I’m not going to lie to you. I have seen Wicked before. In fact I’ve seen it more than 20 times. Crazy you might think but every time I watch it I love it that little bit more! You might be thinking ‘how does west end wilma afford to see it that often?’ and so I’ll let you into a little secret. The front, side sections of the stalls are classed as ‘restricted view’ and so much, much cheaper. And if you scout around, you can find a £15 seat directly next to a £65 seat (barely any difference). Let’s keep this just between us though!
You’ve probably guessed by now that my review is not going to be bad. Wicked is magnificent. The beautiful stage, the costumes, the special effects. These are but a few of the amazing things about this show.Currently starring Matt Willis (former Busted band member and winner of TV show ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’) along side the amazingly talented Rachel Tucker (Andrew Lloyd Webber TV show ‘I’d Do Anything’ finalist). Her character ‘Elphaba’ is called ‘beautifully tragic’ in the show but Rachel is beautifully talented with her powerful singing voice and convincing English accent (she’s originally from Ireland).Gina Beck joined the cast in December playing the role of ‘Glinda’ and her sweetly innocent portrayal of the role is superb.Tonight saw the appearance of two understudies Andrew Bryant (Boq) and Gemma Atkins (Nessa Rose) but their superb performances would fool anyone into thinking they play the full time roles.If you haven’t seen Wicked then shame on you! It is the backstory to what really went on in Oz before Dorothy turned up and what was really happening while she was there. If you think you know the characters from The Wizard of Oz then think again because you only know one side of the story. Was the wicked witch really wicked? How did the Tin Man lose his heart, the Lion his courage and the Scarecrow his brains? All these questions are answered in the show.
As for the songs, this show is full of light hearted, funny songs as well as powerful dark ballads, belted out by the whole cast.
This is my number one show that I will never tire of watching because every time I do, I find a new layer to it or deeper understanding of something I thought I knew before.
At the curtain call tonight (which had a standing ovation possibly due to it marking the 2nd year since Rachel joined) Rachel Tucker mentioned Wicked is nominated for an Oliver award this year and requested to please vote online if you enjoyed the show. If you have seen it and love it, or even just think it sounds amazing, please visit www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/vote and cast your vote for them. I know I already have.
Click here for more information on Wicked The Musical
