Wicked review: Spectacular Dublin production proves Oz tale still has power to bewitch
Wicked at Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin.
- Wicked
- Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin
- ★★★★☆
Good news, fellow Ozians: the witches of Oz have flown into Dublin and it is a theatre experience parallel to the West End.
This is not the first time the Wicked tour has been in Ireland but the latest run is still worth seeing over the next seven weeks.
Wicked follows the witches of Oz, Glinda and Elphaba, and details their unlikely friendship from their schooldays up until the events of the Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba is played by Laura Pick, who previously played the role in London’s West End and is an endearing Elphaba, delivering jokes and teenage awkwardness as well as auditorium-rattling renditions of some of the show’s iconic songs, including ‘The Wizard and I’, ‘No Good Deed’, and ‘Defying Gravity’. She makes the ‘green girl’ seem more relatable and sympathetic to the audience and her rousing belters are among the memorable moments.
Alongside her is Dublin native Sarah O’Connor as Glinda, in the first act presenting as a frilly and frothy schoolgirl obsessed with boys, getting her own way, and all things pink— think Elle Woods pre-law school in Legally Blonde.
Her ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling’ are fun and bring more than a few giggles from the audience. In act two, however, she proves her range with ‘Thank Goodness’ and ‘For Good’ showing her vocal and acting capabilities, adding a compelling depth to the character as she matures and learns just how corrupt her world and her role in it truly are.
The show is spectacular, from the costumes to the beloved score, but after over two decades since its premiere on Broadway that’s not news to the musical's fans. What is impressive is its ability to feel fresh and current in the modern day and that feat is down to its cast.
O’Connor is the standout star of this production and her homecoming was warm and rapturous, with cheers at her first appearance on stage and a standing ovation at the show’s conclusion. Local theatre stars were out in force too to support O’Connor, with Les Miserables and Phantom alum Killian Donnelly and Matilda star Alicia Weir among the crowd, as well as other Irish celebrities like Arthur Gourounlian, Sonya Lennon, Julian Benson, Karen Koster and Baz Ashmawy.
And with the Wicked movie coming later this year, there’s no better time for a stroll down memory lane — or the Yellow Brick Road.
- Wicked runs at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre until September 14. See bordgaisenergytheatre.ie for tickets
