Wicked (in Vancouver, at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Broadway Across Canada) – theatre review

I have participated in musicals myself in my younger years, and been witness to hundreds of musical theatre shows, even more so in the past 4 years here in Vancouver. Having seen a number of wonderful productions brought to Vancouver by Broadways Across Canada, I mused to JT that if there’s a musical that I think has been flawless of all the BAC shows I’ve seen, it’s Wicked. And I mean it. Last night I attended the opening night of Wicked, playing from June 1st through June 26th. You may have read my preview earlier this past month, but I did not realize how well done and executed this show was until last night when I saw it in person.

An exemplary well-written, cast and produced show, Wicked tells us the story of two friends, Glinda and Elphaba. Glinda will remind you very much of a blonde-spoiled-little-brat (Britney Spears anyone?). Adorable (and gifted-with-a-spectacular-voice) Natalie Daradich gives us a sense of Canadian pride in the main cast as she is from Toronto. Her voice was powerful, and she projected a broad range of emotions, from selfishness to selflessness with grace and poise. And at the end, you can’t help but love her, despite her sometimes bratty behavior.

Elphaba (a sublime Anne Brummel, gifted with a voice range and potency that many would envy) is a green-skinned, often-misunderstood, cast-away girl who has a witchcraft gift that nobody (except, of course, The Wizard and Madame Morrible) knows. Born to a human mother and father, everyone in society is repulsed by Elphaba’s green skin, without even figuring out that soon enough, she will be one of the most powerful witches of Oz.

There is, of course, as always, a handsome charming prince. And in this case, I couldn’t help but melt into a puddle when I saw Fiyero (David Nathan Perlow, whom I met at the after party and with whom I chatted for a little while). For me, he was the biggest surprise of this show. While you would think Perlow’s character is only handsome, athletic and charming, he deploys a very strong voice, amazing dancing skills and a broad emotional range, making the spectator really like his Fiyero character despite his natural shortcomings (self-absorbedness being the major one).

Call me sentimental, but I shed tears with Glinda and Elphaba’s “For Good”. I obviously melted with Elphaba and Fiyero’s “As Long As You’re Mine”. And one of my absolute favorite numbers was “Defying Gravity”, with Elphaba, Glinda, the Guards and Citizens of Oz. But overall, the technical quality, the performances and the production were extraordinary.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and based on the book by Winnie Holzman (based on the novel by Gregory Maguire), Wicked is an extraordinarily well-put-together story of redemption, friendship and love. You will learn a lot about the backstories of those main characters of the story you know, The Wizard of Oz, in a lovely and well-crafted storyline that will leave you with a “feel good” sensation for the rest of the evening.

I absolutely loved Broadway Across Canada’s production of Wicked in Vancouver, and I hope you will get a chance to check it out too.

Week 1 performances run, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm, Sunday evening 7:30pm with Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 2pm matinees. Weeks 2, 3 and 4 performances run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8PM, Sunday evening at 7:30pm with Saturday and Sunday 2pm matinees. Ticket prices begin at $35.00. You can get tickets via Ticketmaster, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone 1-855-985-5000. There is an 8-ticket limit per patron.

Disclosure: I had media tickets to attend the musical theatre performance. This post hasn’t been paid nor am I obligated to write a review. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times, and producers and publicists are well aware of this. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.

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