From the moment the giant dragon clock that ominously overhangs the proscenium at the Kennedy Center comes to life at the top of the show, it is quite apparent that we’re not in Kansas anymore. Actually, it’s more like we’re not in Kanses yet. For anyone that’s been under a theatrical rock for the last 20 years, Stephen Schwartz’s megahit Wicked, which has been selling strong on Broadway for 18 years, based on Gregory Maguire’s hit 1995 book, is the untold “true” story of young Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West when they were roommates and friends in boarding school, told from the Wicked Witch’s point of view. Maguire’s clever story, reflected in Winnie Holzman’s lighter and more comical stage treatment, was actually very predictive of our current political atmosphere, with cautionary lessons in trusting our leaders who usually don’t have our best interest at heart, and the ways the “fake media” is manipulated to cover up the inconvenient truth and provide the story they want us to believe (what we affectionately know as the The Wizard of Oz), with forays into the subjects of classism, white privilege (at the expense of green oppression), and the gray area between absolute good and evil. And in the process it cleverly sets up everything we have forever take for granted in The Wizard of Oz. Right off the bat, the good news is that after 18 years of performances and numerous national tours, Wicked is still flawless. The talent is still some of the strongest on the road and the performances still tight and sharp. Wicked shows no signs of its age and has become possibly even more relevant in recent years.
When our protagonists are thrown together at the prestigious private Schizz School, popular, perky, and blonde Galinda (as she was known before adopting her public persona, played at this performance by understudy Jackie Raye) and awkward green misfit Elphaba (adapted from the phonetic pronunciation of initials of Oz author L. Frank Baum, Lissa deGuzman) initially clash, but eventually each soften and develop a genuine friendship, complicated slightly by the arrival of upper class Winkie party boy Fiyero (Jordan Litz) who comes between them. Galinda earns points with her jaded roommate by assisting her frail younger sister, wheelchair bound Nessarose (Kimberly Immanuel), with a Munchkin boy (although her motives are not totally altruistic, but…..shades of gray). Throw in a Wizard with even more secrets than we know of (John Bolton), a social climbing professor who finds ways to capitalize on Elphaba’s budding powers (Natalie Venetia Belcon), and the lonely Munchkin boy above, Bok (Jake Pedersen), and the ingredients come to a boil for an intriguing and inspiring retelling of the story we think we know.
DeGuzman and Raye have amazing chemistry for two performers who do not regularly perform together. DeGuzman executes all the big numbers of the show (and there are many—Schwartz has blessed Elphaba with some of the best songs composed for modern musical theatre and deGuzman nails every last one, most notably the still chill-inducing “Defying Gravity”, the best first act finale since Les Mis gave us “One Day More”). Raye balances deGuzman’s serious and studious Elphaba with expert comic timing, hilarious physical comedy, and classically trained musicality. Raye deserves additional praise for never missing a beat as she flits and flounces through the evening as if she performed this role 8 shows a week. She and deGuzman blend as seamlessly as original cast members Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel (though to be honest, that is one of the strengths of Wicked, that it still pulls in top notch talent even almost 20 years later)
Litz as charming frat boy Fiyero is a perfect love interest—handsome, strong, funny, and possessing a killer voice, a true leading man who proves he is more than his shallow exterior suggests. Immanuel makes a smooth transition from frail schoolgirl to ambitious politico, and Pederson is winsome as a shy Munchkin boy who changes and is changed by Nessarose. Although it’s probably not a spoiler as there is virtually no one who hasn’t seen this musical at least once, I will not divulge the clever paths this trio take to morph into their Ozian counterparts known to us.
But Wicked is not the behemoth it is just because of smart writing and talented performances. The technical ends of the show likewise ramain some of the best out there today. Set Designer Eugene Lee provides a barely scaled down version of his Broadway set, highlighted by the aforementioned dragon clock which hovers over the audience the entire evening and a clock that tells time in base 13 hours. Lighting designer Kenneth Posner (with strong assists from projection designer Elaine J. McCarthy) creates some of the best lighting effects in modern theatre, providing constantly shifting mood from bright pinks and greens to murky shadows, and enhancing special effects, peaking with his brilliant plot for “Defying Gravity” that assists the illusion of Elphaba’s first attempt at flight.
Susan Hilferty’s unique stylized costumes create the definitions of Ozian fashion and work particularly well under Posner’s lights (Elphaba’s second act “black” dress is actually a dozen different dark variegated colors and textures to play with his lighting), and musical staging by Wayne Cilento likewise devises a lexicon of original spastic and quirky dance movements to create the language of pop dance in Oz. Additional special effects by Chic Silber up the ante for all the witches’ magic in the lands. In the same vein, Holzman’s gripping book incorporates lightness by creating regional colloquialisms that sound like English but are not quite (“definish”, “congratulotions”).
But the testament to the commitment to the show is Joe Mantello’s razor sharp direction and Schwartz’s now immortal score which resounds from the fluffy and fun “The Wizard and I” (full of contradictory predictive lyrics to the familiar story) “What Is This Feeling” and “Popular” in the first act through the breathtaking “Defying Gravity” to the three building 11:00 numbers (“As Long As You’re Mine”, “No Good Deed”, and the pinnacle, “For Good”, all featuring deGuzman who sublimely takes the show home). It’s going to take more than the last minute arrival of some random little farm girl with a bucket of water to bring down this powerhouse of a show.
So yes, as I stated before, Wicked still holds up and is as inspiring, entertaining, and fascinating as it was when it first opened. I will also reiterate a fact that time has supported—this is another manufactured win that the Tony committee fumbled. Wicked is still changing lives, winning hearts, packing houses on the road and around the world, becoming one of only three musicals to reach the billion dollar mark (along with The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King). 2004’s awarded best musical Avenue Q, admittedly incredibly charming and clever in its own right, is playing community theatres and school editions. Sometimes the Popular show is still the best. My suggestion is to abandon all you think you know from the beloved movie and book and with an open mind, head down the yellow brick road (or I-95, whichever is more convenient) to spend One Short Day in the Emerald City. Mark my words, you too will be Changed For Good.
all photos by Joan Marcus
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission
Wicked currently plays through January 22, 2023, at the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington DC 20566. For tickets, call the box office at 202.467.4600 or purchase online at here