Wicked Review

Okay first of all I need to apologise for the lack of posts over the last month or two. I haven't seen another show yet, but this is a review of when I saw Wicked in July.

'So much happened before Dorothy dropped in!'

I saw Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on the 17th July as a part of a school trip and I absolutely loved it!

Wicked is a musical based on the book written by Gregory Maguire and it is a prequel to the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. Wicked is given to us through the perspective of Elphaba Thropp and how she is gifted with an abnormal talent. Through the struggle of University life she meets, G(a)linda, who soon become best friends in spite of their physical differences. There is also a love triangle with the Prince of Munchkinland, Fiyero, with a surprising twist at the end.

When I went to see Wicked, the amazing Louise Dearman was playing Elphaba and she was truly phenomenal. Her voice was truly enchanting and brought me to tears. I had goosebumps throughout every single song she sung, especially the legendary 'Defying Gravity'. G(a)linda was played by the stunning Gina Beck and she played the character fabulously. She was a ditzy blonde with a deeper, heart-touching feature. The Fiyero was also fab but I was kind of hoping that Aaron Tveit would pop out and be the Fiyero as he is my favourite.

(from left to right) Louise Dearman as Elphaba and Gina Beck as Galinda

The unique staging fits very well with the story line, and the flying dragon did fascinate me. When the story went to the magical land of Oz, the whole theatre lit up with bright green, it was dazzling.

Also, as a dancer, I have to say I was captivated by the dancing monkeys. They were extremely flexible and moved around as if they had no bones in their body.

On a slightly lower note, I do have to say that on the boiling day of July that I was there, I was literally dripping due to the lack of air conditioning. Also, before I went I noticed on other reviews that there is not much leg room in the seats and unfortunately I do have to agree! As I am rather tall, I did feel like my legs where very cramped.

However, the heat or the lack of room did not spoil the experience for me. The combination of the songs, the actors/actresses and the whole atmosphere, meant that I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend it to any musical theatre lover.

Thanks for reading, comment your views, whether you liked this post or what other theatre things you would like me to review.

Hopefully I will post again shortly.

-Lois x