A WICKED return home...

Where does the time go? What happened to my regular blogging? Weekly feature song? Clearly, I’ve been off track, lack of clarity in so many areas of my life, with writing being just one of them!



However, today some clarity has returned and because it may only last a day, or an hour, I feel this overwhelming urge to blog – YAY! I’ve just had the wonderful opportunity of returning to my old stomping ground, the Eastern suburbs of SYDNEY.

Vaucluse

Besides a short trip in 2008 that had me laid up in bed with a virus from hell, I hadn’t been back to explore since I left for grander things like ‘London’s calling’ in 1991.


How could I go so long without returning to my home? Extraordinary isn’t it? I have no idea why but that’s about to change. It was wonderful to take my partner in life and in crime, David to share the experience. We visited the bays from Rushcutter’s to Vaucluse, immersed ourselves in the beach culture from Bondi to Bronte. We ate good vego food and drank fab coffee. We walked the streets of my stomping ground in Woollahra and Paddo, wandered around the Saturday markets held in the historical Paddington Uniting Church grounds, to hanging out in Centennial Park!!

Woollahra

A stroll around the wonderful terraced houses that line the tree filled streets, old corner pubs and houses converted into hip, cool and funky eateries. Dogs of all shapes and breeds, sitting obediently by their owners side while they ate and drank coffee in the sidewalk cafes. Love the zany people of Oxford Street carrying designer pups in designer bags and this is the men!!

And the icing on the cake was seeing the Musical ‘ Wicked’ inspired by the novel 'Wicked: The life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' written by Gregory Maguire, a parallel novel of 1939’s Frank Braum’s classic film ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Wicked has been a musical I’d been aching to see since its release in Melbourne July, 2008. It didn’t disappoint as It was a night filled with magick, art, culture, and an exquisite taste of something my heart aches for when I return to Brisbane. It’s not just the show, it’s the glorious old theatres such as the Capitol theatre which opened in 1928 and later restored in 1995, with its marble staircases, twinkling stars in the ceiling, velvet drapes and box seats.


These theatres take me back in time, and their beautiful restoration of historical buildings add flavour and character and fits comfortably within the modern architecture of a revamped downtown Sydney. WICKED was worth every penny spent, from the A Reserve dress circle seats, to the program and the two tees I couldn’t resist. My only regret was not buying the ‘wicked green dacquiri’ served in a keepsake plastic martini glass that lights up and glows every colour of the rainbow!! Soooo’ very groovee!!


The cast were magnificent, Lucy Durack as Glinda, the good witch of the north. She was fabulous and had a voice that could shatter glass. Patrice Tipoki as Elphaba, the future wicked witch of the West had some amazing witchy, flying moments. Tim Campbell as Fiyero (some might know him for his character Dan in Home and Away) was delightful and sang and danced better than I expected. Maggie Kirkpatrick well known for her role as Fergie, the freak from Prisoner, was brilliant as Madame Morrible. Rodney Dobson as Doctor Dillamond, the goat like creature was awesome, and then there was Bert - Bert Newton as the Wizard. His performance of ‘Wonderful’ was quite wonderful :) The music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz was brilliantly delightful. The story telling of life in OZ before or around the introduction of Dorothy was spellbinding, unique and beautiful.


The stage design remarkable, from the dragon on top of the stage to flying witches on broomsticks, flying monkeys, dazzling, sparkling lights of Glinda the good witch and a cast that made you laugh and cry. Brilliant, whimsical, magickal and an extraordinary delight which now has me scouring the shelves of 'Blockbuster' for Judy Garland in the classic itself, and enjoying it again from a whole new perspective, especially now I know how the witch from the West became truly WICKED!


Wickedly entertaining and I give it 5 stars and then some…


Watch the promo here


And, last but not least - as you leave the theatre and the magick within, this sign hangs above the exit door:

‘YOU ARE LEAVING OZ, REALITY STRAIGHT AHEAD!


Aaah *sigh*


Midnight rambler – back to reality!