Something Wicked this way comes

Tag : beaded pony tails


"Work it baby, work it," shouts hair and make-up coordinatorMichelle Skeete, as Stynes sashays to the mirror in her dress.

"My last show was Miss Saigon , and all I wore was bikinis or rags," laughs Tan. "But look atthis. Can you imagine us at the Cup?"

Hilferty says designing the clothes for Wicked was aonce-in-a-lifetime chance. "From the beginning it felt - althoughthis seems quite the wrong word in the circumstances - but itseemed effortless. There were moments when I felt as if I had beenprogrammed to do Wicked all my life."

Hilferty reveals that she keeps adding to the design with each newproduction. "Each opening is a chance to perfect it," she says. Andyet, she thinks she could do more.

"It's possible to do Wicked in a completely different way," shesays. "I've done that before with shows. I would be thrilled, oneday, to do Wicked again with a completely different reimagining of it."

THEIR WICKED WAYS - THE BACKSTORY

What's the big deal? It's the most successful new musical since Phantom of the Opera , which debuted in 1986. Since it opened on Broadway in 2003, Wicked has smashed box-office records in New York, Los Angeles, Chicagoand London. It's also playing to packed houses in Tokyo andStuttgart. The Melbourne production has already sold $10 millionworth of tickets and, after Spamalot fizzled out in April, everyone hopes Wicked becomes a drawcard for tourists.

What's the story? It's based on Gregory Maguire's novel, whichreimagines The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch of the West's point of view. While the bookis a complicated political allegory about the nature of evil, themusical focuses on the relationship between green-skinned misfitElphaba and popular blonde Glinda before they became famous.

Is the witch really wicked? No, she's just misunderstood. TheWizard maligns Elphaba because she wants to save the talkingAnimals from persecution. If you see a little George Bush in theWizard, you've joined the dots correctly.

Is it like the movie? Nope. No Dorothy. No dancing dwarfs. Themusical's inspired more by the original Oz book, which was itself apolitical allegory.

Really? Yeah, the Emerald City was Washington, the yellow brickroad was big business, Dorothy a proto-feminist heroine. Wicked istruer to the original spirit than the Judy Garland movie.

Never mind that.

Any good songs? Defying Gravity is Elphaba's Big Moment with theempowerment chorus, but Glinda's star turn, Popular, is the show'sreal ear worm - you'll be humming it for weeks.

Any scary bits? The flying monkeys are pretty freaky.

Basic details please. Wicked is at the Regent Theatre. Previews from Friday, June 27, toFriday, July 11. Opens July 12 and plays six times a week,Wednesday to Sunday.