Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Currently booking until September 2008
Wicked begins where the classic Wizard of Oz left off and tells the story of the two witches, the green ‘wicked’ witch Elphaba and her ‘good’ counterpart Glinda.
It is a spectacular musical that really embraces all aspects of the fantasy land of Oz. With award winning sets and costumes and impressive special effects, Joe Mantello’s production takes us on a fairytale journey that is not often experienced on the West End stage. With an expert team around him, including composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the result is a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle of song, laughs, magic and madness.
There are some serious moral elements to this production but the emphasis is definitely on pleasurable escapism. Wicked could even become a cult production like The Rocky Horror because of its’ eccentricity and fantastical indulgence.
With a cast of nearly 40, Wayne Cilento’s excellent choreography deserves a mention. But highest praise goes to Kerry Ellis and Dianne Pilkington who developed such a profound on stage relationship between Elphaba and Glinda. And some of the singing, particularly on some of Schwartz’s more powerful ballards, really filled the Apollo Theatre.
I came away from Wicked wanting to see it again. And guess what? I did.
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