Fun Friday Wicked

 

Wicked – west end show London Apollo Victoria


Adapted from Gregory Maguire’s book of the same name


The Wednesday matinee 27th July 2016 starring Emma Hatton as Elphaba and Mark Curry as the Wizard


Turning fantasy into reality since the opening night, 27th September 2006 at the Apollo Victoria


When you think of a stage show you may consider that you have a stage, live actors and an audience, no green screen back drops and nowhere to hide, but this show shows how you can successfully turn a fantasy fiction land and characters into a live action stage show. With well-placed lights, theatrical smoke and hidden stage mechanics.


The songs are bold and require a strong voice and the lead Emma also needs a head for heights especially during the song ‘Defying Gravity’, Emma’s acting and singing throughout was exceptional. as was the rest of the cast. The costumes and makeup were in keeping the original design but with their own added flair to create the dazzling spectacle that is the show.


Wicked is the prequel to the story and film ‘The Wizard of OZ’ where we thought that the Emerald city and the inhabitants were just the result of Dorothy’s dream having been knocked out by the tornado, but Wicked gives history to this world, and follows a girl named Elphaba from her birth until her death, through her childhood, teenage years, questioning good and evil through love and hate, then to her becoming the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ when Dorothy throws water over her and she melts and dies.


Elphaba wasn’t born evil she was just born the colour green and was treated differently. The result being she was thought of as a witch so she took what she was taught to be the person we see in the Wizard of OZ.


We see how the ‘Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion came to be, but with a few changes from book to the show as to who becomes what as in the Tin Man and Nessarose (Elphaba’s sister), her character is slightly different in the book to the character we see on the stage, but somethings can be impossible to make as live. Mostly though the show follows the book really well.


This show is well worth seeing as it, as one of the songs suggests Defies Gravity and Defies reasoning on putting fantasy on a live stage. Another song is called ‘One short day in the Emerald City’ and the show may only be 2 hours 45 minutes long, but you will remember it for a lot longer as being the fantasy spectacular it is.


Thank you for reading


Sandra








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