Wicked The Musical at the Liverpool Empire Theatre
Wicked: RAWD REVIEWS
WRITTEN BY KEZIAH
‘Wicked was spectacular! The backdrops, the effects, the plot and the music and the cast!’
My name is Keziah, welcome to RAWD Reviews! I am writing this review because I love write, see theatre and share my creativity.
On the 20th of June I went to the Liverpool Empire Theatre, to see Wicked The Musical. I had been really excited about it all week, constantly telling my mum and dad I was seeing it!
Wicked is about the perspective of two witches Glinda and Elphaba before and after Dorothy arrives in Oz. The musical follows them from their girlhood and friendship and explains how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch and Glinda became the Good Witch. The musical starred Elphaba, played by Laura Pick, Glinda played by Sarah O'Connor, and Fiyero the love interest played by Carl Man.
When we arrived at Liverpool Empire it was packed, I had never seen it so busy before, so I instantly knew it was a popular musical! It was hard getting to my seat as it was so packed, but when I did I was instantly drawn to the stage design, it was stunning and all throughout the show it was Incredible. They had a dragon at the top centre which actually moved! For every scene the stage design would change, it would be hard to describe everything as there was so much detail, but I'll try my best with some examples....
When they went to the emerald city they had a cool emerald backdrop which was shiny, there was a woodland scene with trees and rain affects, they had a school scene with seats, school banners and a whiteboard and there were many more sets there wers so many!!
Another example is the way the set design incorporates elements such as lights, pyrotechnics, and theatrical effects, for example, during songs like ‘Defying Gravity’, the set pieces moved and changed in sync with the music, creating a sense of flight and wonder.
The sets are massive and intricate, with every detail painstakingly crafted to bring the story to life. During key moments in the show, like ‘No Good Deed’, the set darkened and spotlights highlighted specific areas, creating a dramatic and intense atmosphere. The atmosphere was magical, transporting the audience to a world of wonder and fantasy.
The music and lyrics were catchy, and the characters relatable and engaging. The girl playing Elphaba Laura Pick had a very powerful voice, Her songs carried weight and emotion, and when she belted out a high note, the whole theatre clapped so much, she was incredible and very expressive.
People left feeling inspired and moved by the performances. I would love to see it again because it was incredible! Wicked was spectacular, the backdrops, the effects, the plot and the music and cast. Lots of powerful messages in the story to think about.
On a different note our experience today got me thinking about theatre accessibility and what I could do to bring about change, "Everyone deserves the chance to fly" - as the cast sang during the show. The Disabled toilet was so busy Mum went and asked for help and a lovely girl took us to the Ambassador Lounge and said to go there in future as it is access. She said so many people have complained about toilet accessibility (Mum has before) but she said she will pass on our comments. She has 3 Autistic family members who would like to go to the Theatre and can't because of issues like lack of toilet access.
I think Liverpool Empire needs more Disabled toilets that can't be used to skip the queues at the ladies, a quiet room and a quiet route to avoid crowds....I think it could be policed by Disability access cards that are easy to get online and Knowsley Safari park for example insist on access cards not PIP evidence now.
Let's give everyone a chance to fly and bring about change!!! I have to give this show 5 stars!
CREATIVE CORNER:
This is a place for Keziah to share any of her creative ideas that are inspired by the show!
Disability awareness
In school I was bullied badly for my Autism.
I was kicked, called the R word and told to do terrible things to myself, I don't want to go into too much detail as it was a horrible experience and terrible things were said to me, but one vivid memory is when one girl would pull my hair, trip me up and film me.
The world needs to have more awareness and to be more kind to each other, no matter what our differences.,
I have asked a few people how they would make the world more accessible and more kind for people with disabilities and this is what they said....
One of the people said there should be more training for people.
Some people just don't want to know anything about disabilities which is not right.
I asked a group of people, some with disabilities, some who work with people with disabilities and they all agreed it would be nice to make people more disability aware.
We have things like the Paralympics, but there needs to be more.
They also said disability awareness should be taught at a young age and it should be made known that no every disability is visible.
I think awareness is a big thing and it's true so many people aren't aware of the struggles we go through.
People aren't aware that people with disabilities should be treated equally and we should be supported to be able to do anything we want to do.