I was lucky enough to catch Wicked The Broadway Musical a few weeks ago at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre. I was curious to see why so many were so infatuated with this production. Over 30 million people worldwide have seen the musical performed and on its 9th year on Broadway it has garnered nothing but rave reviews. I was not disappointed!

First off, they let us have a look around backstage. It was an intricate choreography of set pieces, props, costumes, wigs and breath mints. Yes, so many tins of breath mint! I later realized that it’s probably common courtesy for fellow actors to have your mouth smelling fresh due to all the in-your-face dialogue. You really get the sense of being in a magical place even though actual physical space was not at a premium. Some of the dresses worn by the actresses weighed as much as 20kg! Just an example of the fanatical attention to detail that has brought about such critical acclaim to Wicked and comparisons to The Phantom Of The Opera.

Next, I spoke to The Witches Of Oz! Elphaba (the green witch played by Jemma Rix) and Glinda (Suzie Mathers), two profoundly talented Aussie actresses who met in theatre and have been like sisters ever since. They were very well spoken about their roles in the play and the toil and dedication it took to reach this point. They were quite adorable as well finishing each other’s sentences and delegating answer responsibility! I lamented to them my 7th grade experience of forgetting my lines as The Wizard and screwing up The Wizard Of Oz in front of the whole school. A quick ride in Glinda’s famous bubble made me feel slightly better!

And so the play began with Glinda’s magical entrance in her bubble. She totally blew me out of the water, showing the audience how to make a REAL grand entrance. The rest of the cast was flawless in their performance but it was Jemma and Suzie’s show to steal, and run away with it they did! Suzie was a shot of adrenaline with her peppy laughs and comical, ditsy deliveries. Jemma in wonderful contrast played the loveable yet complex character of The Wicked witch with such depth. My therapy was complete after watching such seasoned performers execute with such perfection. After the show, they even brought us on stage for photos asking us if we noticed the mistakes that were made. As we shook our heads to say, “Not at all,” they told me, “The show must go on!”

Indeed, Wicked will go on for a very long time.

Special thanks to Amanda at Base Entertainment and the entire cast and crew who took time out of their busy schedules to show us around, take photos with us and really make it the memorable experience that it was.

Watch the exclusive backstage tour and full interview with the two main leads of the musical right here!

Wicked The Musical Interview