REVIEW: Two Decades On, WICKED Remains A Crowd Pleaser As The Story Of The Witches Of Oz Returns To Sydney With A New Australian Cast

Thursday 7th September 2023, 7pm, Lyric Theatre Sydney

Director Lisa Leguillou’s tweeked version of Joe Mantello’s original production of Stephen Schwartz (Music and Lyrics) and Winnie Holzman’s (Book) multi-award winning WICKED arrives in Sydney for the 20th Anniversary of the multi award winning musical’s opening on Broadway. In a world where prejudice and propaganda remain, this musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist novel WICKED: THE LIFE AN TIME OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST, which reconsidered L. Frank Baum’s 1990 novel THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s 1939 film, retains a relevance in 2023.

The story of the friendship between The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of The South plays out in the visually spectacular production that pairs an Edwardian inspired steampunk aesthetic with a technicolor palette to honor Baum’s original work and the MGM film.  In Maguire’s view of Oz, the green skinned Elphaba (Sheridan Adams), the previous unnamed ‘Witch of the West’ and the blonde and perky Glinda (Courtney Monsma), had become best friends while at university, but through manipulation from the school’s headmistress Madame Morrible (Robyn Nevin) and the revered “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (Todd McKenney), they are sent on the trajectory that leads to Elphaba being shunned and hunted with people believing that she is wicked. 

This work, a continuation of the production that has been running since it opened at the Gershwin Theatre in 2003, has undergone some subtle, and not so subtle updates over the years, most notably, the removal of Elphaba’s fully flowing cape for Defying Gravity, now replaced with a capelet with masking shadows and smoke with beams of purple light obscuring space in front and below the ‘levitating’ witch. It is interesting to note that while updates have been made to incorporate advances in technology, the moment of Elphaba’s demise is done with very low-tech rear projection shadows on screen which feels incongruous with the production. 

Given that this work is largely the same, its key point of new interest for those that are familiar with the work is the new Australian cast.  As Glinda, Courtney Monsma is delightful, capturing the physicality of the role wonderfully to ensure that the blonde is the quintessential “queen bee” mean girl used to getting her own way and stopping at nothing to gain popularity and power.  It is noted that it does feel like she is trying to emulate Kristin Chenoweth’s sound given that so many audiences would be familiar with the iconic accent from soundtrack recordings.  For relative newcomer Sheridan Adams, the role of Elphaba is her first professional leading role and she brings a freshness to the role while infusing an element of individuality to it.  She allows Elphaba to be seen as being so much more than the rumours and speculation, ensuring that her sensitivity and compassion for others is clear throughout and making sure that the she is morally opposite to the calculated Glinda.  Adams delivers her performance with a more measured start to allow Elphaba space to “grow” into her strength and power so Defying Gravity and No Good Deed have the necessary gravitas.

Robyn Nevin’s portrayal of Madame Morrible ensures that the mastermind behind the oppression of animals and the vilification of Elphaba is given an even more sinister undertone as she gives nothing away in the mentor’s earlier interactions with Elphaba.  The veteran performer commands the stage and anchors the Headmistress’ power and influence early.  Todd McKenney’s turn as The Wizard is delightfully goofy as the revered mystery man who really doesn’t have all that many powers.  He adopts a unique accent and style for the Wizard but oddly the Wizard’s first song A Sentimental Man doesn’t actually carry through the accent but he does retain it during Wonderful. 

As the witches’ mutual love interest, Liam Head ensures that the handsome Fiyero is given space to grow and shift from following on with society’s expectation that he pairs up with the popular blonde to realizing that he holds more in common with the more morally upright Elphaba.  His moment with Sheridan Adams for As Long As You’re Mine is poignant in the expression of love against the odds.  Kurtis Papadinis gives Boq a devoted awkwardness as the student that has fallen under Glinda’s spell but his love is unrequited, catching Nessarose’s (Shewit Belay) attention instead, leading to a simmering resentment at being forced into a position of servitude. 

While WICKED first played in Sydney in 2009 with subsequent revisit in 2014 and has been playing all over the world, holding residence in some locations like Broadway and the West End and touring to many more, it is interesting to revisit the work with the wisdom of more years of experience from the intervening years.  The weight of the political manipulation and the cruelty of humans that promote division and derision feels even greater as many countries are experiencing greater attempts at dividing their citizens and pitting them against each other.  The consideration of the nature versus nurture debate on what makes or turns someone bad is more powerful as is the reminder that society needs more people to advocate for the underdog.

Whether you’ve seen WICKED before or you are considering your first foray into The Emerald City, this is a stunning production with an intricate set that reaches up to the large dragon puppet that resides above the stage.  While some of the first act opening night scenes felt a little restrained, hopefully these were just opening night jitters and with time, the cast will settle into the roles and be able to ‘stamp’ their own style onto the characters.

https://wickedthemusical.com.au/  

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