The UK & Ireland Tour wow's King's audiences.
Let’s be honest, some productions are review-proof. Wicked, a stalwart on the Broadway and West End stage for well over a decade, finally makes its Scottish premier at the Glasgow Kings, and every ticket was hoovered up before opening night commenced, making it the theatre’s biggest seller in its entire history to date.
And it’s quite easy to see the appeal the musical has with its rather large fan base, even if critics haven’t been overtly warm towards it: catchy songs that have become staples in cabaret and performances, grand staging with colourful design and an original, heroic portrayal of a character frequently voted in polls as one of cinema’s greatest villains.
That character is the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, and here she not only gets a name (Elphaba) but a political cause that justifies her antagonism towards the charlatan leader of the land. Add to that a troubled childhood due to her strained relationship with her father and her turbulent times at school, mostly brought on by her stuck up and privileged roommate (the future ‘good’ witch of the north, Glinda), and you have a sympathetic justification for Elphaba’s supposed ‘wickedness’.
Perhaps cynics towards musical theatre and purists of L Frank Baum’s Oz series won’t be bowled over, but in truth it’s quite hard to find fault with this touring production. Many tours that find their way to Scotland feel watered down and constrained—not so here. The music sounds rich and the entire staging, from direction to design to choreography, is uniformly excellent. And there isn’t one weak link in the cast. Liam Doyle, George Ure, Marilyn Cutts and Dale Rapley are all equally great in supporting roles, and the ensemble are rather effective throughout the performance.
However, the success of Wicked hinges on its two leads, and here the production comes up trumps. Nikki Davis-Jones is truly wonderful as Elphaba, not only hitting all the notes and emotional beats to perfection but also giving enough hints to the film portrayal to be familiar without ever being a copy. Emily Tierney perhaps has the more difficult job of playing Glinda, a character who goes back and forth between friend and foe as well as sympathy and annoyance, and she does a great job of balancing everything while being funny. The onstage relationship between the two, which teeters between friendship and antagonism, is the crux of the production, and they work off of each other beautifully.
At its core, Wicked is really an old-fashioned musical done well. And while there may be plot holes (most of which are actually well addressed in Gregory Maguire’s novel upon which this is based), there is both heart and razzle-dazzle in abundance.
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