Went to see Wicked at the Leeds Grand last night with my daughter G and A, S & L. Having never been to see this musical before, but lots of friends had told me it was fantastic, I was really looking forward to the performance.
Wicked has won 90 international awards and has been casting its magical spell over audiences across the world for a decade, continuing to break records at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it is already the 15th longest musical of all time.
In a brilliantly witty re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students and their extraordinary adventures in Oz that will see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good White Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Packed with thrilling technical wizardry, show-stopping songs (by Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz) and stunning costumes, Wicked is an unforgettable experience for audiences of all ages.
Nikki Davis-Jones was fabulous as Elphaba, she took the audience empathetically along with her on her emotional journey and stunned us all with her amazing vocals. Emily Tierney was Glinda, the slightly ditzy but 'good' witch with an ulterior motive, played by Tierney as an excellent cross between a bubbly Kylie Minogue and a calculating Nicole Kidman. Liam Doyle played Fiyero, the slightly dim but handsome object of both their affections, ably supported by a wonderful cast of fabulous dancers and singers.
Marilyn Cutts played the baddie Madam Morrible with gusto, as did Dale Rapley in his role as the Wizard and George Ure as Boq was sweet and sympathetic, even when you suspected he was being too accommodating to Elphaba's younger disabled sister Nessarose, played by Carina Gillespie.
The spectacle and the costumes made for a wonderful show, despite it having to stop mid-way through the second half due to technical difficulties and it was wonderful when favourite characters the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow made an appearance and Elphaba made little asides such as 'Who steals a dead woman's shoes?' and 'Well, there's no place like home' but for me, it is the songs that made it.
A magic performance that defies gravity. 10/10
#Wicked #LeedsGrandTheatre
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