On an equivalent day that Broadway went dark thanks to virus concerns, the show went on for Wicked in Madison, Wisconsin. I received the Overture curious to ascertain what percentage people came out for one among Broadway’s most beloved shows. While there was a clear smattering of empty seats throughout the house, it seems most theatre lovers were present.
As the curtain rose, and before I used to be swept up within the experience of Wicked, I took a flash to wonder how it felt for the cast and crew to be performing when their Broadway relations were on a sudden hiatus, and the way long would they continue their run? It seems, not long. It had been their final performance for the foreseeable future.
WICKED maybe a beloved Broadway favorite permanent reason. Its large-scale production at its best with a gifted cast, award-winning costumes, and magical sets, unlike anything you’ve seen. The sweeping score is catchy and memorable. I’ve seen Wicked repeatedly by purchasing online Wicked broadway tickets and since its debut over sixteen years ago and was surprised at how current this show is with its tale of discrimination, politics, taking a stand, and enduring friendship.
As Glinda, played by Allison Bailey, floated on stage via bubble, I found her voice and delivery refreshing. Certainly, she played the oft ditzy Glinda well, but she also showed a more realistic side of Glinda where her voice wasn’t always high-pitched and saccharin–but clear and authentic.
When Elphaba, played by Talia, made her entrance as a replacement student at Shiz, I used to be struck by her comedic-timing and casually sarcastic portrayal of the green witch. Her delightful approach jogged my memory of Fleabag writer and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, which may be an excellent thing.
Kudos to the talented cast for taking the audience on an incredible journey of magic and make before we all returned home to more dire news of a world pandemic, social distancing and theatre and humanity closures across the country.
Having recently celebrated its 16th anniversary on Broadway, WICKED is that the winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards. WICKED has been performed Tickets4Chicago reported that in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland, and China) and has so far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. WICKED has amassed over $4.8 billion in global sales and has been seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide.
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The assembly is directed by Tony Award winner Joe Montello with musical staging by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento. WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Areca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
Overture Center for the humanities in Madison, Wis., features seven state-of-the-art performances and five galleries where national and international touring artists, 10 resident companies and many local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences annually. With the vision to supply “Extraordinary Experiences for All,” Overture’s mission is to support and elevate our community’s creative culture, economy and quality of life through the humanities.