Review: Matt Ward Entertainment & HOTA’s Wicked

Reviewed by Kristopher Brown

Wicked goes dancing through

It’s a daunting task to approach a musical so soon after the initial professional production has closed and many wouldn’t attempt a production of a smash-hit musical like Wicked which ran in Australia for so long. As such Matt Ward Entertainment and HOTA should be celebrated for taking this massive risk and pulling it off.

The production, directed by Tim Hill (Regan Kelly, Fame, Spring Awakening), is strong, capturing the heart and internal struggle that lies at the very centre of the piece. I do feel there was an over-reliance on the original production for some of the staging with some scenes feeling like imitations of the original. I applaud Hill for really going there however in the staging of Elphaba and Fiyero’s duet “As Long as Your Mine”. Production design by Maria-Rose Payne (Rent) is great, providing a convincing and highly visually appealing sense of place and utilising projection very well indeed. Often projection can be over-relied upon to take the place of set pieces when budgets or logistical needs dictate and can many times be over-used.

The teaming of Payne and lighting designer Wesley Bluff has the balance right with Wicked, utilising projection as a way of providing depth and dynamism in place of static backdrops. My only slight criticism is the star lighting/projection in “No Good Deed”, as this felt cheesy, overly simplistic and somewhat amateur. The Holo Gauze or similar scrim used for the holograms throughout the piece also felt clunky as it came in and out, providing one of the production’s few transitions that didn’t quite work. Perhaps this might have been better integrated into the existing set design in some way that didn’t rely upon flying it in each time it was used. Additionally, while the costuming by Jess Bennett in general was elegant and stylish, providing an edge to the Citizens of Oz, it did feel that there was also a touch too much similarity to the original production with some of Galinda’s costumes appearing to be cheaper versions of the original productions. While I would expect the iconic dresses to be similar, some of the minor costumes could’ve benefited from a different direction.

This is where the challenge of producing a show that has been such a massive commercial and critical hit around the world on a lower budget hits home – the tendency to rely on those well known images rather than taking additional risks and making the show truly an original production.

What can be most lauded about this production is the casting and their performances. Samantha Dodemaide’s (Evita, The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain) performance is a knock-out with ridiculously amazing vocals and well executed risks in making Elphaba truly her own. There are obviously similarities to other performers’ takes on the character, but this is the first time that I have seen Elphaba done in an original and thoughtful way that truly reaches into the essential spirit of the character. Keep an eye out for Dodemaide.

Equally inspired casting was Kaye Tuckerman (Mamma Mia!, The Boy From Oz, Broadway’s SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical) as Madam Morrible who brings a fresh interpretation that relies less on the surprising twist of a kind governess gone bad as the original production does and instead presents a stern, terrifying, social climbing manipulator who commands the stage. Like Dodemaide, Tuckerman makes this character her own in a way that overcomes the potential stock character traits that would be so easy to rely upon. Local Gold Coaster Emily Monsma (HAIRSPRAY: The Big Fat Arena Spectacular, GREASE THE ARENA EXPERIENCE, Dreamworld) as Glinda is a great discovery with a powerhouse voice that surpasses that of Australia’s original Glinda, Lucy Durack and her performance is a delicate balance between the traditional portrayal of Glinda the Good from The Wizard of Oz and that of other renditions from Wicked, and Antonia Marr (Rent, Dracula’s Cabaret, Universal Studios Japan) as Nessarose is equally well cast and provides a performance that portrays the jealousy and self consciousness at the heart of the character. The rest of the cast give a great performance and the ensemble adeptly conquers the innovative choreography by Deanna Castellana (Merge Dance Theatre, Spring Awakening).

Wicked is a work that requires so much of the unsung heroes of the theatre, the backstage and front of house crew, along with the orchestra and musical director. It is a massive undertaking and the music was nearly flawless led by MD Craig Renshaw. Similarly, with so much technical magic required to pull of Wicked, the entire crew should be congratulated for their part in bringing this to life. Unfortunately there were moments when the crew’s mastery was betrayed by amateur moments – cast members moving about in sight of the audience while waiting to move sets behind performers, and not taking care when entering and exiting the stage allowing offstage corridor light to be seen on stage. These are small gripes but unfortunately they do destroy the suspension of belief of the audience and are entirely avoidable.

This production is a little hard to classify – is it Pro-Am, is it Independent Theatre? I think these distinctions are becoming less and less relevant in a country with fierce risk takers and true entrepreneurs like Matt Ward who are willing to take on productions of this scale, as well as smaller productions that are more commercially obtuse. Similarly, with venues such as HOTA supporting the industry’s risk takers, there is great opportunity on the Gold Coast to really rise as a centre of Independent Theatre in Queensland. It is inspiring to see an in-house production at HOTA that harkens back to the hey day of the Gold Coast Arts Centre’s homegrown productions which launched the careers of many of Australia’s current stable of professional musical theatre performers and made many a Gold Coaster fall in love with the art form. I commend the entire production team, crew and cast for a great production that I imagine would not be dissimilar to what Australia may have seen as the original incarnation of Wicked if John Frost’s production was not the Broadway export.

The reviewer attended the performance on 3 July 2019.