Wonderfully Wicked fear and fun at the Sunderland Empire Theatre

Over 20 years since its premiere, the show is well established. It's a prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book made world famous by the 1939 Judy Garland film.

If there is a theme, then it centres around the question: "Are wicked people born wicked?"

The question has perplexed psychologists for at least a century, but this musical presents them with the answer. “No”. Job done.

The back story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, is told. She was initially a good person but, let's face it, being born marrowfat green and of dubious parentage is the sort of thing that makes a girl learn to stand up for herself.

Before going back in time, the story begins where the film ends; with the announcement from Glinda the Good that the Wicked Witch is dead, much to the delight of assembled Munchkins.

Elphaba and Glinda go back a long way and are antagonists, friends and love rivals. We probably aren't giving much away there and will only add that there are some nice plot twists.

The Sunderland production is high-end stuff and quite spectacular, particularly the show's signature number Defying Gravity at the end of act one, which would dazzle even the sniffiest critic.

The sets, costumes and effects are a large part of the show's appeal. But don't bother trying to work out how they do it all; just sit back and enjoy it.

It's easy to see why the two main stars - are the two main stars. Laura Pick's Elphaba is considerably more nuanced than the title Wicked Witch of the West might suggest; and the Wakefield actor has a quite incredible voice.

Pick is beautifully complemented by Irish performer Sarah O'Connor as Glinda the Good. The character is entitled, vain, selfish and shallow. Indeed, there isn't much "good" about her, but nor is she evil and O'Connor conveys all this and, good or bad, Glinda is consistently fun.

Perhaps the best bits musically are when the two are duetting. Wicked is light at some times; operatically dramatic at others and the duets of the latter occasionally produce quite a tingle among the audience.

Able support comes from Donna Berlin as Madame Horrible (although we're not saying what type of character she is), Russell Dickson as the preening Fiyero, Megan Gardiner as the more-to-her-than-you-think Nessarose and Jed Berry as the unfortunate Boq.

Some gifted musicians, performing live in the orchestra pit and not recorded, are worthy of a mention too.

Audiences of most, but not all ages will delight in Wicked. I was accompanied by my fellow critic Lucy Thompson, 11, who by an amazing coincidence is also my niece. She thoroughly enjoyed it.

However, the show has an age recommendation of 7+ for a reason. It's pretty scary in parts.

A 2024 film version starring Ariana Grande is out soon. But film musicals rarely top their live version and Wicked is unlikely to be an exception, based on what we saw.

Wicked runs at the Sunderland Empire Theatre until Sunday, October 20 with tickets available from £20 plus £3.80 transaction fee.