Girl at the Rock Shows

Photo by Joan Marcus

I still have not seen any of the Wicked movies. Go ahead and get your gasp and shock out of your system. The truth is, I’ve never been much of a movie person. Why would I spend an evening at a movie theatre when I can be out at a live concert? Sure, maybe this way of thinking is a bit flawed. I mean, ultimately, movies, like live music, are an art, and I appreciate all kinds of arts, but it’s just never been my thing. Because of this, I went into Thursday night’s production of Wicked at The Orpheum Theatre blindly. I knew it was a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. I knew a few songs just because, when I was in high school, we did a few numbers from the musical for the show choir that I played piano for, but beyond that, I knew nothing. Typically, I love going in blind, but after seeing the joy my friend felt throughout the show on Thursday night, I wondered if I had missed some of the magic of this performance.

First, let’s talk a bit about the background of this production. As I said, this is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of Glinda (formerly known as Galinda) and Elphaba. These two people couldn’t be more different. Glinda lived in a world of bubbles and positivity. Elphaba was plagued by strife because she looked different than everyone else (spoiler alert, she’s completely green). The two girls meet at school and, through a series of unfortunate (for Glinda) events, they become roommates. It takes a hot minute, but after a makeup performed by Glinda on Elphaba, the two become inseparable friends. As the performance goes on, you see this friendship try to weather many storms, from forbidden love to the politics of just existing. You see the two stand up for each other and, although Glinda may sway every once in a while to keep up with her appearances and to keep everyone happy, the two never forget how important their friendship is. Okay, this is a super fast synopsis, but hopefully, you get the gist of it nd have figured out that this is how the Wicked Witch and Good Witch characters came to be.

As with most touring productions, the performers in this group were top-notch. Obviously, Claudia Bennett (who played Glinda) and Aline Mayagoitia (who played Elphaba) really stood out, but if I’m being honest, I feel like Elphaba stole the show. Maybe that’s because I could relate to her a bit more than the always positive and slightly annoying Glinda, but I also think it was the way that Aline channeled the character. There were parts of the performance where you loved her, others when you questioned if she was a good or bad player in the game, and others where you felt so connected to her and her large heart that it was almost a little creepy. Another standout performance to me was that of Tom McGowan, who played the one and only Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Although his moments in this performance were a bit few and far between, I felt that his performance of “A Sentimental Man” was as stunning as it was playful. Again, everyone was great, but if I named off all of the performers from this production and told you when they caught my eye and how, we would be here all day, so I’ll leave it alone by just saying Bravo to everyone that graced the stage.

The set was somehow minimal and extravagant all at the same time. The extravagance never left as a giant dragon was floating above the stage throughout the performance. Okay, it wasn’t actually floating as it was just stuck right in the middle of the frame of the stage, but it just added this other-worldly kind of vibe as if never letting you forget the fantasy behind this story. Beyond that, I feel like the production did a good job of sending you to various locations with minimal effort. Don’t get me wrong, when the dynamic duo of Glinda and Elphaba finally reach the famed Emerald City, my eyes lit up to the bright green tones that took over the stage and the giant mechanical “Oz head,” but other than that, I feel like the set wasn’t the point here, nor should it have been. This story has so many meanings, themes, messages, and morals to be drawn from it. Why would you want to take anything away from that by adding unnecessary props?

Since I had never seen the movie or read the book, I really didn’t know what to expect as far as the “message” of this performance was concerned. Was this going to be a tale of love and love lost? Maybe a reminder not to judge a book by its cover? Something else altogether? The answer is yes. This production touched on a little bit of everything, and it felt a bit uncanny, given that this performance debuted back in 2003, yet everything that happened seemed to make a little nod to the current day. It did touch on love and love lost, and the mistake of judging a book by its cover, but it also touched on animal cruelty and even politics. Was it meant to be this way, or are we just living in such a politically charged environment that you try to find meaning in everything you see, or try to use art to understand this mess that we all seem to be in? Either way, I felt utterly moved by some of the lessons and morals that came up throughout this nearly three-hour-long performance, and I really wish that some elected officials (I will not name names) would take the time to see this because I think they would realize just how much damage they are doing.

You didn’t really think I’d cover this entire performance and not bring up the music, did you? The music, as one would suspect, was flawless. From the super-infectiously obnoxious “Popular” song that is performed as Glinda giving Elphaba a Glinda-fied makeover to the somber love song that is “As Long As You’re Mine,” I was locked into the musical numbers of this play more than anything else. The most stunning song (and moment of this entire performance, if you ask me) was the performance of “Defying Gravity.” It wasn’t just hearing the vocals of Elphaba and Glinda blend together like a match made in heaven; it was the imagery used to show Elphaba taking charge of her own life and coming into her own in a way. At the end of the song, Elphaba “flies” through the air. Really, it’s just her suspended in the air towards the back of the stage, but the way fans move this long and flowing cape so there are subtle yet noticeable ripples giving the scene movement, and the way the lights shoot out of the sky like shards of glass created this truly epic moment that was highlighted by the iconic line, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly.”

As one of the few people who knew nothing about Wicked when walking into The Orpheum on Thursday night, I was left impressed. I was impressed by the costumes, the dancing, the singing, the music, acting, and performance– all of it. I do feel like knowing a bit more about this story or having a slight obsession with one character in particular may have added to the magic of the night, but all in all, bravo to everyone involved in this production.