Friday 11 February 2011

Wicked!

Last night we went to see Wicked. It was wicked! And now Spoiler Alert: if you haven't seen it, I recommend you don't read any further....

The overall performance was good, but the production was transformed to fantastic with the outstanding performance of Rachel Tucker, who played Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west. She showed an amazing range in pitch and a depth of feeling in her powerful voice that helped to tell her story. Such a strong lead, she was careful not to drown out her cast members but was clearly in a league of her own. She was just phenomenal.

The story started slowly, but it was not long before I was identifying with Elphaba - many people feel in some ways that they are hard done by and misunderstood, and even different from everyone else.
So many themes were covered by the story, an obvious one - the power of the media to paint someone as Good or Wicked - so that no matter what was intended it was always poorly received.
It was about standing up for those being persecuted, whose own voice was being silenced out of fear.
It was about the difference between external and internal beauty.
It was about the difference between being Good and being seen or believed to be Good.
It was about personal truth and personal responsibility. The ability to recognise and take responsibility for our own contribution to our own circumstances, without blaming others.

As with many human interactions, it's all about perspective and what individuals each believe to be true, in their own reality. This show was an inspiration: the costumes, the performances and the messages to be truly good.

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