Review: WICKED at Kennedy Center

There are some hit shows on Broadway that withstand mixed reviews from the critics. The international blockbuster Wicked is a prime example of what happens when the audience responds favorably to your product even if press reaction is mixed. The themes of looking past the exterior and the power of friendship resonates with audiences.

Wicked, as you probably know, is a sort of prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Winnie Holzman's stage adaptation of Gregory Maguire's novel tells the story of our heroine Elphaba (Jessica Vosk). She was born with green skin after her mother (Kerry Blanchard) had a fling with a mysterious man (whose identity is revealed later on in the show) and drank a green liquid at his insistence. Her father (Wayne Schroder), the governor of Munchkinland, is embarrassed by Elphaba's appearance and tends to favor her sister Nessarose (Kristen Martin) who was born early with twisted legs and now has to use a wheelchair to get around. Elphaba thinks Nessarose's disability is her fault because her mother would have never ate milk flowers if she wasn't worried her next child would have green skin too. When Nessarose is sent off to Shiz University, Elphaba goes too so that she can take care of her sister as she has all along. The college is run by Madame Morrible (Isabel Keating) who takes Elphaba under her wing and admits her to her special sorcery class after seeing Elphaba's magical powers.

Elphaba's ultimate hope is that she will be able to meet the Wizard (Fred Applegate) and voice her concerns about the unfair treatment of animals in Oz. This stems from her professor Doctor Dillamond (Chad Jennings) being asked to leave his teaching post after many years because he's a goat and not a human. When she approaches the Wizard with her plea, let's just say things don't live up to her expectations.

It is at Shiz we also meet Glinda (that's Galinda, with an extra "ga," played by Amanda Jane Cooper.) She is your typical stuck-up blonde type who is used to getting her way and her guy, but develops a friendship with Elphaba after a rocky start as her roommate. Things aren't always pretty after that though. Glinda (with a "ga") has an eye for pretty boy troublemaker, Fiyero (Jeremy Woodard). She even arranges a surprise wedding engagement. Ultimately though, Fiyero falls in love with Elphaba. After Elphaba angers the Wizard, Fiyero is asked to kill her (he's now captain of the guard), but Fiyero sees through the anger and takes a stand. Then there's something about a flying house and unsatisfied munchkins. You can take it from there.

Wicked rises and falls on the actress playing Elphaba. If she doesn't have a strong belt, you are basically out of luck. Because of this, the show tends to bring back performers that have performed the role for many years over and over again. This current tour introduces the country to a brand new Elphaba and man is she making good (Wicked fans will get the reference). From the time that Jessica Vosk opens her mouth to sing "The Wizard and I," you are fully aware of her vocal talent and have the feeling that she has a huge career ahead of her. Ms. Vosk previously had smaller and understudy roles on Broadway, but this is definitely her breakout moment. Her acting is as fantastic as her singing. Her "No Good Deed" is possibly the best I've ever heard and her act one closer "Defying Gravity" does just that.

Amanda Jane Cooper's Glinda is only a shell of what is was a few years ago when she played the last tour to hit the Kennedy Center. As much as I enjoyed Cooper's "Popular" and her overall vocal performance in general, I found the whole package to be the work of an actress that has been in this role for too long. Her duet with Vosk "For Good" sounds beautiful as always, but Vosk swallows Cooper as opposed to Cooper being her equal.

I very much enjoyed Isabel Keating's Madame Morrible. As the Wizard, Fred Applegate is likable enough even though he has a dark side to him.

It took me a little while to warm up to Jeremy Woodard's Fiyero, but by the time we got to his duet with Vosk ("As Long as You're Mine"), he won me over.

There is a tendency with a long running tour for the show to run down. This is not the case with Wicked. The ensemble sounds as tight as ever and Wayne Cilento's choreography still packs a wallop. "One Short Day" is a prime example. Kudos to dance captains Lisa Feingold and Napoleon W. Gladney for not compromising anything and keeping Cilento's work held to the highest standards.

Joe Mantello's direction still looks as good as it has for the past thirteen years. When a show is on tour, it is up to a strong stage management (SM) team to keep all of the elements up to par. In this case Production Stage Manager David O'Brien and assistant stage managers Colleen Danaher and Aaron Elgart do a sterling job of taking this show all over the country and keeping all of its magic intact. Not only is it their jobs to keep the performances up to snuff, they also are responsible for keeping all of the technical elements looking clean in each city. Even though they travel with a core crew, there is a new batch of local stagehands that have to learn the show in each city. With a show this big, you have to know what you're doing and this SM team certainly does.

Musical Director Dan Micciche keeps the entire cast sounding strong on Stephen Schwartz's score. He conducts a fourteen-piece orchestra that plays William David Brohn's orchestrations (as adapted for tour by Christopher Jahnke) to utter perfection. We need to remember that the show carries five musicians (three keys, drums, and guitar) and picks up the rest in each venue. Micciche only has one read through with the full orchestra before the first performance in each city. Wicked is not an easy show musically so this is a huge accomplishment and points out how talented the show's conductor has to be in a touring situation.

Fans of Wicked might notice Eugene Lee's sets are scaled back from what is found on Broadway. There is no trap door and the balconies on the side of the stage have been eliminated. Having said that, the sets don't look run down and the tour looks as fresh as ever. The same can be said for Susan Hilferty's costumes and Kenneth Posner's lighting.

Overall, the current US national tour of Wicked lives mostly lives up to its previous engagements. Jessica Vosk's Elphaba is worth the price of admission. Considering how many tours are now going non-Equity, I am giving the Wicked producers credit for keeping the show as a full union tour. Wicked will keep you "Dancing Through Life" this holiday season and have you walking out saying Jessica Vosk defied gravity and every other expectation.

Running time: Two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.

Wicked runs through January 8th 2017 at the Kennedy Center's Opera House. The venue is located at 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC. For tickets, click here. For upcoming tour dates, click here.

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