Friends and Neighbors

It seems weird that it took until now for me to finally see Wicked live. I was generally aware of the musical’s premise and performed a couple of the songs in high school band, but it wasn’t until the film duology was released that I actually saw any of the show itself. Of course, the stage musical is a different beast compared to the movies and should be engaged with on its own level. Thankfully, the national tour of Wicked, currently playing at the Orpheum in Minneapolis makes that easy. This is what people want to see when they go see a Broadway musical.

A key part of the show’s success (something that some more modern shows miss) is that for all of the colorful spectacle, effects, and choreography, the performances from the actors are always front and center – often literally. In some lavish musicals there’s a risk that the performers may get swallowed up by the sheer size of the production, but not here. Both restraint on the part of the direction and the charisma of the actors makes it clear this is about the characters and what the events of the story means to them. There are many numbers where it’s just an actor on a mostly bare stage singing, and that’s all we need. This is especially true for the numbers involving Elphaba. Elphaba is played by Aline Mayagoitia (previously seen in the Broadway cast of Real Women Have Curves and on tour as Katherine Howard in Six) in a commanding performance. Her Elphaba makes is clear from the start she suffers no fools. Being the target of people’s fear and malice has made her a very angry person, and she’s not afraid to show it. It’s the sort of performance you can’t take your eyes off, no matter what else is happening on stage. She’s so good that the rest of the cast is overshadowed at times – there’s no question that this version of Wicked is Elphaba’s story through and through.

That’s not to say the rest of the cast is lackluster. Claudia Bennett is an absolutely hilarious Glinda, showing excellent skills at physical comedy and sweet chemistry with Mayagoitia and Ethan Kirschbaum’s Fiyero. As Boq, Pablo David Laucerica may be a bit too ineffectual for his own good… it’s not clear exactly how someone as sweet and smart as Nessarose (Cristina Sastre from the original Broadway cast of How to Dance in Ohio) became so attached to him. Tom McGowan plays the Wizard with an appropriate balance of charismatic and pathetic… someone who just kind of stumbled into power and became a tyrant almost by accident. The most truly malicious character in this production is Susan Cella’s Madame Morrible, who does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to manipulating and exploiting people. It’s probably telling that Glinda having Morrible arrested gets a bigger reaction than when she runs off the Wizard.

The production itself is slick and full of energy – there’s not a single lag in its pacing. There’s inventive choreography throughout, especially in the early numbers like “What is this Feeling” that help to vividly portray Elphaba’s isolation from her classmates. I did have difficulty distinguishing the lyrics in the larger ensemble songs, which is not an issue I typically have. Thankfully, there are only a handful of ensemble-driven songs with most of the rest led by one or two of the main cast members. Lyrical clarity aside, the ensemble is doing strong work here, helping create a fully realized Oz for the characters to inhabit – credit especially should go to the performers who play the monkeys, who pull off some truly remarkable physical and acrobatic feats.

Having finally seen it on stage, it’s easy to see why Wicked became such a cultural phenomenon. This is a show that dazzles and excites the audience, built around performances that can instantly turn actors into stars. You’re never going to bring them down.

WICKED plays at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis through August 8th.