Elphaba Hits The Right Notes
Wicked
Sunderland Empire
Until Saturday
29th September 2018
Was the Wicked Witch of the
West really wicked, or was she the innocent victim of a corrupt regime?
Wicked
is a cultural phenomenon. A legion of, often young, fans adore the show.
Indeed, the one phrase I heard repeatedly as we left was "I need to see it
again, lets get tickets." This production is making its final visit to the
North East as it appears in Sunderland until the end of September. A number of
performances have very few tickets left and based upon this show it is easy to
see why.
So what is the fuss about? Remember The Wizard of
Oz? Well have you wondered about the back story of the good witch and that one
with the green face? Wicked explains what was happening in Oz before Dorothy
dropped in and skipped along the yellow brick road.
In the beginning, the Governor (Howard Ellis) and
his wife (Sara Morley) have a baby. The celebrations are quickly subdued when
the child, Elphaba (Amy Ross) turns out to be green from head to toe. Later
they have another child, Nessarose (Emily Shaw) who has the same skin colour as
the parents but is wheelchair bound. The two daughters start Shiz University
together. Except that, in her father’s eyes, Elphaba's primary role is to care
for her sister.
When they start uni they meet Glinda (Helen Woolf),
the all popular alpha female who always gets her own way. By a quirk of fate
Elphaba and Glinda end up as room mates and so the rivalry begins. This
is not helped by Elphaba getting private tuition on sorcery from Madame
Morrible (Kim Ismay) at the expense of Glinda. Both girls hope to
eventually meet up with the wizard (Steven Pinder) but a lot of obstacles are
in their way – especially if you’re green.
The magical experience begins
when you arrive in the auditorium. A huge Dragon above the arch is spread
across the width of the stage staring down on the audience below. This is part
of a fabulous set design from Eugene Lee (set) and Susan Hilferty (costumes). The
show has a feel of the ‘west end in the North East’. Added to this is a nice
steampunk feel which fits in well with the story. This is especially so when the wizard appears at Emerald City. The special effects are nice too and they add
rather than detract from the action.
Glamour aside, it is the
casting that sets this production of Wicked apart. Helen Woolf’s Glinda is suitably
self absorbed and egocentric at the start. Amy Ross’s Elphaba warms the audience
from the start. There is a great chemistry on stage between the cast members.
The songs by Stephen Schwartz
help glue the action together. Amy Ross gets an opportunity to shine starting
with a great ‘I want’ song The Wizard and
I and then closes the first act by hitting great heights with Defying Gravity. Helen Woolf duets with
Amy and their voices combine well. The
singing is accompanied by a large live orchestra, under Musical Director Dave
Rose, who added vitality to the proceedings.
The pace was even, so we could
follow the story by Winnie Holzman, based upon Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The life and times of the Wicked Witch
of the West. Director Joe Mantello creates a delightful musical tale. The choreography from the talented ensemble adds
to the feel of the action. The sound design from Tony Meola ensured that there
were no problems hearing what was going on.
The fans were loving it. A
young girl squealed 'its Elphaba' behind me as the green one appeared for her
first day at school. Indeed it was a standing ovation at the end of the 2 hour
45 minute show. It is easy to see why 55 million people around the word have
seen the show. It is charming and entertaining.
As we left there was one topic
of conversation. We were surprised that we loved it so much and, yes, it is the
best musical that we’ve seen in the North East so far this year.
Review by Stephen Oliver.
Photos: Matt Crockett
On The Web:
Twitter: @WickedUK
Facebook: /WickedUK
Instagram: @WickedUK
Tickets
Some seats are still available from Monday – Wednesday performances.
Check for returns, single seats and standing tickets for weekend performances.
Tickets from £17.50.
Tickets available in person
at the Box Office on High Street West, from the Ticket Centre on 0844 871
3022* or online from our affiliate ATG Tickets at http://bit.ly/sundWICKED *
*Calls cost 7p per minute
plus your plus your phone company's access charge. Booking and transaction fees
may apply.
Group Bookings: 08448717655
Calls cost 7p per minute,
plus your phone company's access charge.
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