5 star Review of Wicked by Natalie Anglesey


I'm still flying high after seeing WICKED, the West End and Broadway musical phenomenon which tells the incredible story of the Witches of Oz. It has flown home to where it all began in 2013, at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, for one final time. This must be the fifth time I've seen it and it's lost none of its charm. This magical production not only travelled across the UK and Ireland but has  dazzled audiences in China, the Philippines, Singapore and Switzerland.

If you haven't seen it yet WICKED transports us to the stunningly re-imagined world of Oz, providing wonders beyond the imagination. It's been seen by over 9 million people in London alone. Around the world, WICKED has won more than 100 major awards, including ten theatregoer-voted WhatsOnStage Awards. 

The acclaimed cast features an amazing vocal range from Amy Ross as Elphaba,who sings the big hit song Defying Gravity! This girl is a star! Helen Woolf as Glinda, displays a delightful comic touch while Aaron Sidwell (Steven Beale in EastEnders) is Fiyero, and Steven Pinder (Max Farnham in Brookside) plays the dual roles of The Wizard & Doctor Dillamond.

Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire this innovative musical ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. It tells of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.


WICKED has music and lyrics by Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin; Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Enchanted; DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt) and is based on the novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire and adapted for the stage by Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life). Scenic designer Eugene Lee and costume designer Susan Hilferty each won 2004 Tony Awards for their stunning designs. Music arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton) and Stephen Oremus (Disney’s Frozen). Musical staging is by Wayne Cilento and the production is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello. 
This may be your last chance to see this wonderful musical in Manchester. Perhaps a bit too scary for the little ones but nostalgic memories for those of us who saw Judy Garland in the film role of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. But if you haven't seen it yet- give yourself a 5 star treat!

4 DECEMBER 2018 –  5 JANUARY 2019 PALACE THEATRE Box Office: 0844 871 3019


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