Review: Wicked

Wicked is one of Broadway’s hit musicals of the 2000s. Adapting the carefully conceptualised performance to the Finnish stage has required years of groundwork from the staff of the Helsinki City Theatre, but the end result is dazzlingly magnificent.

It’s a third-step story about The Wizard of Oz. The first Oz novel by the American L. Frank Baum was published as early as 1900, and Oz has become an integral part of American folklore.

In 1995, Gregory Maguire published the book The Witch, in which the story of Oz was told from the point of view of the wicked witch of the West. This book is the basis for the musical Wicked, dramatized by Winnie Holzman and composed by Stephen Schwartz , which premiered on Broadway in 2003.

The musical relies on two strong female roles. The green-skinned, witchcraft talented Elphaba and the golden-haired Galinda, admired by everyone, get to know each other, gradually become friends and compete for the love of the same man.

The colourful inhabitants of The Wizard of Oz are conjured up on stage, with their corns and talking animals. In the background is the mighty Wizard of Oz.

Wicked is a multi-layered, fast-moving and surprising musical that meanders from light to serious tones. The quality of the performance is excellent throughout, but the overwhelming stars are the multi-talented Maria Ylipää and Anna-Maija Tuokko. Both act, dance and sing wonderfully.

As Galinda, Tuokko charmed the audience with her comedic skills, dancing skills and bright voice. Ylipää thrilled with his incredibly fine solos. At the end of the second act, “Never Again Good” crowned the star performance as Elphaba.

Tuukka Leppänen succeeded in the role of Fiyero, which was sought after by both women. The Finnish translation of the musical deserves a special mention, which has required the input of four people and numerous rounds of consultations with Holzman and Schwartz.

The songs play and the story progresses seamlessly smoothly in Finnish. As a whole, Helsinki City Theatre’s Wicked is a musical of international standard, especially because of the perfect lead actor choices.

The secret of Wicked’s success has been speculated to be that everyone can relate to the feeling of being an outsider that Elphaba, who is discriminated against because of his green skin, has to experience throughout his life.