Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture

A Wicked Night for WICKED

I must say that it was an extremely wicked experience going to see Wicked the musical. Not only did I get to see the show, but also I got to see the show for free, and meet an actor (Michael DeVries) and ask him questions. It was also a pretty wicked time getting stuck in the freezing cold with wet feet, but that is a story for later.

The reason that my Arts in NYC class got such perks for this show was because we had originally planned to go see the musical about a month earlier, but the box office had lost our tickets. To repay us for the inconvenience, we got to have a Q&A with one of the seasoned actors in the show – Michael DeVries who has been in the ensemble for seven years, playing various characters including Elphaba’s father. Also at the Q&A session was a playwright Michael Feinstein. They answered a lot of our questions pertaining to the life of actors and playwrights, and the world of Broadway. I asked a specific question about historical research that goes into creating a set and costume – as I’m interested in history and art history, this might be one way that I can see myself take off in a career (though currently I have my eyes set on a museum profession). It was pretty awesome that my professor, who accompanied us, acknowledged me as a set designer to the actors. Though I am taking a pretty awesome class on theatre design, and though I have been involved in set building, I would not consider myself a set designer, but that extra attention that the panel of two gave me was received very warmly.

I have always been skeptical when it has come to main-stage Broadway productions such as Wicked, The Lion King, Mama Mia, and so forth. I personally go to theatre for the entertainment value, the story, the actors, and the cultural atmosphere. I don’t usually go to enjoy artistic value in terms of script, music, or design. This being said, I always have viewed such commercial productions as “fake” or not genuinely/artistically designed. This is an absolutely wrong way to perceive any theatre, because a lot of work goes into all productions, as I now know after taking my theatre design class. I have much more respect for the art, and actually find myself now looking at design aspects when immersed in a theatrical setting or even when simply watching a television program or movie. But let us not stray from my skepticism. I had seen Mama Mia a year or so ago, and I was, to be completely honest, disappointed with the production. The voices weren’t as strong as I’ve heard in other, less popular Broadway shows. The story line was simple, and hokey – though I do admit, that’s what musical theatre is, but I think I have been jaded by the more dramatic plays I’ve seen through TDF. Because of this disappointing experience (don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I didn’t enjoy going to see Mama Mia!), I thought that Wicked would have the same effect on me.

I am not going to tell you that I’m completely obsessed with this musical, because that would be a lie. But I will tell you that I really enjoyed it: the music, the story, the talent, the set, the theatre, the feeling. Even the ushers seemed to come from a magical land, as they were so kind in leading me to my seat (MMEZZ G7). Because of a mother who is not quite fond of the story of the Wizard of Oz, I don’t know much about the land to which Dorothy and her dog are transported. I don’t know much about Glinda, or the Wicked Witch of the East, or West. To put simply, I don’t know anything. And after leaving the show yesterday, I have a good idea of the background to the story.

Wicked begins with the cast cheering about how the Wicked Witch of the West has been killed – she melted! Glinda (Alli Mauzey) floats down in a “bubble” to address the people of Oz. They ask her if she knew the Wicked Witch, and if they were friends. I absolutely loved how the play came full circle. This question asked to Glinda led to a flashback.

Glinda and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West (Jennifer DiNoia) knew each other from when they went to school. Elphaba was only in school to look after her younger sister Nessa (Jenny Fellner) who was in a wheelchair due to birth complications. Glinda was the most popular girl around, and was loved by absolutely everyone except for Elphaba. Let me correct myself, though. Glinda, back in her school days, used to be called “Gah-Linda.” Through a misunderstanding, Glinda was forced to share a room with the green girl. Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that Elphaba’s has a greenish complexion. Oops! Glinda acts absolutely horrific to her roommate. I must sympathize with Elphaba because she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She cares about everyone who is around her that deserves caring. She looks after her handicapped sister, and she listens to Doctor Dillamond (Tom Flynn), her professor who also happens to be a goat, when no one else does.

But, Glinda undergoes a slight transformation when she meets Fiyero (Kyle Dean Massey). She realizes that maybe there is something to this green girl. In the song “Popular,” we see how excited she is to have Elphaba as a new friend. Despite the transformation from “loathship” to friendship, Glinda does still remain shallow and narcissistic. Elphaba helps Glinda as well. She asks Madame Morrible, her sorcery professor, to include Glinda in their independent study. They both go to visit the Wizard of Oz together. They both witness the horrible disappointment that the “man behind the curtain” truly is. The difference stems from the innate differences in their personalities. Elphaba, a girl with a true and caring heart, will not stand for the brutality and harshness that the Wizard’s laws are creating. Glinda, on the other hand, welcomes the opportunity for upward mobilization in becoming a beloved public figure. When Elphaba decides to desert the Wizard, she is deemed the Wicked Witch. She ultimately becomes all alone on her quest for goodness when Glinda turns on her – she realizes that her relationship with Fiyero does not match the love that Fiyero and Elphaba feel for each other.

Up until this point, I was confused as to why in the Wizard of Oz, Elphaba is considred “wicked.” It is at the point when the house falls on the Wicked Witch of the East – Elphaba’s sister Nessa, also the governor of Oz – that she decides to seek revenge on the Wizard, Madame Morrible (who was playing her the entire time), and Glinda, who gave the two aforementioned characters the idea to go after Nessa. She swears, from now on, she would never perform a kind act.

It may seem that the show ends on a sour note. Glinda abandons her friendship with Elphaba. Elphaba melts when Dorothy pours water all over her! But this is false. Elphaba does not die; she fakes her death. She and Glinda make up before this faked death in “For Good.” It can be hoped for, that in the future, Glinda takes the lessons she’s learned from Elphaba and, as the Good Witch, brings great change to Oz.

There were some plot points that I found really useful in understanding the original Wizard of Oz story. Don’t you ever wonder who the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow are? Well, those characters and revealed in this prequel. As I mentioned before, we know from this musical the background story of whom the Wicked Witch of the East was, and from whom Dorothy got her sparkling shoes.

So, I must overall, say that I really enjoyed myself. The set was fantastic and not much was necessary in terms of props and scene changes. Though most of the time the focus was on the center of the stage, occasionally the entire front wall of the theatre lit up to create an illusion of a much bigger stage. It was really satisfying to finally listen to the music in context, as well.

As for the freezing cold that I had to endure in order to get to see this amazing show? Well, let me tell you a little bit about the weather on November 7, 2012. After Hurricane Sandy last week, we were hit with a nor’easter. I hadn’t expected the snow to be so bad, as I assumed the majority of it would be falling the next day. I wore fabric, non-waterproof boots, and forgot to bring an extra pair of socks. Just walking from campus to the bus stop a street away got my socks soaking wet. I sat on the subway barefoot. Luckily, right outside of the station was a Rite-Aid where I could by new pairs of socks – which I would end up changing into two other times. Similar to the subway, I sat through the entire show barefoot with new socks on. I stuffed my boots with paper towels to soak up the puddles inside, and tried to dry my first pair of new socks that I had changed into back at the Q&A.

There was no problem getting back to the subway, as it was right next to the theatre. The problem came when we got out at Forest Hills and the buses had stopped. We trudged across Forest Hills’ wide 71^st street, covered in slush, to Subway (the food place), and attempted to call cab services, and nearby friends to get us home. We were not successful until around midnight – and at that point, ironically (life likes to work that way), when we finally got our ride – buses started running again and taxis started driving by. Thanks world! My feet were about to fall off. I’m serious. The pain that I was in led me to say the funniest one-liners (according to my cohorts). “MY FEET ARE GIVING BIRTH!”

Despite the miscalculation in wardrobe choice, I would not go back and say “Eh, I don’t think I can go to Wicked today because it’s snowing.” I think I’d do it again!

Wicked
Gershwin Theatre
November 7, 2012

Marina B. Nebro