Something Wicked this way comes

“All you really need to know is that the central characters of Baum’s Oz were two witches, one of whom was called ‘good’ and the other ‘wicked’. If you happen to know Baum’s story well, or you have seen any of the many adaptations, including the 1939 movie musical The Wizard of Oz, you’ll enjoy many of the twists, turns and surprises of the musicals story: but for everyone else it is simply a great adventure.”

This is Michael McCabe, executive producer for the UK tour of the smash-hit musical Wicked, reassuring potential audiences that they don’t need to be dyed-in-the-wool Wizard-of-Oz-ophiles to enjoy the show. As, indeed, millions of audience members to date could also reassure you.

Winner of over 100 international awards, Wicked has been casting its magical spell across the world for over a decade and continues to break records at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre. And now it’s heading back out on a second UK tour, looking in at the Hippodrome from Jan 31-March 3.

Amy Ross as Elphaba. All pics: Matt Crockett

An ingenious re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two young women who first meet as sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

What does Michael put Wicked’s huge success down to? “The story at the heart of the show has engaged audiences emotionally, and the music and spectacular production values have dazzled and delighted people of all ages. The show provides an original and ingenious story, but features characters already largely familiar to audiences.

Helen Woolf as Glinda and Aaron Sidwell as Fiyero

“There is also a fascination in discovering a backstory to popular characters, for example Luke Skywalker in Star Wars or the brilliant prequel of Batman Begins. Learning how a young, hopeful and entirely innocent sorcery student (who just happens to have green skin) becomes the iconic and deeply evil Wicked Witch of the West has certainly touched a chord with the public.”

Specifically, Wicked bases itself on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, itself inspired by the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in 1900. “Gregory’s darkly brilliant story looks at a different side to the magical land of Oz and poses the question ‘Was the infamous Wicked Witch really wicked or the innocent victim of a corrupt regime?’,” Michael explains.

Jack Harrison-Cooper as Chistery

And where does Wicked sit in the great musicals tradition – is it doing similar things to the great musicals of the past, and/or carving out different niches? “Wicked is truly a modern musical, albeit created in the classic tradition of Broadway. The songs propel the story, and are integral to it – and the underscoring provides tremendous momentum to the storytelling.”

A tour like this is no mean undertaking. Fourteen articulated lorries will make the 750-mile journey from Zürich, Wicked’s previous stop, to Bristol, transporting the show’s sets, props and costumes. On arrival at the Hippodrome, a backstage team of 60 will work for three days to build the production. This includes creating an area behind the stage known as ‘Wardrobe Village’, which will house the show’s 350 costumes, 140 wigs, 244 pairs of shoes, 110 hats, 125 pairs of gloves and 30 prosthetic masks.

On stage, one of the first things audiences will see as they enter the auditorium is a giant mechanical dragon, which will hang 7.5 metres above the stage with a wingspan of 11 metres. It takes 100 people, on stage and behind the scenes, to deliver each and every performance of this spectacular production.

Wicked made its debut in San Francisco in 2003, heading off on its first US tour two years later, debuting in London in September 2006 and touring the UK for the first in time in 2013-14. “I saw a preview of Wicked on Broadway in 2003 and thought that the show was extraordinary,” Michael recalls. “Once it opened, audiences in America couldn’t get enough of this exciting, fresh and contemporary show and word-of-mouth quickly turned it into a blockbuster success. I was extremely lucky to receive a phone call from the Broadway producer, David Stone, asking if I’d consider being the executive producer for a London production.

“That was over 12 years ago and the West End production has now been seen by more than 8.5 million people and played almost 5,000 performances. There were minor adjustments made to the language within the script for the UK productions, but the story is actually incredibly universal and has resonated with audiences everywhere it has played.”

Wicked is at Bristol Hippodrome from Jan 31-Mar 3. Tickets are selling fast so book soon. www.atgtickets.com/shows/wicked/bristol-hippodrome

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