Wicked

Published: 14th June 2014

After having wanted to see Wicked for a very long time, In Christmas 2013 I finally took the plunge and spent £150 on two tickets for my partner and I.  On Wednesday 11th June 2014 the day finally came around for us to see the show on what would turn out to be the official opening night of the tour.  The show had played the previous night, so we had no idea to expect it.  On rocking up outside the Leeds Grand Theatre together having both come straight from work we looked somewhat under dressed for the occasion.  We watched for a moment as cast members of Emmerdale Farm had their pictures taken no more than five feet from us.

We headed inside up the green carpet (fitting for the occasion) and eventually finding our seats on the fourth row from the stage; I was immediately impressed by the curtain which was in the style of a giant map of Oz with green lighting projected onto it from behind the curtain to make the Emerald City appear as though it was shining.

Above us was a giant clock work dragon and much of the trimmings for the set looked like clockwork parts.  Later we would hear them mention the The Clock of the Time Dragon which was our portal into the story.

As the story unfolded, it became quickly apparent that it made a very strong statement on the emotional and social cost of prejudice.  Many of the characters are horrified by the appearance of Elphaba Thropp, the future Wicked Witch of the West.  Her class mates immediately assume she is someone to be feared and hated merely on the colour of her skin and her less than appealing features.  Elphaba is not the only character to be subject to prejudice as a crucial plot point is that of the plight of the talking animals of Oz; Doctor Dillamond, a history professor at the school in act one is driven out of his position, not because of his ability, but because he was an animal and there was a movement to prevent animals from occupying intellectual positions. Essentially this was a start of a new apartheid in Oz which Elphaba opposes, despite the social and personal cost.

Another moral point I felt was well told in the story was that perception and truth can be entirely different things.  Glinda The Good for the most part of the story is not actually good, but is perceived as such due to her popularity and striking good looks. Glinda actually starts out the story as a vain and petty young lady who is actively cruel on a number of occasions as she tries to get what she wants.  Elphaba on the other hand is genuinely kind hearted though some of this is lost in the way that she has little patience for those who dislike her.  She stands up for the animals in their plight: for Doctor Dillamond as he is dragged out of the school and for the cowardly lion who she frees from his cage when he is just a cub.

The show doesn’t just show the darker sides of human morality, it also shows the lighter sides.  Both Elphaba and Fiyero perform amazing acts of courage and bravery despite the large personal cost to themselves.  Elphaba displays it in the way that she stands up for the rights of animals and in the way she ultimately gives up her own identity to enable Glinda to be truly Glinda the Good. Fiyero displays it when he stands against his colleagues to save Elphaba despite knowing that it could cost him everything.

The cast, both leads and ensembles, gave an amazing and passionate performance, but I would like to shout out about a few members who really stood out to me:

Nikki Davis-Jones owned the stage as Elphaba during her performances of “The Wizard and I”, “I’m not that girl”, “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” and “Defying Gravity”.  The later was made even more amazing as she was risen into the air with her long black cloak flapping behind her.

Liam Doyle performance as Fiyero in “Dancing Through Life” was amazing and his skill as a dancer shone through as he moved around the stage and took ownership of it.

There was one member of the ensemble whose facial and bodily expressions really shined through.  His expression really made the atmosphere of the song hit me when he was down at the front of the stage.  It’s hard to identify someone when they are not one of the main listed characters, but some clicking around the website has me thinking it was Robert Kershaw.

At the end of the show, the entire audience stood and gave a very well deserved standing ovation as the entire cast, crew and orchestra had been nothing short of exceptional in their performances.  Both my partner and I enjoyed the show and left wanting to see it all over again.  The journey home also included a mandatory play of the album (and sing-a-long).