Wickedly good show jam-packed with talent OPINION

• Published date: 23 June 2021
• Publication title: Stratford Press

There’s a reason the show is one of the top 10 longest-running musicals in London, it is a tale designed to appeal to the child in us as it takes us on a magical journey to a time before Dorothy landed in Oz. We learn why the Wicked Witch of the West has green skin, how the monkeys got their wings, why the lion is cowardly, the tin man has no heart and we also learn the scarecrow is less brainless than we were led to believe.

With all that, plus a brilliant soundtrack courtesy of Stephen Schwartz, any production of this musical has a great starting point and director Carolyn Murphy certainly used that to her advantage.

From the moment the curtain goes up, the audience is transported to a magical world where anything is possible. Visually this production is absolutely spot on, with the lighting, props, set and costume departments all giving the show the magic it deserves.

Despite an initial feeling of frustration when the cast announcement came out, with “non-local” lead actresses getting the roles, the moment Rebekah Head (Glinda) and Catherine Hay (Elphaba) stepped, or floated, on to the...