Manchester Palace Theatre
Prior to the 19th of December, it seemed I was the only theatregoer in the world to have not seen a professional production (or otherwise) of Wicked the Musical. Professionally, the show has seen 65 million people in 130 cities and 16 countries. Yet, it still continuously obtains a dazzling reception from audiences and gets 5 stars across the board.
In case you are unaware, Wicked is a spin-off of the much-beloved tale of “The Wizard of Oz” and describes how the dynamic of “Glinda the Good” and “The Wicked Witch of the West” originated.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are currently storming the screen in part one of Jon M. Chu’s film version of Wicked. Although that film was outstandingly executed (click here for my review), seeing Wicked in the theatre reminded me that there’s nothing more magical than live theatre (although seeing the show performed in English accents threw me off a little!) What’s more, you don’t have to wait a year to discover what happens in the second act!
Laura Pick is once again back on the broom as “Elphaba” after playing the role in London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre. She brings a nonchalant attitude to the role, particularly in “What is this Feeling,” with unexaggerated movements and a dour tone of voice, which perfectly recapitulates Elphaba’s aloof attitudes towards her cruel classmates. Her dry, quick and witty remarks were humorous and marvellously delivered.
In addition, Picks’ rendition of ‘Defying Gravity” was faultless. It is arguably the most recognisable song from the show, causing the audience to perk up the moment Pick sang, “Something has changed within me,” and indeed, we were not disappointed. Despite being sat in the last row of the Grand Circle, Pick’s power when projecting those belty high notes (if you know, you know) punched me in the gut and resulted in a much-deserved soar of clapping and cheers from the audience.
Sarah O’Connor tackles the role of the ethereal and hair-tossing “Glinda, the Good.” Opening the show by floating across the stage on a shimmering silver ring, wand in one hand, and weaving angelic movements with the other, all while being surrounded by a cloud of bubbles and singing opera-style notes, it is ridiculous but funny-ridiculous.
Stephen Schwarz himself (the man who wrote the music and lyrics to Wicked) describes the song “Popular” (Glinda’s main song) as “bubblegum-pop,” and boy, O’Connor is a good choice for that. Her ability to bounce buoyantly and sillily across the stage and still sing in key was impressive, and her shallow naiveness was comedically charming.
I could not review Wicked without crediting the costume designer, Susan Hilferty. The moment Glinda floats down in her sparkly blue dress, you can tell that the costumes were created with such care and precision, and it most definitely paid off—every single one was absolutely stunning, from start to finish. But it’s “One Short Day” where Hilferty’s talent really shines. It reminded me of a mix of “The Hunger Games” and The Met Gala—if they were blanketed by green, of course!
However, while I found aspects of the show engaging, the pacing slightly let it down. Occasionally, in Act One, I felt the narrative unnecessarily lingered too long on one point, which drew out parts of the show and made them feel sluggish instead of propelling the story forward.
On the other hand, the show’s conclusion seemed rushed, and so many events unfolded that it got confusing towards the end. Despite never seeing it, I’m already familiar with the storyline of Wicked. Still, I could blink and easily miss an essential part of the conclusion. Even my sister, who is known to be very intelligent, got lost towards the end (spoiler alert) and was puzzled as to why Fiyero turned into a scarecrow.
One thing I thought was interesting was that the audience seemed to gradually “settle in” with the characters and became more engaged as the show progressed. Initially, the comedic moments, like “It’s good to see me, isn’t it?” landed with silence. Still, the laughs and giggles grew louder after each joke, as did the claps and cheers after each song.
By Act Two, I felt the atmosphere shift entirely as the audience became more invested and captivated by the story. Spoiler alert “As Long As You’re Mine,” a song in which Elphaba and Fiyero (Carl Man) declare their love for one another, received enthusiastic cheers as Elphaba ends the song by stating, “For the first time, I feel wicked,” and the children on school trips giggled when Elphaba and Fiyero kissed.
“Wicked” is almost sold out, but as I’m writing this, a limited number of tickets are still available for performances on the 9th and 12th of January. Whether you’re on Team Pink or Team Green, be prepared to leave the theatre with a fresh perspective on the enchanting “Wicked” Witch of the West.
To book tickets, click here.
As always, have a lovely day!
