematic character who has an inexplicable arc. It’s a shame because Belay clearly has more to offer than she is given opportunity to show in this role.
Boq (Kurtis Papadinis), on the other hand, has a bit more chance to shine on stage (in terms of performance, that is – his character is reproachable) and Papadinis does shine.
Robin Nevin is absolutely priceless as Madame Morrible. Her stage presence, her precision timing and that luscious Shakespearean voice validate her status as Australian theatre royalty.
As the Wizard, Todd McKenney capitalises on his popularity with the crowd to really ham it up. He is great fun, and there is a discernible rapport between he and Nevin that makes even the most subtle, implicit visual gag land with both feet.
Critics still argue about the merit of Wicked on paper, but on stage there is no argument about its enchantment, magic and ability to keep pleasing audiences.
