Wicked!

The Wicked shall prosper :(from top left, anti-clockwise) The sign that greets you on the way out; the green daiquiri sold in the theatre, cleverly named the Ozmopolitan; the beautifully designed set)

Last Christmas, my brother was away in Malaysia, but he had left some Christmas gifts around the house for me to open. The first was a pack of Magic (tm) cards, a new craze which he has rediscovered, and which our household plays regularly nowadays. But in the Christmas card that accompanied the gift, he actually wrote down that there was a second gift - and I rushed to find hidden underneath a beret.

It was...

... another Christmas card!

And in this Christmas card, there were another two Magic (tm) cards, an evil looking black witch, and a white witch. It actually took some time before the brilliance of my brother dawned upon me, and realised that this was an invitation to watch Wicked - the musical!

We finally ended up going last Friday (the 13th, funnily enough) and it was a really good experience! The mood was set from the moment we entered the Regent theatre - the drinks fridges were lighted with green fluorescent lights, and they had a special cocktail being sold - the Ozmopolitan - a brilliantly named green daquiri. You could buy lots of merchandise as well - shirts, jumpers, a witch hat and even the emerald green glasses as well!

The show itself was a clever retelling of the story of the Wicked Witch of Oz, and how she came to be. Wicked is described as a modern classic by many, following in the footsteps of Phantom, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. It certainly has lived up to that title by having a long run around the world, and has been in Melbourne for close to eight months now.

The set was immaculate, with the mechanisms masterfully crafted - everything from a dragon to the Wizard of Oz's imposing mechanical head on a chair. The storyline was naturally interesting as everyone was seeing an old classic through new (emerald) glasses.

The actors really gave their best, but the most impressive performer was easily Amanda Harrison as the lead role, playing Elphaba Tropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. She was a green witch you had to fall in love with, and her voice was just perfect for the role!

The songs were not overly memorable, though, but a standout one is definitely this one:

The inspirational "Defying Gravity". Unfortunately I couldn't get a good clip with Amanda Harrison in it.

This song really stuck with me, and the music behind it is indescribably uplifting!

All in all, it was a really good musical, and apt to be deemed a modern classic, although my brother was right also in pointing out that the story moved too quickly and didn't allow the audience enough time to soak in the emotions.

But for three hours of a escapism and fun, follow the Yellow Brick Road down to the Regent for a Wicked night out!
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(K Low - Sorry I couldn't reply your last comment... I can't access it somehow as my icon doesn't turn into a clickable hand when I put it over the comments link! But Poor Boy is definitely worth a watch, and let me know how Grace turns out!)