As a long-time lover of The Wizard of Oz and also fairly recently introduced to the work of musical theatre 'IT' girl, Idina Menzel, I was naturally eager to see Wicked when I heard it was coming to London. I can categorically state the I was not disappointed in my decision - so much so that after going to see it at the beginning of October, I am now booked to see it again next month. I wouldn't normally be quite this frivolous, but given that Idina Menzel will not be playing the lead after January 2007, I didn't feel I had much of a choice!
Wicked is based on the book 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire. Written in 1990, it tells the story of the aforementioned Wicked Witch when she was a child, and just how she became the evil character we all know from L. Frank Baum's novel. The basic theme of the book and show then is that no-one is born wicked, but that circumstances thrust wickedness upon them and that history is always written by the winners.
The Experience
The show is on at the Apollo Victoria, which is just across the road from Victoria station. This is the theatre that had Starlight Express skating around its innards for 18 years, so it has been totally revamped and refurbished for this production. Given that we're talking about Oz and the Emerald City, it's been done out in a lot of green. This is not so bad as it is really tied in well to the art-deco feel of the theatre and is not over the top. When I got there the lobby was crowded so it was difficult to see, but you could get a good impression.
There was a good range of merchandise on sale here including programme, books, CDs, t-shirts, jewellery, mugs etc. Most of it was priced as you'd expect, but if you were thinking of buying the book or CD, get them on the internet as they are half the price. The programme was quite good value for money, with lots of info on the cast and creative teams and loads of pictures.
The Show
The show itself was amazing from the very start. On entering the auditorium the set was instantly memorable, with the mechanical Time Dragon dominating the view at the top of the stage. The safety curtain carried a map of Oz, which glowed green. Keeping with the green and mechanical themes, the set was made up of an array of cogs and mechanical parts and mostly lit in green. Once the show started the effects were also amazing, with mist, rain, lightening, smoke and so much that you can hardly take it all in.
The show started with the people of Oz rejoicing at the death of the Wicked Witch of the West (singing No-one Mourns the Wicked) and Glinda the Good Witch (Helen Dallimore) confirming that she was indeed dead. But wait! One of the Ozians claims that Glinda knew the Wicked Witch (Elphaba - played by Idina Menzel). Glinda has to explain that this is partly true and so we leap back in time to Elphaba's unfortunate birth, as she is…green! Leap forward a few years and Elphaba and her sister Nessarose (Katie Rowley Jones) are starting university at Shiz and who should be assigned the same room as ghastly, green Elphaba? Glinda, of course.
The two detest each other, (singing What is this Feeling), but come, eventually to be friends when Glinda offers to help Elphaba make the most of herself (singing Popular). Throw into this mix the arrival of Fiyero (Adam Garcia) a rich, layabout playboy who both girls fall in love with, but who Glinda snares first and Boq (James Gillan), the object of Nessarose's affection and the cast is nearly complete.
We can't, of course, forget the famed Wizard of Oz (Nigel Planer) who is revealed to be not quite the man the Ozians think he is and responsible for some pretty shady goings on in Oz. Elphaba is the only one who sees through him, and so this is the start of her 'wickedness' (she sings Defying Gravity - the show's signature number).
This is about all I can tell you without ruining things really, but the plot of the show is slightly convoluted, but not frustratingly so.
The musical numbers (written by Stephen Schwartz) are quite memorable and it's easy to be humming the most popular ones as you leave the theatre. The cast are superb (as I'll detail shortly) and the effects, set, sound and lighting really make this show a spectacle.
The Cast
Idina Menzel as Elphaba Idina Menzel is a legend in musical theatre, having played Maureen in the original cast of Rent, and again in the movie version. She is more popular in the US than over here, but she really has to be seen (or heard) to be believed. Her voice is so, so powerful and she is also a very talented actress, conveying the difficult emotions of this show really genuinely. She is also covered in green make-up so extra points for her stamina. Menzel won a Tony award for this role on Broadway which was well deserved.
Helen Dallimore as Glinda This is Helen's first role in the West End and she carries it off well. Her voice is excellent and she manages to make Glinda a quirky, girly character and pulls it off well. It's not fair to compare her to Idina, as the roles are quite different and challenging in their own ways.
Adam Garcia as Fiyero What can I say about the gorgeous Adam Garcia? Adam is not particularly well known outside of musical theatre, but he was Kevin O'Donnell in Coyote Ugly and has done some UK TV recently. He is better known for originating the role of Tony Manero in the stage version of Saturday Night Fever. I last saw him in the English National Opera's production of On The Town in which he was brilliant and he is equally brilliant as Fiyero. At points though you can tell that dancing is his primary trade and his singing voice does let him down a little. Having said this, he can do no wrong for me 'cos he's lovely!
Nigel Planer as The Wizard Nigel Planer makes a surprisingly good wizard. He handles the singing and dancing in the role well and revels in the wizard's nasty streak. Not the most obvious choice for this role, but very good nonetheless.
The rest of the cast are also remarkable, and the chorus cannot be praised highly enough for their tireless energy, quick changes and brilliant dance numbers.
I could go on and on about this show, but I won't, as I think anyone with an interest in musical theatre should see it for themselves. The show has recently been extended, so is now booking, I think until mid-2007. Idina Menzel is definitely NOT continuing as Elphaba past the end of December 2006, so if you want to go see her as Elphaba, potentially for the last time then you need to book NOW and it's likely that you'll have to pay full price for the tickets as everyone wants to see her!
Tickets are available direct from the Apollo Victoria, or from Ticketmaster, or See Tickets priced from £35.00 (+ booking fee) to £55.00 (+ booking fee).
If you don't get a chance to see Wicked with Idina Menzel in, then there's also the Broadway cast recording on sale, featuring Idina, Kristin Chenoweth, Norbert Leo Butz and Joel Grey and that's available from around £9.99 from most retailers on and off the internet.
Additional: WOW! I went to the show again this weekend and had the best day. Seats were really great and we hung around until the evening performance and I got my programme signed by the whole main cast (except Nigel Planer, who is supposedly difficult to get) including the wonderful and lovely Idina Menzel. Very happy and I can again only recommend this show to all!!!
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