By Sonia Nair
MUSICAL
Wicked ★★★★
Regent Theatre
As soon as the monkeys of Oz alight onto a stage enveloped by the ensemble cast plaintively singing No One Mourns the Wicked, framed by a robotic dragon, you know Wicked is going to be a night of lavish fanfare and theatrical pomp.
Opposites attract: Elphaba (Sheridan Adams) and Glinda (Courtney Monsma) in Wicked.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Interest in the Broadway blockbuster heightened after a film adaptation starring Ariana Grande as Glinda was announced, not that audiences needed hyping – the award-winning musical hasn’t graced Melbourne stages since 2015.
A revisionist retelling of the tale of a certain pernicious witch, Wicked is a loose adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, taking place in the same universe as L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba is born green and grows up a much-maligned grotesquerie, until she meets the popular, charming Glinda at school. Their enmity soon gives way to deep friendship, setting the stage for explorations of love, betrayal, state corruption and moral integrity as Elphaba ventures on a quest to save Oz’s most beleaguered creatures from erasure. The two are cast permanently in roles that will forever define them: the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
Courtney Monsma and Sheridan Adams lead the chorus.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
“Why does wickedness happen?” a character beseeches Glinda in the first scene. Wicked posits that our perceptions of what’s right and what’s wrong are shaped by forces larger than us; that we can’t always trust what we’re told.
With perfectly coiffed curls perennially framing her face, Courtney Monsma is an absolute stand-out as Glinda – injecting the archetypal beige, blonde queen bee with excellent comedic timing and an unparalleled knack for physical comedy that leaves the audience in stitches.
Sheridan Adams plays Elphaba with an awkward stiltedness from being regarded as unworthy her entire life, but her long limbs soon morph into surety and a deep-seated belief in herself as she scales new heights (literally and figuratively) in her quest to save Oz.
Malapropisms abound in Wicked’s light, quick-witted script, and trademark showstoppers are delivered with panache, though Liam Head’s rendition of Dancing Through Life is curiously understated. Shewit Belay imbues the thorny, often unlikeable character of Nessarose with depth, while Robyn Nevin’s lack of singing is offset by her grandiosity as Madame Morrible.
Not enough plaudits can be bestowed on Susan Hilferty’s elaborate costuming and Eugene Lee’s ornate set.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Not enough plaudits can be bestowed on Susan Hilferty’s elaborate costuming and Eugene Lee’s ornate set, a spectacle itself. The multidimensional stage peels back like an onion to reveal further layers, transitioning effortlessly from humble classroom to fairy-light-studded ballroom to the resplendent green of Emerald City.
Special effects enliven Wicked, whether it’s Elphaba’s mother’s burgeoning belly in the space of seconds, students cartwheeling haphazardly around the room whenever Elphaba’s temper rises and her magic is unleashed, or the Wizard’s machine, through which his sonorous voice projects.
Wicked’s best songs are concentrated in its first half, and while the second half contains big emotional payoffs, the tension inevitably sags. But this fan favourite’s reprisal is likely the most extravagant production you’ll encounter in Melbourne theatres this year, and it’s a sight to behold.
Reviewed by Sonia Nair