Wicked... it's one of those musicals that everyone and their mother seems to have seen. Except me, that is. Somehow, I've managed to avoid seeing it on stage, or even any clips online. I knew a few words to "
Defying Gravity" and that was it. So, when the invitation to join the
Southampton Bloggers at the newly refurbished
Mayflower Theatre to watch this masterpiece of a show, there was no way I could turn it down. And boy am I grateful for the opportunity. It has quite possibly become one of my favourite shows.
I was already in a state of wonder walking into the newly renovated theatre, which was only heightened once the performance began. The theatre is now a glorious deep shade of red, which feels incredibly luxurious. Accompanied by some new seating, you almost feel like you're in a different theatre. It really is stunning.
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| Image courtesy of Mayflower Theatre |
As soon as we took I seats, my eyes were instantly drawn to the gorgeous
Wicked curtain (a map of Oz and the surrounding areas) and the imposing dragon above the stage. Now, like many other newbies, all I knew about the green protagonist was the story of the
Wicked Witch of the West that I'd been told by
The Wizard of Oz. But the story of
Wicked could not be further from this...
Set before the classic tale, we meet
Elphaba and
Glinda as they join Shiz University as sorcery students. They form an unlikely friendship, one that you really don't see coming, but that is really sweet. The most breathtaking moment had to be when
Amy Ross, playing
Elphaba, was flying high and singing "
Defying Gravity" just before the interval. She totally owned this iconic role, and belted out the only song I knew beforehand like I'd never heard before. She was amazing, as were the rest of the cast. The vocals on
Helen Woolf were unbelievable, and she played the ditzy character of
Glinda really well. Most surprising for me was
Aaron Sidwell in the role of Fiyero. I knew of Sidwell from his role as
Steven Beale in
Eastenders, but never imagined that he'd have the singing ability that he has. He was great!
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| Image courtesy of Mayflower Theatre |
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| Image courtesy of Mayflower Theatre |
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| Image courtesy of Mayflower Theatre |
Overall, I was really impressed with the show. I walked away with a totally different perspective of
Elphaba - maybe she's not as wicked as I once was led to believe. I absolutely loved it. What a way for
The Mayflower to really celebrate its reopening.
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| Image courtesy of Mayflower Theatre |
If you would like to see
Wicked before it flies out of Southampton, you can book tickets
online or by calling the
Box Office on 02380 711811. The show is in town until the 27th October.
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| Image courtesy of Mayflower Theatre |
*As always, a huge thank you to
The Mayflower Theatre and
Southampton Bloggers for giving me this opportunity. My ticket was complimentary in return for my honest review. All views and opinions are my own.
Love Lexie
xo
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