Modern classic Wicked offers Wizard of Oz backstory

SussexWorld

It’s a real something-for-everyone musical, says Laura Pick who is on the road as Elphaba in Wicked, which plays Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre from May 23-June 16.

Transcript

00:00 Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Really lovely

00:06 this morning to speak to Laura Pick from Wicked. How exciting that it's on the road and Laura,

00:12 you're back with it and you have a long history with the show to the extent that you were

00:15 saying if you look in the mirror and you're not green, that's what feels alien.

00:20 I know it sounds crazy but yeah, like I'm so used to being green now that me being normal

00:26 is alien.

00:27 But that's part of the character, isn't it? That's becoming Elphaba, isn't it? That's

00:32 who she is. That's the essence, isn't it?

00:35 Yeah, all part of the process, all part of getting into character and being the green

00:41 wicked witch of the West.

00:43 Yes, well not yet, but the point is, as you were saying, she's a lovely, passionate creature

00:48 who cares deeply but is misunderstood. How do you mean? What's going on?

00:56 Well it's just, Wicked is the untold story of the witches, so it's how the witch of the

01:05 West and how Glinda becomes the good witch. You know, it's our stories from being teenagers,

01:13 going to university and going on that journey together of how we then become perceived as

01:20 what we are. And you know, all Elphaba's really doing is standing up for herself, standing

01:28 up for what she believes in and her story just goes on this path where not everything

01:35 was as she expected. I mean, she expected to turn up to university and have a fresh

01:39 start and not be judged for being green and that all goes to pot within the first 30 seconds.

01:48 And then she has this new goal of meeting the wizard and the wizard being the person

01:52 that she needs and who he can make everything right. You know, there's a line in the show,

01:58 it's like, we have to tell the wizard because he'll make it right. And then she gets to

02:02 meet the wizard and the wizard actually isn't the person she thought he was going to be.

02:08 And then that's where her journey really takes off and is on the path.

02:12 Some of those hopes and aspirations and starting a new life, etc, things that we can absolutely

02:18 relate to, aren't they? Just so happens you're green and you're a witch, I suppose.

02:22 Well, exactly. I mean, being a witch in that world isn't the strangest thing. I think it's

02:28 just that you don't, especially initially, it doesn't...

02:35 Oh, are you coming back? Sorry, lost you briefly there. Yeah. And one of the most fanciest

02:43 things about him, of course, is the music. The music is just stunning, isn't it? From

02:46 first to last. I mean, I fell in love with this music when

02:50 I was 14. And I think I know every word to every single song. And that's before I joined

02:59 the company. You know, I just... I don't know how you could meet anybody who doesn't like

03:05 the music in this show. It's spectacular. I mean, they used to find gravity for like

03:10 GCSE music work because there's so much to it, so many layers and elements to it that

03:16 are worth studying. You know, it's just really special. The lyrics, the music, the journey

03:23 the music goes on, it's all just... it all just makes this whole beautiful piece of theatre

03:29 come together. Absolutely. Another great thing about the

03:32 show is just thinking about it, isn't it? Trying to work out how it relates back to

03:35 the original. And it does absolutely make sense in this curious way. It envelops the

03:40 original as we know it, expands it and explains it, doesn't it?

03:45 Yeah, 100%. And I mean, I know people come and see the show and then they say, especially

03:50 you can miss things the first time and then when you come again, it's like, oh, I've

03:54 just got that reference from, you know, The Wizard of Oz and it all just comes together.

04:01 Well, fantastic. Well, really lovely to speak to you. It's not every day you get to speak

04:06 to a witch. I was looking forward to it anyway, but even more so now. And then it's coming

04:10 to Southampton among other venues. Really lovely to speak to you, Laura. Thank you very

04:14 much indeed.

04:14 Thank you.

04:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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