By Emma Young
Wicked
Crown Perth, December 19
Until February 2
★★★★★
The first sight of the tower of glowing green martini glasses in Crown Perth’s lobby on Thursday night feels like a spiritual homecoming, ricocheting me mentally to the first time Wicked exploded into my life at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre 15 years ago.
Fast forward to the Perth opening night of its third Australian tour, and the blockbuster musical created by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman is as beguiling, provocative and culturally astute as it was at the time of its birth in the United States in 2003.
Sheridan Adams performs Defying Gravity.Credit: Jeff Busby
Its enduring relevance is explained when you read that its basis, Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, was inspired by the political climate the Vietnam War fostered in the US. It was not a light-hearted backstory to the classic fable’s plot and characters, but a dark, dense and deeply political novel whose themes – of honouring friendship in difficult political circumstances, of navigating nuance and moral ambiguity, of personal agency, of speaking truth to power – are ageless.
And this new production of the ensuing musical, from the first moment its winged monkeys contort themselves across the steampunk set and the opening strains of its chill-inducing opener No-one Mourns the Wicked, hits all the sweet spots in lacing this menacing undertone through its spectacular visuals and charming silliness.
Wicked relates how schoolmates Glinda, the pretty and popular, and her unlikely best friend Elphaba, who’s talented but hopelessly awkward, go on to respectively become Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West, and how their friends are transformed into the odd sidekicks of a little girl called Dorothy.
This is a show that lives or dies on the vocal prowess of its two leads, and Glinda (Courtney Monsma) and Elphaba (Sheridan Adams) have the very large shoes to fill of previous tour leads Lucy Durack and Jemma Rix.
But relief comes early as it becomes clear both will knock it out of the park. Within the first minute of her first solo, Adams provides a full-body suit of goosebumps, and her heart-stopper Defying Gravity is everything it needs to be, with breathtaking lighting helping her hit the audience where it hurts.
Monsma keeps Glinda right at her required level of operatic flawlessness even while bringing a level of physical and vocal humour to the role that makes it something entirely new, keeping the audience laughing out loud but not allowing the play for laughs to cheapen her character’s emotional growth.
Love interest Fiyero remains, refreshingly, a supporting character, and I have always thought his expository Dancing Through Life is one of the lesser songs in a hit-packed soundtrack, but actor Liam Head brings a sensuality of movement to the role that is beautifully displayed in the first act and makes the second-act emotional peak of As Long as You’re Mine the most passionate live rendition I’ve yet seen (and this is my fifth).
It is a joy to witness Australian household name Todd McKenney, the original and to my mind the best Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz, return to his music theatre roots as the Wizard opposite Madame Morrible, splendiferously played by Jennifer Vuletic. My only regret is that the Wizard’s numbers, while beautifully done, don’t let McKenney show off his full vocal range.
Courtney Monsma and Sheridan Adams.Credit: Jeff Busby
A tiny quibble: the plot line surrounding the function of the fatal bucket of water is perhaps not as well explained in this production as it has been in others.
Staging is vital for Wicked, and does not disappoint with the giant mechanical dragon and retro-futuristic cogs and gears establishing the darkness of the background, while gorgeous lighting design heightens the drama and romance of the Ozdust Ballroom, Yellow Brick Road and I’m Not That Girl, and intensifies As Long as You’re Mine with the perfect simplicity of a lantern glowing through smoke.
Costumes are as extravagant as they should be, particularly the layered green ensembles of the Emerald City’s Ozian chorus. Special mention to Madame Morrible’s costumes, which begin strong with an outre bustle and only get more magnificent as the show progresses.
You will be utterly transported by the magic of this production. But visuals aside, the reason Wicked grips our hearts is the sense that it reflects a continuing tendency in our societies: for power to bring dishonesty and a temptation to control the “other”. To promote the fear that the different and the voiceless, reviled and hated, will eventually turn on their oppressors. In forcing us to confront such scenarios, Wicked is required viewing – perhaps now more than ever.
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