by Annie Vischer
Anyone who’s anyone knows about Wicked. Playing at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, it’s still one of the biggest must-sees on the West End. The musical has so far won over 100 international awards, including the Olivier Award for Most Popular Musical.
It tells the story of The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West, both before and during the Dorothy era. Elphaba (Wicked Witch) starts out as the unpopular (and green) girl in school, who finds herself sharing a room with her total antithesis, Glinda, the Good Fairy. During the show the two rivals become best friends, but Elphaba soon finds herself the enemy of the rest of those in Oz.
The songs are range from charming, to tear-jerking belters – if you haven’t yet heard Defying Gravity performed, fix that pronto. This season Jennifer DiNoia leads the cast as Elphaba, with Savannah Stevenson (Glinda) and Jeremy Taylor (Fiyero) also starring.
The production is slick, the chorus and dance numbers a vision, and the leads utterly dazzling. No wonder it receives a standing ovation most nights.
To book tickets visit www.wickedthemusical.co.uk.