By Taylor Breckles (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: July 2, 2014
Wicked did not disappoint when it returned to Vancouver. Full of laughter, music, friendship, and a dash of sadness, the adventures of Elphaba and Glinda are — in short — a whirlwind.
The tornado began before the show with a stampede to the merchandise booth. Of course, I was one of many that made the mad dash to have the best selection of the evening. I was attracted to the most expensive items, but the merchandise was good quality, so it was easy to convince myself to suck it up and pay the price.
Upon entering the theatre, the scenery changed dramatically as guests were greeted by the upper body of a dragon hanging from the top of the stage accompanied by a large map of Oz acting as the curtain. This exact set was used the last time I saw Wicked, but it was no less captivating.
The real magic started when the lights dimmed and the show began. Although not akin to Idina Menzel (or Adel Dazeem, depending on how Travolta you are) and Kristin Chenoweth, Laurel Harris (Elphaba) and Kara Lindsay (Glinda) were very good. Lindsay was my favourite, simply because of her energy and ability to entertain; I got tired just watching her bounce around while dancing and singing (very nicely, I might add) throughout the show.
As the song “Defying Gravity” came to a close, the lights signalled intermission. The audience sat in a stunned silence for a few moments, unable to process how the time had passed so quickly. Once the initial shock wore off, many were out of their seats scrambling for the facilities and refreshments.
After intermission, the show continued on without any hiccups or slip-ups, apart from a prop accidentally rolling back on stage after it was thrown off by Glinda. She handled it well, simply re-tossing the object in a comedic way which entertained and didn’t draw attention to the malfunction.
Naturally, the performance grew more sombre as it progressed, as anyone who knows the story remembers; yet, judging by the cheers and sound effects, the audience remained captivated and moved by the display until the unfortunate end.
The applause carried on for a few minutes as the final curtain was lowered after the cast took their respective bows. In a sudden rush people tried to leave the theatre, as per usual, apart from the few like myself prefer to enjoy sitting back and taking everything in for a final time, allowing the crowd to disperse a little bit. More people flooded the merchandise booths after the show, unable to resist the temptation after seeing the performance.
All-in-all, I would rate Wicked as a sublime show definitely worth watching.
