Wickedly good show jam-packed with talent OPINION

Published date23 June 2021
Publication titleStratford 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 stage that frustration was swapped out for enchantment.

Any criticism of the casting decision to put these two fantastically talented actors into the lead roles was laid to rest the moment they appeared, and left me wondering — which came first, the chicken or the egg, or were they cast simultaneously as their on-stage pairing was so perfect.

They were a true yin and yang, with chemistry to match, and whenever the pair were on stage, magic happened. Rebekah’s beautiful voice rose as high as she and her bubble did, and she managed to give Glinda all the comedy the role enjoys while still giving her depth.

Catherine’s Elphaba was truly phenomenal. Her rich voice was made for this role and she embodied the complicated, moody, overlooked young woman Elphaba is. While the green makeup certainly helped remind the audience of her character’s outcast status, it wasn’t actually needed, so perfect was Catherine’s posture and physicality throughout.

While the witches had flown in for the show,most of the cast is local and gave Taranaki plenty to be proud of.

Stacy Manktelow’s Madame Morrible was a masterclass in character acting and she played the master manipulator beautifully. She commanded attention whenever she was on stage, matching her dramatic costuming and makeup with her presence. I can’t wait to see what show she is cast in next. Another great local talent is Justin...

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