Wicked

I should level with you. I’m not a fan of musicals. I get irritated when a nice, clean narrative is interrupted with that peskiest of all things: an expository song.

I’m happy never to have seen The Sound of Music. I’ve sat through two productions of Miss Saigon, and if I ever have to do it again I’ll scoop out my eardrums with a rusty spork.

Elphaba, played by Jenna Rix, with Glinda, played by Lucy Durack, in the production of Wicked showing at QPAC.

However, sometimes you come across a production so terrific, so breathtaking, so hold-on-to-your-hat thrilling that your opinion of the whole genre changes.

And this happened to me when I saw Wicked.

A great deal of hype has accompanied this smash hit Broadway musical, and there is no doubt it is extremely popular.

Theatre-goers last night sipped bright green drinks from bright green cocktail glasses, merchandise stands peppered the foyer at QPAC, while the building’s buttresses were illuminated in green.

But did any of this mean it is any good?

The story is built on strong foundations. Borrowing from L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Gregory Maguire published a novel in 1995 called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Maguire invented a back story for the characters of Oz before the arrival of the famous Dorothy. The story focuses on Elphaba, a girl born with mysteriously green skin who will, through an unfortunate series of misunderstandings, eventually become the much-maligned Wicked Witch of the West.

Maguire asks what truly makes a person wicked — or at least gain the reputation.

From the moment you seat yourself in the Lyric Theatre and behold the fabulously intricate set, it’s clear that neither expense nor talent has been spared in designing this production.

Festooned in a patchwork of cogs and pulleys, and crowned by a twenty-foot mechanical dragon, the outer is set is really just a taste of things to come.

The opening sequence overwhelms the senses with a wave of excellent harmonies and an array of mind-bogglingly intricate costumes. Ensemble performances are tightly executed but lose none of the whimsy that defines Wicked.

Individual performances are spellbinding. Laura Bunting, normally the stand-in as Elphaba, pulled off the lead role as though it were no more complex than breathing. The role is physically, vocally and, presumably, emotionally demanding, but Bunting never falters in delivering a performance utterly human.

Lucy Durack as Elphaba’s enemy-turned-best friend, Galinda, is so luminous with raw, unadulterated charm that her be-sequined costumes seem dull in comparison. And that’s before you even hear her voice, a mixture of saccharine over-enunciation and soaring operatics that add the final dimensions to this fascinating character.

Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madame Morrible is convincingly duplicitous, David Harris as Fiyero delivers flawless vocals in the few chances he gets, and Bert Newton as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is, well, wonderful.

Nods also go to Rodney Dobson as Doctor Dillamond, who holds his own on stage despite being obscured by a goat mask throughout, and Elisa Colla (as Nessarose) and James D Smith (as Boq) who make the most of their minor but essential roles.

Costume designer Susan Hilferty’s sartorial genius escalates throughout the play. Scenes in the Emerald City prove that no two shades of green are the same; no single texture is repeated. These outrageous costumes make you wonder things like, ‘Why don’t more men wear skirts?’ and ‘Could I pull off a mille-feuille tutu on the bus?’.

Lighting by Kenneth Posner is dynamic and inventive, achieving visual effects normally only seen on film and marrying these with more traditional techniques.

The set is a character in its own right. Eugene Lee has truly achieved a masterpiece here, a multi-layered, movable spectacular that constantly reinvents itself and frequently surprises.

This menagerie of sight and sound would of course not be possible without Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics. Overstated schmaltz — usually the hallmark of musicals — is conspicuously absent from the songs throughout Wicked. The music is refreshing and moving. More than one sequence actually gave me shivers.

So what can I say? I’m a convert. Wicked is truly spectacular and truly touching; the kind of production that makes your hair stand on end and tears well up in your eyes. The kind of production that makes you think in terms like ‘visual feast’ and ‘tour-de-force’, because for once this is a production that truly deserves those well-trodden clichés.

Wicked is, in the sense that Aussie kids were using the word back in the 90s, totally wicked.

Now. Can anyone help me get ‘Defying Gravity’ out of my head?

Wicked is on at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC from 11 February. Tickets are $69.90 to $139.90, available through www.qtix.com.au or call 136 246.