After ages and ages spent trying to get tickets to see Wicked on Broadway in NYC, by hook or by crook, including waiting on line, or having friends wait on line in various attempts to win lottery tickets for the front row (available two hours before every show on Broadway, unfortunately not something they are doing here yet in the West End)....I finally saw the show last night, at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in central London last night. The actor playing the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, or Elphaba, was Idina Menzel, who originated the role on Broadway. The resident hottie of the show was none other than Adam Garcia (of Coyote Ugly fame), and wisely the director of the show did not ask him to change his I-could-just-eat-you-up Australian accent. Other names you may or may not have heard of included Miriam Margoyles as Madame Morrible (most recently of Professor Sprout fame in the Harry Potter movies), and Nigel Planer as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
For those of you who have not heard of the musical, first of all, where have you been?!!! Moving on, it's based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, where he takes the original story of the Wizard of Oz, and tries a new perspective on the Wicked Witch of the West...what if....what if, she wasn't evil, just misunderstood? A victim of slanderous propaganda? The old argument of nature versus nurture raises its tired head-- and in the musical it's pretty obvious she's been shaped by her environment, by people using and abusing her, by things beyond her control. Although, the nature versus nurture thing is a bit of cheat, considering she isn't evil, per se, in the musical.
I don't want to spoil it all, and I don't think I will by going on to say the musical follows Elphaba through her school years, where for a time she is friends with Glinda (the Good), through the events found in the original Wizard of Oz, up to and including the melting scene. (Though Dorothy does not make an appearance, this is the Wicked Witch of the West's story after all.) I think that it's an absolutely gorgeous love story-- and I don't mean with Mr. Australia, I could get lost in your eyes. It is Elphaba's and Glinda's story, the meaning of true friendship and love, even when circumstances pit them against each other, that brings tears to your eyes.
It's an amazing show, from the music to the set to the story. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for, GO SEE IT! Several colleagues are now planning to see it because I had a container of Malteasers for a treat during the show...and barely touched it (I may have eaten four) I was so engrossed in the show. (I brought in the rest for them to share today.) They figure that's heavy praise ;)
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