Oppressing people because of their colour, bullying those who are different or destroying cultures by eliminating all the academics and scholars is Wicked, and that is exactly what happens in Stephen Schwartz’s long-running, award-winning musical of the same name now celebrating 15 years at the Apollo, writes Michael Holland.
Wicked begins with the people of the Land of Oz celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. But dumb blonde Glinda tells them how she was once friends with their sworn enemy and puts to them another side of how we can jump to conclusions. Cue flashback.
You don’t see many babies being born on stage and you definitely don’t see green babies. However, little Elphaba’s white father immediately disowns her at birth, which is the beginning of Glinda – the Good Witch – narrating the backstory, revealing how she and Elphaba became friends.
We see them sharing a room at university where Elphaba is shunned and called the Wicked Witch, while Glinda feels sorry for her. They go through their lives having ups and downs but respecting each other’s differences.
The handsome Fiyero arrives and is as shallow as Glinda, who immediately sets her sights on him at the dance, but he has eyes for Elphaba, much to Glinda’s annoyance. Their tutor, a talking goat, is discriminated against for being a talking animal and fired. Elpheba wants to have a strong word with the Wizard of Oz about this outrage and is allowed a meeting with him in the Emerald City. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a blustering fraud who is turning the population against each other to keep his human power base onside. It all rings many bells and is impossible not to equate this ploy with the reality of Boris Johnson’s blustering buffoon act. The plot of Wicked, however, is easier to understand.
Wicked The Musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s book, which re-imagined the characters of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz earlier tome. It is about good versus evil, so we see that the Wicked Witch of the West was not born evil but was turned bad by trying to do good. We learn how the Cowardly Lion became that way, and how the Tin Man with no heart once had a heart full of unrequited love for the girl of his dreams. Predominantly, we discover that being nice to people has better outcomes than being nasty.
Of course, good overcomes evil but, alas, with much sadness on the way. The battle is fought in a rich production in a fantastic set that is rarely still, and in costumes that magnify the money spent on making this a magnificent show that will very likely reign for another 15 years.
My favourite was Sophie Evans as Glinda. She worked her silliness to perfection and made her character lovable and not just an airhead. Laura Pick, however, as Elphaba, had a voice that soared and was a match for the set, the costumes, and all the bullying that she was up against.
Apollo Victoria, 17 Wilton Road, SW1V 1LG until May 22nd. Times: Tues – Sat 7.30pm; Wed, Sat & Sun matinees 2.30pm. Admission: £22 – £127.50
Photo: Matt Crocket