Kids in London – Wicked (Apollo Victoria)

This was a musical theatre threat that captivated my nine year daughter from the moment it started. The added excitement for me was that I absolutely had no idea what the story was about – except that it somehow related to the witches from The Wizard of Oz. And that it was suitable for kids (they have been plugging it on the kids channels for months – and that is why I had given in to pester power to take mine along).

Now, in order to both understand what is happening as well as to appreciate just how cleverly it weaves its story into the original you really need to be pretty up on Oz. So dig out the video/DVD of the original before you go along. You could get through it without, but you would lose a lot on the way in terms of storyline.

The production was great. Lovely music, good songs (none very memorable though) and amazing sets. The entrance and scenes within The Emerald City were stunning – lots of elaborate bright green costumes and some pretty neat lighting effects - and, as you would expect, the wizard’s area was an amazing sight. Although my daughter thought that the Wizard’s booming voice was a bit too loud and scary.

The two leads were fantastic – great voices, good acting and lively humour. And how unusual for a production to be dominated by two such strong female leads. The script was crisp and funny without being cloying. There was a moral story here too – a little clumsily told – that just because you are different (green) and have “wicked” in your name doesn’t mean that you really are wicked. It explained how sometimes things conspire against you to put you in a position where you are seen as wicked. Nice. Good twist at the end too. Although my daughter hadn’t understood the significance of the storyline right at the start of the performance and therefore was a bit confused about revelations at the end – I won’t explain further as it will spoil the surprise, but be prepared to have to explain to your youngsters.

Getting your tickets at the last minute is not to be recommended. You pay well over the odds for a seat (£35 for tickets with a face value of £15 from one of the West End ticket sellers) that is so high in the Gods you feel that you are flying better than the characters in the performance. 50p to release the opera glasses was a necessity this time, not a treat. But my daughter loved it. And the lone student who had come down to London from Sheffield for the weekend loved it too – he laughed at all the jokes and was captivated by the singing, dancing and magic of it all too.

An hour and a half for the first half. A tight 20 minutes for the interval (crushed loos, long bar queues although the merchandise stalls were plentiful) and then a further hour. We were out of the theatre at 1030 and on a tube home by 1045pm so it wasn’t too late a night. I am not a musical fan usually, but this was a good evening’s entertainment and I would recommend it as suitable family entertainment.