Review: Wicked at Crown Theatre
Wicked at Crown Theatre
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Broadway sensation and international smash hit Wicked landed back in Perth this month after a nine-year hiatus and almost perfectly timed its arrival here with the recent release of the film adaptation.
Sheridan Adams as Elphaba gave an absolute powerhouse performance and effortlessly commanded the stage every time she stepped onto it. From the spine-chilling yet audience-pleasing bombast of Defying Gravity, through the quiet, self-reflective pathos of I’m Not That Girl, to the romantic and surprisingly sensual As Long As You’re Mine, Adams demonstrated her versatility and range, in both acting and song, across the entire evening.
Courtney Monsma as Glinda was also fabulous and brought a deft touch and a brightness to a role that could easily be, and sometimes is, cast in an unsympathetic light. Monsma’s sense of physical comedy, particularly during Popular, was a delight and engaged the audience to come on Glinda’s journey just as much as Elphaba’s. Whenever Adams and Monsma were together on stage, their energies complemented each other, whether in song or script, and their characters’ deep yet complicated friendship was extremely believable.
Among the rest of the cast, Liam Head played the role of Fiyero with a delicate playfulness, who cared more about the world than his too-practiced indifference implied. Todd McKenney performed The Wizard with a relaxed, Reaganesque style of ‘good golly gee fake naivete,’ whilst Jennifer Vuletic’s Madame Morrible mixed both social climber and true believer, probably more dangerous than the leader she followed.
The costume design in this production was exquisite, both in form and function. Each piece a work of art, while also workday utilitarian for the scene on stage at the time. From the co-leads, through the other named characters, to the general citizenry of Oz, the entire wardrobe department was literally stitch perfect.
Also fantastic were the sets and lighting. The number of changes to both these aspects, as stage scenery quickly crossed the foreground, would easily have set a head to spinning, as much as any tornado from Kansas. At other times one scene seamlessly split into two on stage, whether it was to include a flashback or a conversation elsewhere in Oz. Wicked‘s ability to convert these vivid ideas into practical set design was very impressive.
Two scenes stood out, where the costuming, the staging, and the choreography combined to near-perfect effect. First, the Ozdust Ballroom routine, during Dancing Through Life, with most of the ensemble in gorgeous monochrome outfits that flowed and billowed gloriously behind them as they danced. Second, One Short Day and its spectacular introduction to the Emerald City, which was jaw-dropping in both concept and execution.
Whether a newcomer to the property, a casual fan through the recent movie, or those that already had encyclopaedic knowledge of the original Broadway run and Gregory Maguire’s book, Wicked had something for all people of all ages. It touched on self-discovery, empowerment, friendship, the trade-off between personal morals and public ambition, and the placement of con artists in positions of authority.
There is still a freshness and an exuberance to the show that belies its twenty years of history and touring. As much as Defying Gravity has escaped its origins, almost poetically, and is very much a cultural touchstone in and of itself, Wicked is much, much more than that one admittedly ethereal song.
This current Australian production is simply stunning. It is likely to become one of the hottest tickets in Perth this summer, and with spectacular reason. There is a maxim in modern entertainment that they don’t make them like they used to, but with Wicked, they have unequivocally bucked that trend. This is Golden Age glamour in neon green capital letters.
A performance so bright, you’ll need sunglasses.
PAUL MEEK