Just as my colleagues on the City pages keep the shares that they recommend under review and will occasionally switch from a buy to a sell recommendation, so, too, I believe theatre critics should keep tabs on the productions that they have advised their readers to see.

After hearing WICKED had been extensively re-cast – normally a sign in the West End that quality control has gone out of the window - I went along to the Apollo Victoria to see if it still warranted the five stars I had awarded it almost a year ago. The answer is emphatically yes.

The new faces in the production – Kerry Ellis, Dianne Pilkington and Oliver Tompsett – are every bit as good, if not better, than their predecessors. The show, directed by Joe Mantello, still has the most striking special effects to be seen in the West End. The clever Sondheimian lyrics haven’t lost any of their resonance either.

What I liked most of all was the enthusiasm of the members of the cast – not just the leads, but also the supporting players, and they all richly deserved the standing ovation that the audience gave them the night I re-acquainted myself with this great production. This one remains a strong buy.

Tim Walker, Sunday 2 September 2007

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