Ever seen or read "The (wonderful) Wizard of Oz"? Ever wanted to know why the Wicked Witch is green and wicked? Ever wondered why the Tin Man is the way he is? What the secret of the ruby shoes is? Go and buy tickets for "WICKED - The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz"…... and spend an unforgettable evening.
~~~~~~~~~~ THE VENUE ~~~~~~~~~~
The stunning art-deco "Apollo Victoria Theatre" is the perfect gateway to Emerald City and the Land of Oz. It is just a stone's throw away from Victoria station and easy to reach via tube, train and bus. In preparation for the smash hit "Wicked" a lot of restoration work has taken place, and the "Apollo Victoria" is getting back to it's old glory. It's a magnificent theatre with a capacity of more than 2300 seats.
~~~~~~~~~~ A SHORT HISTORY OF "WICKED" ~~~~~~~~~~
Gregory Maguire, author of the 1995 novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West", set out to tell the story of Elphaba, the ugly green, mysterious, but terribly misunderstood witch that desperately wants to get the ruby shoes that had belonged to her sister.
Maguire told the story of the time before Dorothy arrived in Oz, the story of all that's been left out in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".
Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist, and writer Winnie Holzman adapted the novel for stage, and it has been a massive hit on Broadway. The "Apollo Victoria" is proud to have the show in London, and since its opening night on 27th September 2006 it has proven to be a huge success.
~~~~~~~~~~ "WICKED" - The Story ~~~~~~~~~~
The Wicked Witch is dead - everybody in Oz is happy again………..but why did she die……..and how? Well, we need to start at the opposite end of life…..
A girl is born into the world of Oz, a girl that has an infamous father - and the girl is green. Her name is Elphaba. She grows up, misunderstood and ridiculed by children and family. With her wheelchair bound shy sister Nessarose she goes to school, and soon her magical powers are discovered. Madame Morrible, teacher of the magicians, is more than keen on introducing Elphaba to the Wizard of Oz…. and Elphaba is thrilled and sees her dream come true…
She meets Glinda, a beautiful blonde girl, and shares a room with her. The girls don't like each other at first, but soon become friends depite their opposite characters and appearance. Glinda "falls in love" with the handsome Fiyaro, Elphaba discovers that her teacher (a goat!!!) Doctor Dillamond suddenly can't speak anymore…strange things happen - and Elphaba needs the help of the Wizard of Oz…… So the story unfolds…
I don't want to tell more at this point, only so much: Mysteries are revealed, monkeys start flying, and Elphaba becomes more and more wicked……
~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT I THOUGHT OF IT ~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as I knew that "Wicked" would come to London, I urged my boyfriend to buy tickets. And I wanted the best tickets available, in the stalls in one of the front rows. So we bought tickets for the show at £ 47,- each, already in the beginning of September…
"Wicked" is one of the most spectacular musicals I've ever seen in London, perhaps THE most spectacular show I've seen.
The stage settings are amazing, magical and breathtaking. The green "wicked" lighting, mysterious mists, witches flying, monkeys crawling up and down the stage, wonderful costumes, brilliant sound - this all makes "Wicked" truly spectacular. From the moment the curtain opened I felt like in another world….. THIS IS OZ… only a bit darker than the "Oz" of Dorothy.
The songs are very, very catchy - 21 altogether, from the opening song "No One Mourns the Wicked" to the beautiful Elphaba solos "I'm not that girl" and "No good deed", brilliantly composed and written. The incredibly powerful voice of Idina Menzel (Elphaba) made shivers crawl up and down my spine. The musical score and the songs underline a story of appearances and deceiving.
The cast is magically brilliant. Each and every actor lives up in his role, the chorus and dancers bring Oz to life on stage, and with every passing minute I wished the show would never end…
~~~~~~~~~~ CAST AND CREW ~~~~~~~~~~
(source: program for "Wicked")
Cast:
Idina Menzel (Elphaba)
(Tony Award for "Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical" for her performance in "Wicked", Tony Nominations for "Maureen" in the musical "Rent")
Helen Dallimore (Glinda) Adam Garcia (Fiyero) Miriam Margolyes (Madame Morrible) Nigel Planer (The Wizard) Martin Ball (Doctor Dillamond), James Gillan (Boq), Katie Rowley Jones (Nessarose)
Note that the actress Kerry Ellis will play the role of Elphaba from January 2007 on. Annalene Beechey is standby for Glinda.
Crew:
Stephen Schwartz (Music & Lyrics) - Stephen collaborated in many Disney and DreamWorks productions, such as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" or "The Prince of Egypt". His theatre work includes "Godspell", "The Magic World", "Rags" and "Children of Eden").
Winnie Holzman (Book) - Winnie received a Tony Nomination for "Wicked". She also received an Emmy Nomination and a WGA Award Nomination. She lives in Los Angeles.
Joe Mantello (Director) - His directing credits include "Three Days of Rain", "Assassins" (Tony Award), "Take me out" (Tony Award), "Dead Men Walking" and "The Vagina Monologues". He also appeared as an actor and got a Tony Nomination for his appearance in "Angels in America".
Wayne Cilento (Musical Staging), Eugene Lee (Scenic Designer), Susan Hilferty (Costume Designer), Kenneth Posner (Lighting Designer), Tony Meola (Sound Designer), Pippa Ailion (Casting Director), Richard Bullimore (Production Manager), Stephen Burnett (Stage Manager), Michael McCabe (Executive Producer), William David Brohn (Orchestrations), Stephen Oremus (Music Supervisor)
The show runs for 2 hours 50 minutes with one 20 minutes interval.
~~~~~~~~~~ TICKET PRICES ~~~~~~~~~~
(source: www.londontheatredirect.com)
Full ticket prices: £62.50 (stalls), £50, £40, £30.00 (dress circle)
~~~~~~~~~~ CONCLUSION ~~~~~~~~~~
"Wicked" is already a big hit in the few weeks after its premiere. If you love a truly magical show and know the story of "The Wizard of Oz", I recommend the show from the very bottom of my heart.
The lead actors are brilliant, the music is fantastic, the setting magnificent - you will experience a show you will not forget for a long time….. and that is really WICKED!!!!!
Ronny
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