Suspend disbelief, defy gravity and take a trip down a very different Yellow Brick Road, as Wicked has flown in to Bristol.

A West End smash since it opened in the UK almost 10 years ago, this re-telling from an alternative viewpoint of the story of the witches of Oz is one of the best of the modern musicals: light-hearted and a feast for the eye and ear with underlying serious notes which are easily taken on board by an audience, even those unfamiliar with the original story or its film version.

How can you not love poor Elphaba, unfortunate girl, born green and unloved and seemingly doomed to be trapped forever as an unpaid companion to her pretty but crippled youngster sister? And which woman in the audience has not met her own personal Glinda, the brittle blonde queen of the popularity stakes.

As my companion muttered halfway through the first act, as the pair clashed personalities at the Shiz University, “Gossip Girls!”

But this is rivalry with wizardry, and soon Elphaba’s magic begins to change things, and the pair become the best of friends.

Wicked is one of those shows which everyone has heard of, but they think they don’t know many of the songs, until one after another they come belting out.

Opening with No One Mourns the Wicked, the story is then told in flashback, so you find out how to be Popular, discover the trauma if I’m Not That Girl and finish Act One with a show-stopping Defying Gravity.

Ashleigh Gray, as Elphaba, relishes her role and her soaring vocals really nail the big songs, while Emily Tierney, who has now played Glinda in both The Wizard of Oz and Wicked (which must be really fun for an actress) is the perfect foil for her, their voices blending and contrasting magnificently well in the big numbers. Their duet For Good is the second act showstopper, really powerful and emotional, and for me rather overshadowed the finale.

Wicked is very much an ensemble musical, although Marilyn Cutts makes the most of her wicked witch role as Madame Morrible and Samuel Edwards makes a more-than-desirable love interest as the faithful Fiyero. He also gets most of the best comic lines.

The cast of young musical theatre up-and-coming stars, some making their professional debuts, are great, full of energy and enthusiasm.

Wicked runs at the Bristol Hippodrome until March 21, and tickets are still available.