How the witch got wicked

Everybody knows that Dorothy got to meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz after a tornado swept her off the family farm in Kansas. But what happened before that?
The “prequel” top the beloved adventure is coming to the Marina Bay Sands’ Grande Theatre in Singapore in December – the award-winning musical “Wicked”, making its Southeast Asian debut.
“Wicked” tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, who began as two young women meeting – Elphaba is fiery, misunderstood but smart with emerald-green skin and Glinda is beautiful, ambitious and popular.
It’s these two who become the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the East.
The story – from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked” – is full of political, social and ethical commentary. L Frank Baum’s original 1900 classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was meant for children, but not this tale. There is adult language, violence and other mature content.
The novel became a Broadway musical in 2003. It’s still there, while other productions have been mounted in London’s West End, Los Angeles and as far away as Japan.
The music and lyric are by Stephen Schwartz, who penned the tunes for “Godspell”, “Pippin” and the Oscar-winning “Pocahontas” and “The Prince of Egypt”.
The New York original won three 10 Tony Awards and six Helpmann Awards, including Best Musical, and has become one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, currently in its eighth year.
The appeal is in the glitz and glamour, witty and funny dialogue and beautiful songs, plus hundreds of mesmerising costumes, including Glinda’s 20-kilogram “bubble dress”.
The stage set has indeed been called bewitching, encompassing different locales for 54 scenes, each with its own distinct lighting and mood.
The production team working the magic at the Marina Bay Sands is basing its set design on the inner workings of a clock, with lots of moving parts, to indicate the passing of time.
Most of the cast rehearsing in Singapore is from Australia, where the show has been running since 2008.

          Oz-inspiring
_ “Wicked” opens at the Grande Theatre at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore in December.
_ Buy tickets now for S$55 to $250 (Bt1,300 to Bt6,000) from www.WickedTheMusical.com.sg or www.MarinaBaySands.com.