Wicked
Unique perhaps, in that it is a prequel to an already existing musical,
Wicked is the
most recent show to enter the status of classic. Set in Oz, before Dorothy
arrives to begin her adventures, we see, in Wicked, Elpheba, a girl ostracised
because she is green and the popular, blond and beautiful Glinda; the two, of
course, who will go on to become the Wicked Witch of the West and The Good Witch
in The Wizard of Oz respectively.
The two, remarkably, are shown to be friends at first, in their younger days as
sorcery students in Oz and yet they are ultimately pulled in very different
directions by social pressures. Based on the best-selling novel by Gerry Maquire,
Wicked is an amazing idea for a musical but one which also manages to live up to
said idea with fantastic set pieces, wonderfully realised visuals and stunning
lyrics. The stand out song of the whole show is undoubtedly “Defying Gravity” ,
performed wonderfully by Kerry Ellis playing Elpheba in the West End version of
the show. “Nobody in all of Oz”, she declares, “No Wizard that there is, or was,
is ever gonna bring me down”. In the end, she was right, it wasn’t any Wizard
that brought her down, it was a house that crushed her.
Warnings against letting children under the age of 8 see the show are given;
there is nothing vulgar or unsuitable in the show, but there are some adult
themes considered through the piece and some of the set pieces, such as when
Elpheba is harnessed up and rises skyward with a cape flying out that fills the
stage, will likely scare younger children and probably a large majority of the
adult audience as well.
What Wicked really does so well is make you think twice about characters
everyone thinks they already know from the Wizard of Oz. We are all brought up
thinking that the Wicked Witch of the West has simply been in a perpetual state
of evil since she was born, this show makes a different case. Arguing that, in
many ways, it’s societies, and maybe even the wizard’s, fault that she ended up
that way. The idea that “nobody mourns the wicked” is also one which is
particularly pertinent in today’s society and the Apollo Theatre will certainly
be flying high as long as this production keeps going.
For the cheapest prices for
Wicked tickets at
the Apollo Victoria, visit Theatreguide.co.uk now.
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