But the holy grail of a big musical is combining these elements. For my money, Wicked is a stand out success for bringing it all together.
Revived after 10 years, during which it has stayed open in Broadway, Wicked opened its Australian tour on Saturday night in Melbourne to a standing ovation and widespread sense that this production met the very high standards its predecessor had set.
For those who have been living under a rock, Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a kind of prequel to the Wizard of Oz based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Unlike so many musicals (Les Miserables being a notable exception) it has a clever layered narrative structure which transforms the Wicked Witch of The Wizard of Oz into the misunderstood outcast Elphaba and reimagines Glinda the Good Witch as a blonde bimbo whose cultural context is more Mean Girls than magic.
It is an enchanting show, filled with energy, drama and character; plenty of great music and the twinkling emerald magic that recaptures our child-like joy at story.
The show depends on synergy between the two fabulous female roles and this production has it in spades. Jemma Rix as Elphaba brings a powerful energy and a magnificent voice to the lead, a role she understudied last time round in Melbourne before taking over in Sydney in 2010. Her strong stage presence is matched by a genuine musicality that is evident from her first solo ‘The Wizard and I’.
Lucy Durack as Glinda will make anyone who went to a girls’ school cringe in her hair-flicking number ‘Popular’. She plays up the role with a great sense of fun and feeds Rix with exquisite timing. When the two come together at the end of the first act for ‘Defying Gravity’ the moment is a classic of musical theatre.
The ‘Defying Gravity’ Act I finale is also a moment of triumph for the production team as lighting and staging combine to create a transformational theatrical moment. The balance between music, drama and technology here is perfect: the stars are given the space to shine and the impressive staging enhances but does not overwhelm the show.
The second half of the show is a little more plot-heavy but it also provides some fabulous musical moments, like the beautiful duet ‘As Long as Your Mine’, sung by Rix and Steve Danielsen as Fiyero. (Although for the cynical it is a text book example of the romantic moment so beautifully satirised in Spamalot as ‘The Song that Goes Like This’).Great choreography and ensemble work support the leads and mention must be made of the bonus laughs provided by Reg Livermore as the Wizard and Maggie Kirkpatrick as headmistress Madame Morrible, who both delight audiences with their scenes.
With Les Miserables also in town this year competition will be high for the musical dollar but Wicked should have no trouble filling houses.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Wicked: The Musical
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
www.wickedthemusical.com.au
Until 20 July
