Wicked at the Edinburgh Playhouse

Hello everyone! Yes, I know I promised something Game of Thrones related in my next review, but then I remembered I had a theatre trip coming up, and got really excited about the possibility of reviewing that instead so... yeah, you have to put up with this. Sorry, not sorry, but I promise the figures, dolls, and toy reviews will be coming really soon! Promise you that!

From the Wicked UK Tour website. Used without permission but please go and check out the website!

Okay, so, on the 7th of January, I got to go and see Wicked on one of its last dates in Edinburgh in this UK tour they've been doing since... early 2014? I'm not sure. They've being doing at least six weeks at each place they're stopping, so it's been a long tour. It finished in Edinburgh on the 10th of this month, so yes, I did manage to get one of the last shows and I'm very grateful for that. So, before we talk about the show, let's talk about the venue a little.

Again, used without permission but please check out the original site!

The Edinburgh Playhouse is an old building. This is important to note as it means there are a few things lacking that would have been nice to have available, such as a disabled toilet. Now, for all I know there is one, but it isn't easily accessible from the stalls, which is where myself and the family were fortunate enough to have seats. It also means that there are a lot of stairs to get to your seats - and yes, this even includes if you are in the stall seats. Which are the type of seats that start out very comfortable, but by the end of a long show? Yeah, you're going to be feeling a little sore. Maybe bring a cushion with you. Mind you, all of this is just blether really. Let's get into the meat of the review; let's talk about the show!

Wicked is essentially the story of what happened in Oz before Dorothy ever arrived. More preciesly, it's the story about how the Wicked Witch of the West - here named Elphaba - became the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical is adapted from the first of the Wicked Years novels - aptly named Wicked - written by Gregory Maguire. Now, the novel is far darker than the musical, which is a bit more family friendly in it's take on the tale, but I am one of those rare few who like both, and thinks that there are merits and downfalls to each. However, we're here to concentrate on the musical. We follow Elphaba from her school days to becoming the 'Wicked Witch', and see how she is treated for the unfortunate consequence of being born with green skin.

Ashleigh Gray as Elphaba

Our Elphaba was played by the fantastic Ashleigh Gray, and dear Oz, she has a fantastic set of vocals on her. Edinburgh is, I believe, her home town - or near enough to it - so it must have been nice for her, to be able to pop back to see her Mum and Dad pretty easily on Christmas. No, but seriously, her Elphaba was just a tough little scrapper, it made it all the more 'awww' when we got through that shell to see the emotions that she was keeping hidden to everyone. Also, again: that voice! Search online, see if you can find her Wizard and I, Defying Gravity, or No Good Dead. I swear, you will not find your time wasted if you manage to get to listen to any of those.

Emily Tierney as Glinda the Good

G(a)linda was played by the equally fabulous Emily Tierney, who apparently also played the role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's recent production of Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. I'd say get a new role, but she clearly enjoys playing this role, and she's a delight to watch. She's also the tallest Glinda I've seen, so that's a new thing. I really have to highlight her acting. I was only a few rows from the very front of the stalls, so it was easier to see the expressions on the actor's faces, and even in the beginning song, Tierney was able to make it very clear that Glinda was just playing the role that she was expected to play. If ever a character knew of Narrative Causality.. But yes, a complete delight, and I wanted to give poor Glinda a hug by the end of the show.

And... yeah, I'm only going to highlight the two main characters in their own seperate parapgraphs, but that's mostly because I don't want this to go on for ages and find you all getting very annoyed with me. Samuel Edwards played Fiyero in a very charming, cock-sure manner that is so stage!Fiyero it's perfect. I will say that during As Long As You're Mine, he did sound a bit pained on the high notes, but no one in my house is sure if this is the fault of himself, or the fault of the mics which were experiencing some problems throughout the whole of the second act. (There were also some general sound control problems in the first act, but again, old theatre, sound system can play up a bit.) Marilyn Cutts' Madame Morrible was delightfully devious, and made a good counter to the Wizard, as played by Steven Pinder, who would switch between being a villain, and simply being this old man who needed someone who he could actually talk to. The ensemble were really all on point, and if I could find my programme from the show, I'd list my favourites.

Overall? It was a really good production, particularly since I have seen Wicked in its London home, and am aware of how big the show can be. The stage at the Playhouse is no where near that big, and yet it still managed to convey the feeling of 'big' towards the entire audience. The train ride back home was filled with people who'd been to see the show, and none of the ones I spoke to had a bad word to say about it.

Apparently, there's plans to bring out a movie of the musical in 2016 - which are being worked on by Marc Platt I believe. While I am concerned about the casting of the movie, I'm sure Platt will turn out a decent enough script, as he had originally been working on an adaptation of the novel before the musical was even on stage anywhere.

If you can catch this tour in one of its last locations, I really urge you to do so. And if you can catch it in one of it's Broadway or London homes... well, do that as well! It's a fun show, and a good few hours spent.

And yes, toy reviews will be coming soon, I promise.