Matt Byrne Media. Arts Theatre. 8 Jul 2016
The South Australian amateur premiere of Wicked is currently playing at the Arts Theatre, and Director/Producer Matt Byrne has assembled a great cast, and designed a beautiful production, to tackle this mammoth show.
Adelaide amateur theatre producers aren’t blessed with the enormous budgets of the professionals, and so with that in mind, what Byrne has managed to achieve is very impressive. However, despite the success in the areas where money has been spent, there are directorial choices and issues with pace that can, at times, make the visually spectacular show laborious to watch. One certainly feels the full 3 hours 10 minutes running time, a good 20 minutes longer than usual.
It has long been my opinion that some of Wicked’s content is superfluous to driving the core messages in the story; one feels it could greatly benefit from a fastidious edit with a red pen. Unfortunately Byrne’s production does nothing to alleviate this feeling, and rather, serves to highlight how much of the story could be cut with little to no effect on the narrative. One can hardly hold Byrne responsible for the choices of Schwartz and Holzman, however.
That being said this production is, for the most part, excellent. Moreover, Byrne’s lead performers are spectacular. Individually they are gorgeous singers and talented actors; together, a force to be reckoned with.
As Elphaba, Dianne k. Lang brings a very measured performance. Her Elphaba is strong and vulnerable, forthright yet respectful. Elphaba’s incorruptible nature is the cause of all her woes, and Lang imbues her with tragic honesty. Vocally, Lang boldly attacks the score and subtly finds the character’s nuances with professional ease.
Kat Jade is the perfect foil to Lang. Her Glinda begins in stark contrast to Elphaba and together they make the transition to best friends through a believably executed character arc. Jade is extremely talented; both in voice and comedic timing. She regularly steals her scenes with a great onstage presence. With a vocal belt like Katy Perry and the comic stylings of Rebel Wilson, Jade truly owns this performance.
Michael Bates brings beautiful voice to Fiyero and, along with Lisa Simonetti as Madam Morrible, Rick Williams as The Wizard, Sophia Bubner as Nessarose, Neville Phillis as Dr. Dillamond and Zak Vasiliou as Boq, rounds out a great lead ensemble. The chorus ably support in strong voice, movement and colour.
The costume design by Sue Winston, Anne Williams, Renee Brice and a team of assistants is a real highlight that delivers a professional edge. Byrne’s set design overall is well considered and wonderfully effective, though scene changes are occasionally slow and black curtains are brought in far too often. Sue Pole’s choreography is effective and musical direction by Paul Sinkinson is tight. The orchestra play beautifully and the sound mix is good. Mike Phillips’ and Ian Barge’s lighting is clever, vibrant, and effective but could have been improved with tighter and more deliberate focus.
The first amateur Adelaide performance of a show known for its theatrical grandeur is undoubtedly an impressive one. The performances are top notch and the production team has clearly invested a lot of time and money for a very professional look and feel. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Paul Rodda
When: 7 to 30 Jul
Where: Arts Theatre, moving to the Shedley Theatre.
Bookings: wickedsa.com, mattbyrnemedia.com.au, 8262 4906, BASS or dramatix.com.au
