Wicked- The Musical

Wicked

Wicked tells the story of two witches Elphaba and Glinda, they both go to the same school. At first they don't like each other but then become good friends. The story is written to give more back story to the famous story the wizard of oz, it helps us understand how Glinda became the good witch and Elphaba the wicked witch of the west.

I saw Wicked 7 years ago, it was my first musical and I loved it.

Lights

I loved the dramatic colours of the lights, they used cool colours and dark shades, it created a spooky atmosphere. The dark and foggy stage made me look harder to see what was going on, it really drew me into the story.

Music

I listened to the soundtrack before we went so I could sing along. When you already know the songs you can listen in anticipation of all your favourite parts. When the actors sing it is so much more exciting in person, then there is a large orchestra which makes it so much more powerful. Elphaba was an incredible singer and I loved when the two witches performed duets. Their voices are so beautiful together.

We could see right into the orchestra pit, they made the music come alive. It was perfect. They played the sound effects as well as the songs. There was a drum kit, piano and an instrument that made a water sound that I didn't recognise. They used it a lot, perhaps a little too much. 

The conductor was so passionate and very animated, he was great to watch.

Costumes

The costumes were really good, I really enjoyed them. I loved the change in Elphaba's witch outfit as the story went along. Her clothes got better and better and suited the person she became at the end of the show. When we first met her she wore a school uniform and had her hair plaited. At the time she was living with her dad who wasn't kind to her. Then she changed for the school dance and wore a black dress and Glinda gave her a black witches hat, Glinda was being mean giving her the hat but Elphaba really pulled it off. She wore her hair down after Glinda gave her a makeover, then she gained a cape and a broom, at this point in the story she was the wicked witch of the west and her costume gave the classic witch vibe.

The puppets at the emerald city were hilarious; they made us laugh out loud. They only came on for a short time, they bobbed on the stage and their whole body bounced up and down as they danced and their extended necks were so funny.

The Dr Dilliamond costume was one of the best. I really liked the style they used to do his face, adding hair and horns combined with his hooves and fur coat really made him look like a goat, it really suited the character.

Finally, I loved Glinda's dancing outfit from the scene where they went to a party while at school, it was very pretty and made the scene twice as good. It made you feel like you were at a prom and not just a dance party. It was a short pink dress with layered frills and a pink flower in her hair. It felt floaty and pretty and free. Elphaba's dark simple dress in the same scene shows how she's feeling, it makes sense that it’s opposite to Glindas as she's not as excited by the party, but she still made the effort to go.

Feel of the Theatre

The atmosphere was amazing, it felt like everyone was excited. You could hear all the drink cans opening and the snacks rustling. People were all talking excitedly. The songs were incredible. My favourite song was for good. The notes at the end of the song must be so hard to reach as they are so high. I also liked defying gravity. Elphaba flew on a broom, the lighting formed a bright spotlight on her as she flew and sang on a broomstick on a smoke filled stage and the lighting made it look like she had a ginormous cape. At the end there was a standing ovation 👏 I really enjoyed the standing ovation when the cast all came forward to be cheered and clapped they really deserved all the cheering.. 

Dislikes

I didn't enjoy the scene where Elphaba and Fyiero had escaped from the palace, I think it could have been different, maybe dancing together instead of sitting on the floor, I did like the smoke and the lighting for this scene. It made it feel very tense.

Other Thoughts

I went to Wicked with my family and best friend (It was her birthday!). They had large props, a big orchestra, a huge amount of lights, big songs, incredible costumes and an amazing atmosphere. The stage looked phenomenal with so many props, a lit map curtain of emerald city that was used at the beginning,interval and end and a massive dragon above the stage that lit up and moved.

The lighting highlighted the actors, the singing made me want to hear the next song, I even sang along at one point, I couldn't help it. 

I've seen Wicked before when I was only 5, I remembered the curtain coming across the stage when Glinda hid when Elphaba was being attacked. The rest of the musical I felt like I was seeing for the first time.

After it finished it makes me want to go and see it again, it also makes me want to see another show. When we walked out we were in such a good mood, talking about all the best bits. 

I didn't feel like Elphaba was the wicked witch of the west. I really enjoyed her acting, I really liked her. She had a strong sense of justice and was kind to people even when they weren't kind. 

I liked Glinda but she wasn't my absolute favourite, because at the beginning she was very unkind to people and made them her friends, whereas near the end she wanted to be proper friends. It was quite a big change to her character. 

I 100% recommend that you should go and see it. The whole show is exciting and wonderful. I fell in love with the characters and I think you will to!!