The orchestra booms, flying monkeys glide in on ropes, a dragon with smoking nostrils and crimson-lit eyes races back and forth and the show has begun. Glinda floats onstage releasing bubbles in her wake, seizing the audience's attention in anticipation for the rest of the familiar characters to be seen throughout the rest of the performance.
Wicked thoroughly captured me the first time I saw it, five years ago in Chicago. When the production came to the Stranahan Theater three years ago, I made sure I was in the audience. This month, “Wicked” returns to the Stranahan on August 14 for three weeks of emerald enchantment.
Emerald City, a land once confined to imagination, or a television screen, lives right in front of your eyes in its green splendor. All of the familiar “Wizard of Oz” characters’ backstories are introduced and the entire design of the production lends a fabulous spectacle allowing for a very entertaining performance.
One of the most electrifying moments of the show occurs during the musical number “Defying Gravity,” when Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, abruptly ascends into the air with beams of light illuminating her as she belts a song of hope and a new found confidence. She is the bullied and forsaken student who endures the struggles of high school and accepts the inability to become popular. She pushes through and eventually finds a way to feel comfortable in her green skin. Using the message in Elphaba’s story as an example, the production has taken a strong anti-bullying stance, asking the audience to think twice about causing harm to another. Wicked is not only exciting and nostalgic, but also, at its core, urges people to rethink their interactions with others.
Toledo reciprocally has the opportunity to capture the hearts of some of Broadway’s finest. Company Manager Kevin Beebee graduated from Bowling Green State University seven years ago and he remembers commuting to Toledo for some different hang out spots. “It makes a difference for us while we’re on the road that we can take in local attractions, it’s something fun and something that everyone really looks forward to,” Beebee says, “Unfortunately we don’t have a lot of downtime, we do eight shows, six days a week.“ Even with only one day off a week, the cast and crew take a break from work to enjoy their surroundings. Jenny Fellner—who was with “Wicked” on Broadway for three years as Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose—is excited to visit some of Toledo’s main attractions during her first visit to the city. “I understand that there’s a pretty good zoo in Toledo, that would be one thing that I’m very interested in because I love animals,” Fellner says, “The botanical gardens was also something that looks up my alley,” Fellner hails from the Midwest and returning to the area is something she is really looking forward to. “I’m originally from South Dakota, so for me to come to the Midwest is sort of coming to home airs, it feels like I’m coming a little bit closer to home,” says Fellner.
I am thrilled to know that I will be sharing some of my favorite familiar places, with talented, inspiring individuals, who have shared a tremendously fun performance with me.
“Wicked” will be running at the Stranahan Theater from August 14 to September 1. For times, ticket and purchase information visit www.stranahantheater.org
