After a hiatus of almost a decade, Wicked has returned to Brisbane. Since the musical last played in this town the production has only grown in stature.

The fourth longest-running show on Broadway, having played to more than 67 million people, Wicked (“the untold true story of the Witches of Oz”, as it is billed) has won more than 100 major awards, all of which you’ll be familiar with: Grammy, Tony, Helpmann and, well, the list keeps going.

As a Wicked first-timer, I’m curious to see what the fuss is all about. On the way to the theatre, it’s obvious Brisbane is in a Wicked frenzy. The Kurilpa Bridge is lit green and there’s an emerald carpet leading into QPAC’s Lyric Theatre. In the foyer I meet two Ozians (uber fans) who have travelled the country seeing the show a staggering 30 times. I can’t help but enquire: “Is it any good?”

Like Moulin Rouge, one of the beauties of Wicked is that you enter the musical’s world the second you walk through the theatre doors. The set, with a giant dragon perched overhead, looms large and is almost as big a star as the cast and the songs.

Apart from tunes you can hum, a great set and fine actors, musical theatre lives and dies on the quality of story. Wicked has a doozy. A loose adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which takes inspiration from L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and the subsequent 1939 film adaptation starring Judy Garland, the new conceit is brilliant. It is the story of two witches, Galinda and Elphaba, long before the tornado tears Dorothy out of Kansas and lands her in Oz.

For the stage production, Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics, with the book of the show written by Winnie Holzman.

As soon as the house lights drop, the mood in the room echoes a rock show. There’s clapping and hooting as Good Witch Glinda/Galinda (Courtney Monsma) descends onto the stage.

The opening gambit lays it all out for us. The Wicked Witch of the West/Elphaba (Sheridan Adams) is dead. Citizens of Oz are rejoicing. Glinda the Good begins to recall the story of her friend, a green-skinned girl with a gift for spells.

A result of a fling between her mother and a travelling salesman, Elphaba’s childhood is dominated by rejection from her stepfather, the Governor of Munchkinland. As Glinda recalls the pair’s shared history, we see a kindness in Elphaba that upends any preconceptions of who we believe The Wicked Witch of the West to be.

From the outset it’s clear that Monsma and Adams are gold-plated musical-theatre stars. Apart from inhabiting the characters, their voices are off the chart. Any time the pair duet, expect the hair on the back of your neck to stand to attention.

Ainsley Pelham makes for a fine romantic interest, Fiyero, who further propels the story. Madame Morrible is played by Robin Nevin, who has finessed the character’s transition from good to bad with aplomb. Nothing in Oz is as it initially seems, and the same can be said of the Wizard himself, played by Todd McKenney with beautifully executed shambolic gravitas.

Split into two acts, Wicked moves at a cracking pace. Defying Gravity closes the first act and marks a turning point in the show. There’s a sample bag of show-stopping moments – musical highlights include Popular, For Good, No Good Deed and the hilarious As Long As You’re Mine.

The ensemble cast, the flying monkeys and the superb orchestra should all take a bow. Monsma has a terrific sense of comedic timing and physical comedy. Adams comes armed with a magnificent emotional range and takes Elphaba on a searing journey that ranges from despondency to euphoria and back again. And it’s all handled with aplomb.

Wicked is ambitious, bold and a wonderfully realised production that has been tweaked a little to bring a few gags into 2024. It’s a cliche, but if you only see one musical this year, you have to see Wicked.  It’s a triumph.

Wicked continues at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, until November 24

qpac.com.au

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