The Spellbinding Spectacular Wicked Flies into Sydney

Courtney Monsma (Glinda), Sheridan Adams (Elphaba)

and the Australian cast of WICKED

Photographer: Jeff Busby

A mark of a great musical is whether it transports you to another time and place. The musical Wicked that has just opened its Sydney season does this wonderfully well. The outstanding sets, costumes. lighting, singing and dancing transport you to another magical time and place.

Wicked is an introduction to that other well known musical, The Wizard of Oz. It is the untold story of the Witches of OZ. Wicked introduces us to the "good" Witch Glinda and the two "Bad" Witches, the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and her younger sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, Nessarose. It also introduces us to the Wizard, and explains how the Tinman, Lion and Scarecrow come into being and long for a heart, courage and brains.

Wicked premiered on Broadway in 2003 and has since been performed to millions of people in many countries around the world. It has won numerous awards, both here in Australia and overseas. This 20th anniversary production is the 3rd time it has been performed in Australia, after its first appearance in 2019 and second one in 2014.  

Only two words are needed to sum up this production of Wicked - spellbinding spectacular! The imaginative sets are the star of the show. They greet you even before the musical starts. The sets are not only revealed behind the curtain, but greet you even before the curtain opens. They protrude out on the side walls and ceiling of the Sydney Lyric theatre. You only have to look up to see the spectacular flying dragon high above you. 

Courtney Monsma (Glinda) and 

Sheridan Adams (Elphaba) Photographer: Jeff Busby

There were many special wizardry moments throughout Wicked. The entrance of Glinda in the first song, descending on a large clocks pendulum, sets the scene for all the wonderful effects that come along in the musical. At the end of the first act Elphaba soared in the air as she sang Defying Gravity. Winged monkeys pranced around the stage and flew in the air above the stage and above the audience. The friendly/ferocious dragon peers down on the audience.

All the members of the cast are brilliant. There are two outstanding seasoned performers and a host of other younger performers.

Todd McKenney brings along his years of dancing and singing experience to play The Wizard, who uses trickery to hide his own mortal shortcomings. Todd has been in The Boy From Oz, Barnum, Shrek and many other musicals. He has been host, choreographer, judge, dancer and singer. 

Robyn Nevin has been in many stage, TV and movie productions and has directed theatre companies. She convincingly plays the cunning and conniving Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University.

Courtney Monsma plays Glinda. Courtney has appeared in many musicals and TV shows. She is just the right person to portray Glinda as as a bubbly, a passionate, popular and loveable individual who is also cunning.

Todd McKenney (The Wizard) and

Sheridan Adams (Elphaba) Photographer: Jeff Busby

Sheridan Adams plays Elphaba, has a rather green complexion, which makes people repel from her. Elphaba is so worried about being cursed by Madame Morrible, that she falls into this predestined fate while trying to run from it. (It turns out that Elphaba is the daughter of the Wizard.) Is Elphaba good or evil, or a combination of both? Sheridan plays the complexity of this role really well.

Shewit Belay plays Nessarose, the younger sister of Elphaba. She is in a wheelchair, but later Elphaba uses a spell that allows her to walk. She meets her end when a farmhouse lands on her in a cyclone. (Just think of the start of The Wizard of Oz.) Shewit is a multi-talented singer and actor and brings conviction to her role as Nessarose. 

Liam Head plays Fiyero, the male love interest in wicked. He ends up being captured and is hung in paddock like a scarecrow. To save his life, Elphaba turn Fiyero into a real scarecrow. Liam, who has performed in other shows and is a recording artist, brings Fiyero to life with his singing and dancing.

Kurtis Papadin plays Boq. Elphaba turns Boq into the Tinman in order to save Boq's life. Kurtis is making his professional adult debut as Boq and does a great job in this role.

Wicked is a huge production. It has a huge cast of leads and ensemble on the stage, a huge creative team working behind the scenes and a huge orchestra under the stage. The production is so huge that it is co-produced by many people, including Mark Pratt, David Stone, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, John B. Platt, John Frost and Crossroads Live.  

Shewit Belay (Nessarose), Robyn Nevin (Madame Morrible)
and Sheridan Adams (Elphaba) Photography: Jeff Busby

The costumes, wigs and hair of the performers on stage are incredibly extravagant. They look great! 

The sets are brilliant, and with the use of state-of-the-art technology and projections, bring each scene to life.

The lighting suitably lights up the action on the stage, with a mix of soft, subdued lighting and flashing, bright lighting used for the various scenes.

All the above when combined make a visual feast for the eyes.

The orchestra provides the wonderful music for Wicked. At times it was loud and buoyant, and at other times it was just in the background so that it did not drown out the voices of the singers. 

Are their meaningful messages to be found in Wicked? If a person looks behind the fun, frivolity and humour of Wicked, there perhaps are. Are people all good or bad, or a combination of both? Should we judge people on their outward appearance? What is beauty? Is it OK to play tricks on people? Is a person born into evil, or do they learn to be evil as they live? Should we be advocates for animal rights? Should we concentrate our energies on our past, present or future? What influence can friends have on our lives? However, I suggest that when you go and see Wicked, don't think too deeply, just sit back and enjoy the musical. 

The stage musical of Wicked is based on the book Wicked written by Gregory Maguire. Last month I found a second-hand copy of the 495 page paperback of Wicked. After seeing this spectacular production of Wicked on stage I might find the time to read the book..... 

Wicked is now on until 31st December at the Sydney Lyric. The theatre is located at 55 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW Australia. Wicked goes for an enjoyable 2 hours 45 minutes, with a 15 minute interval. Seats are selling fast, so don't hesitate to book your seats on your prefered date or you might miss out.

The Australian cast of WICKED

Photographer: Jeff Busby

Wicked

Tickets: 

for matinee and evening performances of can be purchased in person at the theatre box office or online through Ticketmaster.
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Website: https://wickedthemusical.com.au/