Review: Wicked

As published in yesterday's Sun Herald.

Wicked
Capitol Theatre
Until 22 November
Tickets $95.90-129.90
Bookings 1300 723 038
Critic’s Rating 8/10


Believe or not, there was life in the Land of Oz before Dorothy and Toto crash-landed, uninvited, and squashed the poor Wicked Witch of the East, stealing her lovely red shoes and running off down the yellow brick road.

In Wicked, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, we return to the college days of room-mates Elphaba (Amanda Harrison) and Glinda (Lucy Durack).

Elphaba, born with a green colour disfigurement, has been shunned her whole life by her cruel father, the Governor of Munchkinland, in favour of her wheel-chair bound sister Nessarose (Penny McNamee).

Glinda, on the other hand, in her perky little way, can’t seem to put a foot wrong and trots around the campus gaining a reputation for being just "so good".

In the spirit of Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead - the play that turned Shakespeare’s Hamlet on its head by spinning around the perspective of the main characters - Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, makes Dorothy and Toto a mere side story.

The real drama is how Glinda and Elphaba turned into the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West in a world that’s part Harry Potter part Witches of Eastwick.

It’s a beautifully tragic take on the old story with finely realised female leads that could explain Wicked’s mass appeal to young women around the world. Indeed, it is a musical strongest for the storyline and the stunning story-book imagery created by the fantastic set design, rather than the music, which only rarely gets beyond the appeal of a television score.

Durack is delightfully hilarious as she flutters around the stage, delivering one-liners like spells from a wand. But Harrison, like a lot of the ensemble, seemed to be keeping something in reserve, holding back on the big numbers for what could be an extensive Sydney season.

Durack and Harrison are supported by a solid ensemble of principles including the excellent James Smith, the wonderfully smoky Maggie Kirkpatrick and Bert Newtown as the Wizard who is only a cigar short of being the image of Winston Churchill. Highly recommended.


*The Sun-Herald reviewed a preview performance of this Sydney season.