Review: WICKED at Orpheum Theatre

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Carol de Giere, the biographer of Stephen Schwartz, for BroadwayWorld. It was an exhilarating experience, and seeing WICKED at the majestic Orpheum Theater in BroadwaySF made it even more special. The anticipation was palpable as we took our seats next to Nicole Lopez, who was celebrating her birthday with her first experience of WICKED. (Spoiler alert: She loved it!) Managing Director Rainier Koeners noted in his program message that “This Broadway blockbuster had its world premiere just a few blocks away at the Curran Theatre in 2003,” allowing San Francisco to take pride in its role in the birth of WICKED—so to speak! It was a memorable evening that truly showcased the magic of being in the city.

Universally hailed as Schwartz’s most beloved musical masterpiece, WICKED tells the story of Glinda and Elphaba in the Land of Oz, just before Dorothy arrives. How the two friends eventually become Glinda the Good (Austen Danielle Bohmer), and the Wicked Witch of the West (Lauren Samuels) will tug at your heart, and you will be changed…for good.

Playwright Winnie Holzman imbues her Ozian tale with wit, whimsy, and sparkling comedy, balancing the deeper messages and darker themes of the show. Austen Danielle Bohmer’s spectacularly perky Glinda provides much of the comic relief. When she and Elphaba are forced into becoming roommates at Shiz University, Glinda is a bubbly, self-absorbed blonde who relies on her looks. Her mannerisms, including tossing her blonde locks for male attention, elicit knowing laughs from the audience. Change will come slowly for her. Lauren Samuels’ awkwardly 'greenified' Elphaba struggles with the allure of popularity offered by the pretty Glinda as well as the pull of family responsibility. Her father only sent her to Shiz to chaperone her wheelchair-bound sister, Nessarose (played to perfection by Erica Ito). Things start to change for Elphaba when her untamed talent for sorcery is discovered by Shiz’s headmistress, Madame Morrible (wonderfully portrayed by Aymee Garcia). Perhaps her talent will help her meet the Wizard.

Meanwhile, students attend classes with Dr. Dillamond (Kingsley Leggs brings gravitas and pathos to the role), the last remaining animal teacher. When asked why he’s the only one left, he explains that after the great drought, the question became “Whom can we blame?” The answer was easy—the animals. Whispered concerns are always troubling, and it’s safe to say that “Something Bad is Happening in Oz.”

When heartthrob Fiyero (the charmingly handsome Xavier McKinnon) arrives at Shiz, both Glinda and Elphaba fall for him. Guess who gets him? In one of the show’s most touching and vulnerable songs, “I’m Not That Girl,” Elphaba achingly acknowledges her pain: “Blithe smile, lithe limb / She who’s winsome, she wins him / I’m not that girl.”

Like the twister that brings Dorothy to Oz, there are unexpected twists and turns in this wondrous tale told through song. Stephen Schwartz’s musical genius is evident. He crafts a cohesive, overarching story through music, while each character’s songs reveal much about them individually. Glinda’s songs are light and airy, while Elphaba’s resonate at a more serious level. The tone and timbre of the music guide our feelings about each character.

Elphaba’s world is upended when she meets the Wizard (a slyly droll Blake Hammond) and realizes, as Dorothy will, that he has no real power. In fact, he needs her power to read the Grimmerie, a book of spells that will allow him to turn the monkeys into winged spies to report subversive animal activity.

In the deceptively light number “Wonderful,” the Wizard reveals his true nature: “I knew who I was, / One of your dime a dozen mediocrities / Then suddenly I’m here, respected, worshipped even / Just because the folks in Oz needed someone to believe in.” When Elphaba asks him if he lied to the people, he says, “Only verbally. Besides, they were the lies they wanted to hear.”

When authoritarian power is concentrated in the hands of one man who deceives and manipulates the populace into believing that he is great and powerful, and that he alone can help them, then everyone must decide where their values lie. Elphaba and Glinda must grapple with the question of good versus evil, and each must live with the consequences of her decisions.

Ultimately, WICKED’s deeper messages and darker themes lift this show into the stratosphere. When misinformation and propaganda abound, suddenly what counts as good or evil is called into question. Elphaba only comes into her own when the weight of her ethical values comes to the fore. At first, she finds herself mired in doubt but soon enough she’s filled with conviction. Then, and only then, does she defy gravity.

WICKED

Playing Now thru Sunday, October 13, 2024
By Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman
Based on the Novel by Gregory Maguire
Tickets available at broadwaysf.com

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus