Wicked
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin
★★★★☆
Every villain has an origin story. The happy endings of children’s literature can convince us otherwise, but in Wicked, based on Gregory Maguire’s young-adult novel of the same name, Frank L Baum’s Wicked Witch of the West gets to tell her own story. No One Mourns the Wicked is the operatic first song of Stephen Schwartz’s impressively complex score, rooting the audience firmly at the ill-fated end of the witch’s life. Winnie Holzman’s book opens to provide a backward glance through the harpy’s history, however, and the scenes unfolding before us provide an alternative perspective on events we think we know well from their iterations on stage and screen.
At its most fundamental level, Wicked is a coming-of-age tale. Elphaba (Laura Pick), green of skin and grumpy of temperament, arrives at Shiz University to find herself roomed with the gorgeous Galinda (played by the Dubliner Sarah O’Connor) and ostracised by her peers for her demeanour. Elphaba finds her feet when her talent for sorcery is revealed, and eventually she and Galinda forge a friendship that takes them to the Emerald City, where all is not as it seems. The challenge both young women face is how to be true to themselves in the face of social and political pressure. The resolution is deeply, tragically pragmatic, although, reputations for good and evil notwithstanding, you could say that, in this version of the story, both women get the ending they deserve.
Schwartz’s score isn’t quite sung through, but the musical numbers are mostly rooted in lyrical dialogue. The strongest songs – What Is This Feeling?, Defying Gravity, For Good – are actually duets, balladic battles between Elphaba and Galinda that necessitate big voices with unlimited ranges. Here, the brilliant Pick and O’Connor are evenly matched, reaching impossible high notes with vigour and expression. Despite the title, Wicked is really as much about Galinda’s embrace of “goodness” as it is about Elphaba’s dark reputation.
This is a top-quality touring production, maintaining all the key creative figures from its original Broadway incarnation, including Joe Mantello’s assured direction, Eugene Lee’s moving cog set and Susan Hilferty’s steampunk costumes. Kenneth Posner creates stage sorcery in his lighting design, reaching particularly memorable heights at the end of the first half. The production is also a perfect appetiser for the much-anticipated film adaptation due to arrive in November.
‘I learned about Irish time. People arrive late and think they are on time’
Bishop Casey’s Buried Secrets review: ‘He had no fear of being caught’
Nightmare concerts: Nicki Minaj put on one of Ireland’s most disappointing gigs. Here are nine more disasters
13 ways to boost the health benefits of a holiday
Wicked is at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, until Saturday, September 14th
