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So, Wicked has finally had it’s opening night at the Apollo Victoria. This is the theatre where we saw Movin’ Out, and apparently they’ve turned it into the Emerald City. Its a beautiful art deco ex-cinema, which I felt wasn’t a total success as a theatre, (some poor sightlines and it felt huge), but perhaps it needs the big spectacle, and from all accounts, Wicked is certainly that.

Predictably the reviews are ‘mixed’. It’s clearly going to be a popular, rather than a critical, success. I watched them discussing it on Newsnight Review (the only bit of Newsnight I ever watch) and most of them were far too ‘arty’ and ‘sophisticated’ to enjoy a Broadway musical. A couple had enjoyed it unashamedly, and it was said ‘the public will love it’, but in the ‘what do they know’ tone of voice. It reminded me of Uni, and why, for a time, I stopped going to musicals, which I’d loved my whole life, as they were seen as so deeply uncool and as theatre for the tourists and out of town coach parties. Theatre was only good if it was weird. As I said before, theatre should challenge, and doesn’t always have to be comfortable, but let’s also celebrate the sheer enjoyment that such huge shows bring. If I was choosing between a musical and a Sarah Kane play, or even, God help me, Pinter, I’d take the musical every time. I’m reminded of the critical opinion on Les Mis when that premiered 21 years ago, when there was a lot of negativity, and questions about whether this was what the RSC should be doing.

One comment was that maybe you have to love the Wizard of Oz to get it. It did amuse me when someone said they couldn’t get excited about a piece of theatre that was about witches and wizards rather than real life. Well, sorry, but that’s exactly the kind of theatre that excites me.