How Wicked Was Wicked - The Musical?!

Sorry, I could not resist the whole wicked punchline in this review of the musical Wicked, the prequel of the Wizard of Oz. While Judy Garland's performance as Dorothy in the 1939 film adaptation will never be forgotten, the musical Wicked tells the very different story of the Wicked Witch of the West and her literal good friend G(a)linda the Good. 

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the adult version of Oz country was made into a musical full of wonderful tunes and dripping with sarcasm. Running since 2003, it is without doubt one of the most entertaining evenings out I have had in quite a while. 

We managed to snatch up some £35-tickets on the day. The seats in the Apollo Victoria Theatre were not bad at all, considering. Sitting right in the middle of the theatre, we had full view of the stage. Definitely worth it.

My initial disappointment at the fact that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth did not think it necessary to hop on a plane to London, so that I could see them perform, was almost immediately blown away by the wave of sounds emanating from Rachel Tucker and Gina Beck. Those girls can sing! While one could tell the slight difference between Gina Beck and Kristin Chenoweth - which was not a huge task, since Kristin's voice is so distinct - I really had a hard time hearing any difference between Menzel and Tucker's renditions of "Defying Gravity" - in my opinion one of the best songs ever written. 

Going into the second part after intermission, I was doubtful the songs and the story could keep up with the absolute climax of Elphie flying up into the Western sky, after she is through accepting limits. Seeing "Defying Gravity" performed on stage like that made me high. Not kidding. But, that being said, I found still myself immensely enjoying the second part of the musical.

Foto by WLPL

    
What I love about Wicked is its rewriting of Oz in a highly politicised way. I like how Maguire makes it all about discrimination and animal rights and thereby gives Oz a depth it was lacking as a mere children's story. If you like, it makes the story more 3D.

As musicals go, Wicked has everything you need to have an enjoyable evening. Whether that is the laughs following G-aaa-linda's constant and utterly useless invention of words, touching scenes of friendship, which made my seat neighbour cry (and not just silent sniffling, full on howling), or the ear candy, Wicked has it all.