Wicked
Apollo Victoria
*****
‘Tis very strange Men should be so fond of being
thought wickeder than they are.’ - Daniel Defoe.
Everyone knows
Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz in its many forms. Judy
Garland’s historic rendition of 'Over The Rainbow' and Disney’s
'Return To Oz' mean that ruby-red slippers have become a staple of modern
fantasy literature. Gregory Maguire’s novel however, focuses on
the story of the Wicked Witch of the West.
‘Are
people born wicked or do they have wickedness forced upon them…’
– Glinda.
This musical, based on the book, follows the life of
Elphalba; a girl born green due to her mother’s heavy drinking.
She is a strong, complicated girl just like any other but she’s
also abnormally and magically gifted. Once arriving at school she tells
of her hopes to meet the Wizard of Oz. When she gets this wish however,
it will turn her life upside down.
‘This
weird quirk I’ve tried to suppress and hide is a talent which
could help me meet the Wizard.’ - Elphalba.
It takes a very
special woman to play the part of Elphalba. Her huge notes and resounding
voice must fill the auditorium and blow away the cobwebs in musical
theatre’s bedroom. No one was made for this role more than the
stunning Idina Menzel. More vocally inspiring on stage than on the soundtrack
she lives her part with unshakeable joy and her enormous talent glows.
The unsung heroes of this show however were the chorus; brilliant singers
and dancers, good actors also. They definitely carried the leads on
their shoulders.
Much of the set
for Wicked! is living, almost touchable; classrooms, theatres,
giant talking heads, flying monkeys, castles, lairs, streets, forests
and gardens. Yet the crowning glory is seeing Glinda and Elphalba move
through the air, above the audience, ‘defying gravity’ in
the true sense of the words, whether on a broomstick or in a flying
bubble.
‘I’m
through accepting limits just cause someone says they’re so.’
– Elphalba.
The play is so
glittering and shining with the glow of green and the underlying literal
currents which are rare in modern arts: feminine creativity in a matriarchal
society. Although Stephen Schwartz (composer) has never won a Tony,
Wicked garnered two Grammy awards. The score is almost too good
for a musical; many of the songs have all the right ingredients of a
pop hit, 'Defying Gravity' and 'As Long As You’re Mine' are two
great ones. Other pieces such as 'The Wizard And I' and 'No One Mourns
The Wicked' use wordplay and deeply emotive orchestral suites to define
this show as something new and very special.
Wicked
is a different breed of musical; adapted not from a film but a novel.
It pulls in all the pieces, from stage design to musical direction for
a truly special production. Everyone should watch it at least once.
We need a West-End full of shows with as much intelligence and attitude.
Hopefully they’ll have just as much breathtaking talent and powerful
scores.
By Elizabeth Amisu
Wicked
****
Most
people that know me find it hard to reconcile my innate coolness with
the fact I could enjoy a musical. Let’s face it – there
is nothing cool about a musical. No, net even Tommy, not Rocky
Horror, they’re musicals for chrissake. As the chorus of
Wicked take to the stage for the opening number I feel the
cool part of me squirming under my skin. Their over articulated facials,
that ‘we’re gonna win you over, you bastards!’ delivery,
and those diaphragms visibly punching away under their ribcages: I gotta
leave, this is not my scene; this is just embarrassing. Then someone
hits one of those over-trained power notes and I feel myself relaxing,
accepting that half of what runs through my veins may be black blood,
but twined with that is a current of pure sap.
It helps that the
set was gorgeous, like something Dave McKean might have fleshed out:
all antique mechanics, twisting vines and a great big Dragon presiding
overhead. It helps that the show started off with flying monkeys. Flying
monkeys, at least, are inarguably cool. And honestly, if you’re
at all inclined Wicked won’t take long to win you over.
The opening number “No One Mourns the Wicked” is a bit muddy
compositionally but there’s no doubt this chorus have the balls
they need: Strong vocals, a palpable unity and the ability to move as
one organism. They are helped out by Susan Hilferty’s spectacular
costumes - Philip Treacy style hats and Matthew Barney-ish historically
promiscuous outfits. The initial movement from the framing storey of
Elphaba’s (The Wicked Witch of the West) demise as it moves into
her youth is a bit clunky but once you get to Glinda & Elfie’s
school days the first act rolls like the tides.
The audience reaction
as Elphaba dashes on stage indicates Idina Menzel’s reputation
precedes her. With. Good. Cause. When this lady is on stage solo you
still feel an army behind her. Though my charming date found her pronounced
American accent jarring in context, there’s nothing worse than
a whole cast trying to do the same accent with varying levels of success
(as Sophia Coppola will back me up on). The girl can sing, she can inhabit
her characters amphibious skin; she may not do much in the way of dancing
but who cares – there’s flying monkeys for that.
Her golden nemesis Glinda (Good Witch of the North) was played by the
understudy Annalene Beechey and I couldn’t be gladder. She had
the perfect brittle congeniality, endearing narcissism and self conscious
poise to make Glinda both lovable and slapable. Though the girls first
moments of friendship are a bit incredulous, Glinda and Elphaba had
a prickly but indebted connection that gave heart to the show.
Adam Garcia as Fiyero ‘the love interest’ helps things out
by looking a bit like Robert Downey Jr. and appearing to have come on
stage drunk for his first number. These can only be good things. However
‘Dancing through life’ brings your attention to a criticism
I’d heard of the show before viewing it: the music. This song
is decidedly weak, but Garcia’s steps are watchable if precarious,
and the chorus really ripples off his movements.
Overall the songs are not
defined enough to be whistled on the way home. ‘The Wizard and
I’ is the first number that stands out, thanks largely to Menzel’s
delivery. The show does though successfully produce some nice refrains,
especially the title line from “I’m Not That Girl.”
And when it comes to Elphaba’s ascent at the end of Act One, “Defying
Gravity”, whether it was the song, the belting voice or the special
effects the entire moment is blistering.
Wicked loses some
of it’s raw punkiness and energy in the second half, focusing
too much on downward emotional spirals and clicking all the pieces of
the story in to place. Glinda does a very touching job with “Thank
Goodness” making you feel like her stiff upper lip is where a
lot of the show’s real tragedy lies. Nessarose, Elphaba’s
crippled sister is a strong focus in the early stages, involved in a
nice set piece I probably should have seen coming from her first scene.
Katie Rowley Jones is gorgeous and able to act a convincing character
arc. Her swain, the munchkin Boq (Jye Frasca, another understudied role)
also does a cute job in his part and gets to briefly showcase his glorious
voice.
Like Dorothy I found the Wizard less than impressive and “Wonderful”
seemed like a rip off of Chicago’s ‘Mr Cellophane’.
I found him limp and the last minute revelation of his significance
to Elphaba was unnecessary and didn’t add any pathos for me. In
general the way Wicked completely engulfs The Wizard of
Oz felt like a bit like forced puzzle pieces. A couple of loose
ends might have been more satisfying, rather than refusing to let The
Wizard of Oz have any life of its own. The Cowardly Lion bit was
quite cute though.
I also would have liked Elphaba to show an authentically wicked side,
as opposed to the criminally misunderstood idealist she seemed. Her
‘screw you lot’ moment “No Good Deed” comes
very late in the act, and the repercussions only seem to manifest themselves
in her being a bit of a bitch to Dorothy. She had good cause to be not
merely lean and green, but really bloody mean, and would have been easier
to relate to as such.
Second act gripes
aside, Wicked was a brilliant night out. The final star of the night
would have to be the machinations of Eugene Lee’s set. The transitions
and effects were seamless and gorgeous, but so consistent they managed
not to upstage the performers. Magic Bubbles, Monkey Cages, Tornados
and lonely rain showers will stay in your mind, along with the actor’s
faces. Wicked achieves the highest and corniest of all musical aspirations:
it makes magic and dreams seem possible. And the fact that I have just
typed that means no one I know can ever read this. So stranger, if you’ve
read this far you are probably cursed with the uncoolest gene of them
all, the one that can enjoy a good musical, so go along. If not, avoid
at all costs, because there is no such thing as a musical that can turn
the unbelievers. Though who is to say which one of us is the more fortunate?
By Sid Walls
