Wicked: The Musical
In parallel universe, the beloved musical Wicked is the background story of the Wicked Witch of the West and the unlikely friendship between good witch Glinda and the often misunderstood, Elphaba.
Our expat/repat friends were visiting New York City this week. We haven’t seen them in since Lady Yeya was 6 months old. It was a long over due visit. And I was keen for us to do something fun for the entire family. Our friends wanted to show their now 10 year-old son South Kensington, their old neighborhood, and all London’s tourist attractions. To add to their busy itinerary, I thought it would be fun to watch a West End musical together.
It was Kids Week and we were lucky to snag half-off tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre for a Sunday matinee. Opened since 2006, Wicked: The Musical is one of London’s longest running musicals, winning numerous accolades for stunning visual effects and vocal performance. We were excited to see one of London’s most beloved musicals with our kiddos in tow.
We’re Off to See the Wizard of Oz
We took Lady Yeya to see Frozen: The Musical for her birthday earlier this year. She absolutely loved it. But for Wicked, I wasn’t sure if Lady Yeya would enjoy an unfamiliar storyline. So we thought it was a good time to introduce the classic story The Wizard of Oz. In the story, Lady Yeya met the entire cast including: Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion. Much to our delight, Lady Yeya even enjoyed watching the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.
Turns out Wicked: The Musical did not follow the movie version at all. Instead it is a prequel and backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West in a parallel universe. It did have references to the tornado with Dorothy’s house crash landing in Oz, but that’s about it. Lady Yeya was confused, asking “when are we going to see Dorothy?” I had to remind her this musical is about the friendship of green-skinned Elphaba and a popular blonde Glinda who met at Shiz University. Although Lady Yeya was a bit lost, she really enjoyed the theatrical productions as someone who is a big fan of dragons, witches, and unicorns.
The visual effects on the stage were amazing with hues of emerald green giving the stage a spellbound effect. The vocal performances by the leading ladies playing Elphaba and Glinda were superb. As unlikely friends with opposite personalities, but with the same love interest, the story unfolds with lots of drama, magic and fun.
We all – kiddos and parents – alike thoroughly enjoyed the musical. It is always nice to catch up with old friends whom we haven’t seen in four years. Hope they will make a visit to London an annual tradition.
