Wicked @ Liverpool Empire

The Wizard of Oz has delighted both child and adult for over eighty years: Judy Garland’s Dorothy is the fresh-faced heroine of little girls' dreams, her ruby slippers replicated on tiny feet throughout the world. The allure is obvious: magic, music and multi-coloured Munchkins – and Stephen Schwartz’s contemporary prelude contains much of the same.

Wicked (subtitled ‘The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz’) focuses on the witches of Oz pre-Dorothy, challenging our perceptions of the elusive Wicked Witch of the West. She is, we learn – despite her radioactive hue and acerbic cackle – actually rather nice. Charting her relationship with bubble-gum-headed Glinda (better known to us as Glinda the Good Witch), we follow the Wicked Witch (whom we come to know as Elphaba) from her chaotic birth to her disintegrating demise.

It is a true ocular delight. Susan Hilferty’s costume design is catwalk-worthy, the citizens of Oz resplendent in eye-catching green ensembles. Similarly impressive is Kenneth Posner’s lighting design, evoking a shower of rain with majestic beauty.

The score is classic Broadway, kitschy and grand with the odd discordant phrase for good measure, and yet – omitting the occasional eye-roll – the catchier numbers translate well on this side of the Atlantic. Ashleigh Gray’s depiction of the misunderstood Elphaba is sensational: the accuracy and strength of her voice is the backbone of the production. Emily Tierney must also be applauded as Glinda, her empty-headedness both humorous and endearing. Combined, the two are a formidable pair and their duets resonate long after the ovation.

It may be a touch self-indulgent (a huge dragon hangs atop the proscenium arch) but it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable evening nonetheless.