Mayflower, Southampton – until October 27 2018
Reviewed By Jo Gordon
5*****
Fifteen years after its first Broadway premiere and twelve since its first UK show, Wicked is still one of the most popular musicals running in history. Based on Gregory Maguire’s Novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ who took inspiration from L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ we see the truth behind the green hued woman’s life before, during and after the timeline of the original Oz story.
The Friendship of Elphaba (Amy Ross) and Glinda (Helen Woolf) is an unlikely one, but they do say opposites attract and a strong beautiful friendship blossoms despite the obvious differences. Throughout the story we see how Elphaba begins as a rather lovely soul and it is the actions of others who turn her into the “Wicked Witch” we are more used to hearing about. From fighting the injustice of animal inequality, the Dictatorship of Oz’s leader “The Wizard” (Steven Pinder) and the untruths used by his media spin doctor Madame Morrible (Kim Ismay) to keep the masses under control there is lots to keep you hooked.
The cast is one of the strongest I have seen in this production, and would go far as to say that Amy Ross’s rendition of the crowd pleasing “Defying Gravity” is the best portrayal I have witnessed and her talent carries throughout to the same standard. Helen Woolf’s Glinda is equally as good with perfect comic timing and beautiful voice. To play two very different characters must be difficult but Steven Pinder effortlessly slides between the Wizard and Dr.Dillamond and Kim Ismays’s Madame Morrible is a force to be reckoned with and again, one of the best versions of the character I have seen.
If you took a big bubbling cauldron and added a touch of song, some breathtaking costumes and a pinch magic you would get Wicked. A perfect show to keep the Munchkins happy over half term .