Spellbound at Wicked!

Walking along Collins Street in Melbourne, I could tell something wicked was going on. The street trees were bathed in a green light.

I was fortunate to attend the magical musical Wicked. This is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz, telling the untold story of the Witches of Oz in the Land of Oz. It revolves around how the friendship of two schoolgirls grows, with one becoming the outcast Wicked Witch of the West, and the other becoming Glinda the Good Witch. In a small way it also tells how the Tin Man, Lion and the Scarecrow came into being.

Wicked first appeared in Melbourne in 2008. This new production of Wicked has some of the original cast members performing once again on stage. This new production is a spectacular blockbuster that looks brilliant on stage. It is both funny and moving – it is an absolute delight to see.

Wicked has the universal themes of friendship, putting down those who are different, power struggles, family differences and love.

The cast members I saw in this production of Wizard are wonderful. They displayed incredible acting talent on stage and sang well with amazing voices.

Regent Theatre stage

Jemma Rix played the Wicked Witch of the West, who was born with emerald-green skin and is smart, fiery and misunderstood. Her moving portrayal evoked sympathy for the character and the situations she ended up in. The highlight of her singing was her song Defying Gravity, sung as she was flying high above the stage just before intermission. Lucy Durack played the beautiful, blonde headed, ambitious, cheerful, chirpy and very popular Glinda. Both of these two voices combine wonderfully well in duets such as What Is This Feeling? Good versus bad intertwined between these two characters on stage.

Steve Danielsen played Fiyero, the love interest in Wicked. He sings the love song of the show As Long As You Are Mine with Elphaba.

The munchkin Boq is played by Edward Grey and Elphaba’s wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose is played by Emily Cascarino. Both Edward and Emily play their parts well.

It was good to see two more mature actors amongst the young cast. Reg Livermore played The Wizard bringing his mixed character to life, and Maggie Kirkpatrick played the sweet and not-so-sweet headmistress Madame Morrible.

Of course the chorus ensemble provided wonderful singing and dancing on stage as the citizens of Oz and the Emerald City.

In front of Wicked posters

The standout performers on the stage would have to be the talented people who played the monkeys. They moved around the stage just like real monkeys would have. I imagine them spending lots of time at the Melbourne Zoo observing the monkeys in the weeks before Wicked opening.

The imaginative costumes designed by Susan Hilferty were beautiful. Each added depth to the cast members character, whether they were the lead characters or in the chorus. The emerald green costumes looked fantastic on stage.

The set for Wicked enveloped the entire large stage. Eugene Lee, the scenic designer, achieved an amazing look for Wicked. The giant clock, the cogs, the animated dragon high above the stage and various moving set components all provided a brilliant backdrop for the actors and dancers and made us feel we were in the Land of Oz.

The lighting of Wicked designed by Kenneth Posner is amazing. The follow and profile spots, moving and LED lights all provided the right atmosphere for the various scenes. Of course the green lighting effects were very green.

The orchestra housed in the orchestra pit under the stage provided the wonderful music for Wicked. The music is lively and played with wicked gusto complementing the singers on stage. During intermission I wandered down and peered into the cavernous pit and was surprised to see the large number of keyboards, guitars and other instruments that made up the orchestra.

Wicked was a spell binding musical. I thoroughly enjoyed Wicked for its humour, drama, action, romance and its sheer excitement. The best part was seeing all the various components come together on stage – the singers, dancers, costumes, sets, and lighting. Wicked looked spectacular, even from our seats at the rear of the upper level.

Wicked is being performed in the historic Regent Theatre in Melbourne. This theatre opened in 1929 as a picture theatre. It is fortunate that this magnificent theatre it is still standing, after suffering from a fire, a flood, standing empty for 20 years and threats of demolition.

Wicked is in Melbourne till 7 September, then it moves on to Sydney and Brisbane. If you have not seen it as yet, I suggest you hurry along and book your tickets so that you do not miss out on seeing this wickedly wonderful musical.

Regent Foyer

Venue - Regent Theatre, 191 Collins St, Melbourne, Australia.

Shows - Wednesday - 1pm & 8pm, Thursday & Friday - 8pm,
     Saturday - 2pm & 8pm, Sunday - 1pm & 6.30pm

Tickets - Book Online via Ticketmaster, Phone 1300 111 011,
     or Visit an Outlet

Website: http://wickedthemusical.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedinoz