'Wicked', the musical

On a recent trip to the capital my husband and I took in the musical, ‘Wicked’. It is billed as the untold story of the Witches of Oz. And so we meet Elphaba the misunderstood girl with emerald green skin and Galinda the beautiful and popular blonde. They become unlikely friends as well as rivals in love. The plot begins before and continues after Dorothy’s arrival from Kansas and apparently (although I haven’t read it) is based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire.

Any way we both loved it. The sets and costumes were stunning, it was very funny in places and the songs were exhilarating if not memorable. Most of all there was a lot to consider: how people relate to one another, what being wicked actually means and can good come from evil. Especially of note was the way the plot was so cleverly entwined into the story of The Wizard of Oz and the friends Dorothy makes on arriving there. It would be wrong to say anything more of the plot and risk spoiling it for future audiences who also may not have read the book on which it is based, so suffice it to say that it is a show that can be genuinely enjoyed by families with children of all ages.