Wickedly enchanted
CHILDHOOD memories of a story long since past recreated. Such is the power of Wicked.
There are no surprises that the show’s 10th anniversary opening night in Melbourne recently received a standing ovation.
When you watched The Wizard of Oz as a child, never once would you have thought that 75 years later, it would be tinkered in a way you’d never think would be as good as the original. If not better.
Telling the untold stories of the witches of Oz, Wicked is a harmonic, powerful and mesmerising portrayal of Glinda the good witch and Elphaba the wicked witch of the west through their younger years, which reveals the root of the wicked witches’ wickedness.
The globetrotting, internationally-acclaimed and multi-award winning stage production is obviously set in the mythical Land of Oz with all the protagonists from the original appearing in any way possible.
It’s quite impressive to see how seamlessly the stage production some seven decades later ties in with the original plot of the all time classic.
In a land where houses flew, witches cast spells and monkeys sprouted wings, the show’s composer, Stephen Schwartz, was restricted by very little in the way the story could have been adapted.
The soaring voices of Jemma Rix as the wicked witch and Lucy Durack as Glinda combined with comical timing and quick one-liners made for a thoroughly enchanting performance that showed a lot of heart.
With songs in keys that could only be described as spine-tingling, Rix belted out the show’s signature song Defying Gravity with conviction and passion while suspended a good few metres above the stage and awe-inspired crowd of the Regent Theatre.
Both as commanding on stage as each other, Rix and Durack steered the show to success, making full use of the stage that was expertly used to carry the tale to a far away land.
Wicked is expected to run for 18 weeks in Melbourne before playing in Sydney from September 20 at the Capitol Theatre and in Brisbane at QPAC from February 15 next year.
Full details + tickets: wickedthemusical.com.au
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