Wicked flew into Bristol this week and fans of the critically acclaimed, award-winning musical couldn’t have been treated to a bigger spectacle.
To a packed out auditorium, Laura Pick (Elphaba) and Sarah O’Connor (Glinda) gave the performances of their lives as they retold the Gregory Maguire novel; Wicked: The life and time of the Wicked Witch of the West, a tale of Oz, from the lives of the Good and Wicked witches.
Despite being it’s third run at the Hippodrome, Wicked, winner of more than 100 awards globally, has sold over 60,000 tickets and more seats have now been released for its five week run.
Wicked tells the story of two friends that meet at university- one would like to be a witch, one was born into it. Glinda, with a ‘Ga’ is the pretty blonde who thinks she is better than the rest, Elphaba is a green-skinned girl, who lacks confidence, has the ability to perform magic and wants what is best for the speaking animals of Oz- who are mysteriously losing their voices.
The story tells of the battle to keep friendships against the odds.
With music from Stephen Schwartz and a 14 piece orchestra, this masterpiece is delivered with powerhouse performances across the board.
Sarah O’Connor has the audience laughing along throughout the 2 hour 45 minute performance, regularly delivering relatable comedic anecdotes. Her outstanding voice was showcased on multiple occasions but her stand out performance came from her rendition of the iconic ‘Popular’.
Unsurprisingly, Carl Man as Fiyero also showcases his outstanding talents in ‘As long as you’re mine.’
But the performance of the night came from Laura Pick with her simply phenomenal vocals on ‘Defying Gravity’. The notes hit in the song were absolutely unreal and the audience gave her the rapturous response deserved for such a musical masterclass.
Elphaba was the favourite amongst the younger members of the audience also. Seren Matthews, eight, from Gloucester, had attended the performance dressed as her musical superhero to celebrate her 8th birthday. During the interval she said: “This has been the best birthday ever, I love Elphaba, she is such a great singer!”
For tickets go to atgtickets.com/Bristol Wicked is at Bristol Hippodrome until February 25.
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