Review: Wicked

No weak links

Know-how. The musical Wicked is ignited by a star and the power of the crowd.

In a decade, the musical has leapt forward 50 years in Finland. It has gained a new generation of educated creators and its own audience. The Helsinki City Theatre’s resources, machinery and huge stage have been the home base of musicals during Asko Sarkola’s directorship.

Stephen Schwartz’s musical Wicked sums up the entire development. The singing is brilliant, the acting is high-quality, the acrobatics are dizzying, the dancers are professionals, the orchestra is skilled – everything is rehearsed to the top, there will be no bad moment without oxygen. The music is so difficult and the story of The Wizard of Oz is so foreign to Finns that the ecstasy in the audience does not arise from them. It is born from competence, energy, enthusiasm and success on stage.

“The musical uses the language of theatre, song and dance. The skills here are excellent, and sometimes there is a person with the whole arsenal at their disposal. Maria Ylipää is such a triple hit. He’s going to blow up the pot,” Swedish director Hans Berndtsson, 57, predicts.

And that’s what Ylipää does in the role of Elphaba. The heroic co-protagonist, Glinda, becomes a reality through Anna-Maija Tuokko’s comedic abilities, Marilyn-like narcissism, and finally her growth into a responsible person.

The standing ovations of the premiere will echo in every performance.