Wicked is wicked!

Excuse me while I put on my pointy musical theater hat.

Wicked the Musical is based on Gregory Maguire's book about the "untold story of the witches of Oz". The music is by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, The Baker's Wife, The Prince of Egypt, Disney's Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

I was giddy the whole weekend. I watched the matinee at Apollo Victoria, so there were loads of kids and teens. They probably toned down As Long As You're Mine for the audience. There were some people who came to the theater wearing witch hats. (Halloween leftovers?) For some reason, many punchlines didn't work. I'm not sure if anybody noticed the reference to Evita. I also thought I heard a backing vocal track for the first few ensemble songs. Is that possible, especially when you have a live orchestra? I think Trumpets does it, and they have all the music recorded. But for a West End musical, that would amount to shortchanging the theatergoers. But I my ears could have deceived me.

Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba (and won a Tony for the role), is a goddess. I was in the 29th row, completely out of her sight, but I felt as if she was acting for me. It's embarrassing that I actually considered sending a letter to the stage door. Helen Dallimore (Galinda) sounds quite different from Kristin Chenoweth. Adam Garcia is a boyish Fiyero, so pairing him with Idina doesn't work for me (see video). I know he can dance, but he can't really do much of that in this role. I can't place his accent, but they did Dancing Through Life pronouncing "dancing" in the English way.

Overheard in the stalls: December 31, Idina's last night as Elphaba, should be emotional, as she had wanted to extend her contract but was not allowed to.

Tip for the ladies who want to go to the toilet after intermission: after Defying Gravity (then blackout), make a run for it! The queue to the loo is the longest I've ever seen for a show.