My housemates and I got each other tickets to see Wicked! this Christmas. We went on a Wednesday matinee with hundreds of children in red jumpers and black trousers.The all singing, all dancing musical tells the story of Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and her relationship with Galinda (the future Good Witch of the North). Initially meeting at school and having to share the same room their relationship struggles with opposing personalities, looks, viewpoints and the hots for the same boy. After a trip to the Emerald City, Elphaba takes a stand against the Wizard (of Oz)'s corrupt government, and his treatment of animals. This causes her fall from grace and her transformation (in the public eye at least) to the Wicked Witch...
Set mostly before Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, Wicked! cleverly ties in characters and plots from both stories. With incredible costumes, and a fantastic set (especially the mechanics and the massive coloured back screen) I felt somewhat let down that most of the characters were speaking in American accents. If they were meant to, they weren't very good and if they weren't it was a shame they couldn't get British leads. I didn't imagine Ozians to have that type of voice.
