Sarah O’Connor and Laura Pick in Wicked at the Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh. Picture: Matt Crockett
Wicked was reviewed at the Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh where it runs until 14 January 2024. The tour continues until 12 January 2025.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This parable emphasising kindness seems very current – not bad for a show running worldwide for around 20 years. The production is so fresh and exciting, so detailed and lavish, so thrilling and moving there is no doubt that this show is a hit.
Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s Wicked of course tells the story of the two witches from The Wizard of Oz. The tale made famous by Judy Garland is ‘off stage’ with the action centred on the stories of Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West and their unique friendship.
Sarah O’Connor is a fantastic Glinda – her opening song is practically operatic with soaring trills and grace notes served with a healthy portion of vibrato. Her characterisation is splendid – she has a different ‘register’ for dialogue and songs reflecting her relationship with the characters she is interacting with. A genuinely well-thought through characterisation that is at her most natural in scenes alone with Elphaba. A dazzling twinkly star.
Laura Pick is a wonderfully assured Elphaba and can shoot darting one-liners to strike any hurtful remarks before they can land. Or so it may seem. As her true character begins to emerge from her brittle, defensive youth her every movement becomes more deliberate and considered and the assurance is there in the stunning vocals.
Suddenly Elphaba is free – she has felt a lot of guilt and responsibility resulting from her family relationships (including her sister Nessarose) – and she blossoms as her natural talent is appreciated at Shiz University where change is in the air, and not all of it is good. Her inherent sense of right and fairness draws the dashing Fiyero to her over Glinda, creating a chasm between the two young witches.
Carl Man’s Fiyero is less hedonistic, more simply bored. His admiration for Elphaba is borne out of her drive to be kind and good and so he finds his own purpose. Great clarity and a detailed character study draws the youth’s transition to manhood most convincingly.
The staging is utterly breathtaking – Eugene Lee uses the 13-hour clock face as a central feature that is adorned in a variety of dressings, becoming at turns epic or intimate. Kenneth Posner’s lighting designs create atmosphere wonderfully. Along with Susan Hilferty’s costume designs, the staging is endlessly enchanting. These elements are all consistent with the depths of characterisation and the maturing of Elphaba and Glinda taking the story to new levels of understanding.
The ‘Defying Gravity’ coup de theatre is as astonishing as ever – it’s impossible not to be moved by such a powerful climax. Pick’s voice is devastatingly powerful and a thrill to hear. No wonder the audience takes a beat or two before coming back to the reality of the interval!
The ensemble works extremely hard – with super-sharp costume changes and challenging vocal work with crystal clear lyrics, along with intricate choreography and group movement. Joe Mantello’s direction fuses perfectly with Wayne Cilento’s musical staging – an absolute joy.
To be picky, there are a few instances where dialogue is rushed and some of the musical numbers are so quick that lyrics are difficult to follow. This is a massive theatre and it can take time to nail the pace, but the company is more than capable of making that adaptation.
The dawn of the tour of this new production is absolutely wonderful. If you can still get a ticket, this is the perfect Christmas treat. Just magical.
Fiona Orr
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