I have to confess, I hadn't seen Wicked on stage, even though some of my closest friends absolutely raved it! I knew how big it was and how much love people held for it, but I never got round to going - especially not really enjoying musicals. I worked out fairly quickly what we were working on, as most productions try to keep it under wraps until contracts are complete and signed.
I received a call just before production began and the typical details discussed. We discussed colour inspiration and it became quite apparent that there must be a huge scene with copper and red haired characters as the number of wigs was breath-taking and over the few months of pre-production the shelves were emptied of every available copper and red we had. As you'll see in the movies, they were all used for Munchkins.
Hundreds of natural shades were ordered too, our very best sellers such as Platinum, Flaxen, Ebony and Wenge were featured on the Ozians and students of Shiz. Various wigs and wefts which were used across the cast. Since Wicked has been released I have been asked for Glindas shade, which is Flaxen Blonde Couture and Elphaba, Ebony Liquorice Couture. Madam Morrible Ethereal Orion Cloud.
I took the team to watch Wicked Part One and we were genuinely blown away by the film, having not seen Wicked before I was taken in by its depth. The visuals were out of this world and I was so impressed because as I was fulfilling hair orders, I could see it was being filmed with as little CGI as possible. My eyes watered as the big screen filled with Munchkins and Ozians, all the wigs looked sensational and I noted how the colours were so true to life - some films change colour gradings, but Wicked was so true to life. It almost felt like an exhibition of our amazing shade range to us!
We laughed, we cried and we were taken on a journey I don't think any of us expected to be taken on. I was extremely impatient for 12 months waiting for Part Two - which surprised me as I rarely get so gripped and I think over that period I somehow became a Wicked superfan! I purposely avoided spoilers and we all went to watch Part Two together to conclude our journey. It was magical - floods of tears and we left in awe at the masterpiece.
We are extremely grateful to have been a part of Wicked. Not only was it one of our biggest projects ever - they really did almost empty our warehouse - it was such an amazing experience to be a part of production right through to waiting for both parts to complete the story. Somehow Wicked changed us too - I guess - For Good!
Explore our wigs used in Wicked