Presented by Shane Davidson
Reviewed 21 April 2017
This is now the second company in South Australia to take on Stephen Schwartz’s famous tale of two witches from Oz, after Matt Byrne Media’s premiere last year, and Shane Davidson should be very proud as this is a fine production of high standards! Dianne k Lang who played Elphaba in Byrne’s season has also joined in as Co-Director. Even if you haven’t seen The Wizard of Oz you would be aware of The Wicked Witch of the West, but do you really know the true story of how she became to be?
Producer/Director Shane Davidson clearly loves this show and it is very evident here. He has put together a fine cast to match. Not only does David’s direction shine through, but Sarah Humeniuk’s choreography is brilliantly delivered by the fine dancers of the show. Dancing Through Life and What is this Feeling were certainly highlights and time for the show’s talented female ensemble to really shine. Tim De Jong leads a flawless orchestra with members who had also played for Byrne’s production last year.
The set looked amazing as the venue was brought to life with fine set pieces and a range of eye-catching props and costumes. While some of the ensemble costumes were a tad out of place, in particular the male guards who seemed to just be wearing casual clothes, all of the leads looked fantastic; so congrats to Vanessa Lee Shirley for that. Lighting design by Greg Donhardt was also very effective and lit up the stage beautifully.
Wicked’s two female leads were both amazing as Elphaba & Glinda. Aimee Sydney-Jones gave Elphaba’s character a quirky twist and made her incredibly likeable and sweet. Despite struggling vocally with some of the higher notes, Sydney-Jones still made this role her own and was a joy to watch. Jessica Vlachoulis, as Glinda, had the audience in her hands and stole the show with Popular, I think Vlachoulis will have a very bright future and this is just the beginning of big things to come for her. The chemistry these girls had on stage was also fantastic, and they shared a heart-warming hug during bows that felt very real.
The cast only featured a handful of males, but all clearly loved to be up on stage and really gave their all in their various roles. William Richards, in particular, was another crowd favourite on the night in his role of the Wizard. Zac Moore and Jack Raftopoulos also gave charming performances of Fieryo and Boq respectively. These three gentlemen should continue to delve into the performing arts as they get older. Daniel Watkins was also impressive as Dr Dillamond and had the strongest male voice that stood out in Something Bad.
Proving that no matter how small the role, if you shine bright you’ll stand out, I was most impressed with Isabelle Oppedisano as Elphaba’s sister Nessarose. Her short but powerful moment of song at the beginning of Act II was fantastic and like Vlachoulis will clearly have a bright future on stage if this is just the beginning. India Goodhand was also another stand-out as Madame Morrible, with a feisty personality and a consistent accent as well.
Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable show that made for a very entertaining night out. This young and talented cast should be very proud as their hard work has clearly paid off.
Reviewed by Daniel Knowles
Season ended