A BOLD NEW ACT

Wicked The Musical arrives in India in a spectacular new staging at the NITA MUKESH AMBANI CULTURAL CENTRE, Mumbai

- Nikhil Sardana

When Wicked first premiered more than 20 years ago, few could have predicted the scale of its global reach. With its soaring score and layered storytelling, the musical reimagined the world of Oz long before Dorothy’s arrival, reframing a familiar tale through the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda. It has since become one of the most successful musicals in theatre history.

Now, more than two decades on, Wicked arrives at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai in a spectacular new production. While it retains the beloved score and script audiences all over the world know, this staging is entirely new in its direction, choreography and design. At the helm is director John Stefaniuk, whose career spans Broadway and major international productions.

For Stefaniuk, bringing a musical of this stature to a new cultural context begins with a guiding principle. “I spent many years taking care of The Lion King for the director,” he reflects. “The number one thing I learned was that if you want audiences to feel what people felt on opening night on Broadway, you have to allow each company to speak through its own expertise and history. The more truthful it becomes, the more the audience resonates with it.”

That philosophy underpins this staging. Although