Tonight is the night Australian musical theatre comes of age, with years of rumours, anticipation and excitement surrounding blockbuster show Wicked culminating in a gala premiere at Melbourne's Regent Theatre.
The most anticipated show in Australian musical theatre history, this production has already broken records, and is expected to become a phenomenon in Australia and make its stars household names.
Starring Amanda Harrison as Elphaba and Lucy Durack as Glinda, Wicked tells the backstory to the much-loved children's tale The Wizard Of Oz, with particular focus on the witches and their personal journeys.
The cast also features the legendary duo Rob Guest and Maggie Kirkpatrick, along with newcomers Anthony Callea and Rob Mills and Rodney Dobson and Penny McNamee.
Wicked is this generation's Les Miserables or The Phantom Of The Opera, and its key roles - Elphaba and Glinda - have become two of the most iconic in music theatre history. Idina Menzel won a Tony Award in 2004 for her performance as Elphaba on Broadway.
Stage legend Rob Guest, who played the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera for thousands of performances, said Wicked is unlike anything he has ever been involved with.
"This is more high tech than any show I have done," he told Channel Nine.
"It has transformed the Regent Theatre. You walk in there and you are part of Wicked as soon as you are there, that's the exciting thing."
The publicity and marketing machines have been working overtime in Melbourne in preparation for tonight's opening, with parts of the city turned green as the show takes hold as a major tourist event.
Tonight's opening night performance begins at 7pm, with an exclusive after-party scheduled for the Sofitel Melbourne just after 10pm. It is there when co-producer John Frost and the creative team will have their first indication of how the show has been received artistically, ahead of a week's worth of reviews.Wicked is likely to remain in Melbourne for 18 months, and while no tour has been confirmed yet, it is expected to be in Sydney either late 2009 or early 2010, depending on the box office performance of its premiere season.
Aussietheatre.com
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