'Wicked' in Baltimore: High Flying Fun

Well, Baltimore, Wicked is finally here!  Was it worth the wait?  In every respect, YES!  I believe you can love or hate equally fun crowd pleasers like Mamma Mia! (and I think Disney shows provide great entertainment and value for your dollar, as well as employment for a zillion people on Broadway and touring companies, and for that they are to be praised) and the artistic stuff like Light in the Piazza or the revival of Sweeney Todd.

            In actuality, Wicked is all of the above.  That it is popular is obvious – 100% capacity every week on Broadway, lines into Times Square for the daily lottery and for the cancellations that never seem to come for this show.  (A similar lottery has been set up here as well.)  It is also Disney-like in that it will provide employment for thousands of actors, dancers, techies, etc. for years to come.  Not to mention its insane ability to market – umbrellas, books, a wardrobe of clothing choices – all in beautiful kiosks of inlaid wood – rivals those masters of marketing, Les Miz, Cats and Phantom.  The show is also easy to understand, simply at face value; it is funny, smartly clever, a little scary, full of catchy tunes, and wears its emotional heart on its green/black, white-sparkly/princess-y sleeves.  You also get to see where your money is going – the set is impressive (yes, the touring set) without being excessive, the costumes are complicated, plentiful and lovely, and the effects (again without excess) are astonishing and goose bump-inducing.

            For those of you who might think it couldn't be both popular AND substantive (the very dichotomy of the show's themes), you might want to actually go see it before you get too caught up in your theatre-snobbery.  Theater snobs get your nose out of the, um, clouds, and put on your emerald glasses!  Wicked proves you don't have to be Sondheim, related to a Rodgers or purposely ambiguous to be meaningful and artistic.  You see, Wicked also has much to say on many levels (which explains its appeal to teenage girls, their parents and your above-average show enthusiast).  You only need to hear what the audience has to say during the intermission to understand this.  Overheard in the lobby were a mom and dad and two little girls who spent the time discussing how Glinda can be good and bad, and that maybe Elphaba isn't getting a fair shake because she looks different AND is smart, followed by a healthy discussion of being responsible for your actions and being loyal to real friends, like Elphaba is to Dr. Dillamond.   Then, too, there was a heated discussion in the line of gentlemen stretching out their legs in the aisle.  Seems one gentleman thought that the show was a scathing attack on the Bush administration and our inability to ferret out a hidden enemy – which suggests that this guy has seen Act Two before.  His companion seemed to feel that it was a more than adequate response to ongoing bigotry, invoking parallels between Wicked and Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Brokeback Mountain!

            Finally, I feel sorry for people who refuse to see Wicked because it is about witches.  The show has witches as characters – fictitious characters – but it is not really about witchcraft, but about good things like honesty, love, loyalty and appreciation for difference, and it is clearly against bigotry, misuse of power, and using fear as a control method.  Best of all, it encourages one and all to look beyond the surface of people and events.  This show is not lacking in moral fiber or a positive message.  It also should be said that it is contributing to getting the next generation in love with theatre at a young and impressionable age.  The audience I sat with also had a firm grasp on good etiquette – they politely applauded every major character's entrance, applauded heartily for the orchestra, and did not run out in droves during the curtain call.  This bodes well for the future.

            For me, though, the real triumph of Wicked is its ability to cast the right people (including this tour's talented, enthusiastic ensemble) and have the right behind-the-scenes crews.  Without exception, the entire main cast was ideally suited to their roles, and played it with freshness and enthusiasm.  This show looks as good as it did the day it opened.  The same can not be said for some shows with less than half a lengthy run.  Having seen the original cast and a replacement cast that includes both leads in the soon-to-open LA Company, I, myself, am surprised about what I am about to say.  In the starring roles of Glinda and Elphaba are Christina DeCicco and Victoria Matlock, respectively, and as a pair create the best duo of Ozian witches I have yet to see.  Their chemistry is thus far unparalleled and is actually everything theatre "legend" says that Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were.  Their natural give and take, ache and triumph, and the final moments of friendship ("For Good") between them are so real it is almost impossible to believe it isn't really true.  Both actresses have solid vocal instruments, capable of the wide range of styles the score demands of them.  Happily, while they have not gone too far a field from their roles' originators, each has made their part truly their own.  Neither sounds like a replica of the CD.  Ms. DeCicco is absolutely hilarious in "Popular", and has really plumbed the depths of the surface vs. the hidden agenda of "Thank Goodness", all while channeling Eva Peron, and her outrage at finding out Fiyero isn't hers is both real and heartbreaking.  Similarly, Ms. Matlock really lets it fly (pun intended) during "Defying Gravity" and "The Wizard and I", as expected.  But it is her work in her Act Two scenes with Nessa and the Wizard, and a spine-tingling "No Good Deed", that truly makes her portrayal magnificent.  Matlock's Elphaba rage comes from such an honest, internal hurting that it is impossible not to understand her actions. 

The supporting cast is equally terrific.  Tom Flynn as Dr. Dillamond is smart and quite touching – particularly when he becomes the very embodiment of the saying "there are worse things than death."  P.J. Benjamin, as the Wizard, does fine in his songs, and is deliciously deep when he realizes that he is indeed responsible for his actions.  Clifton Hall creates a great Fiyero, with a suave arrogance and urban sophistication, giving him real world approachability.  His transition from vapid, brainless playboy to thinking, feeling man is interesting and extremely well-played.  When he finally says no to Glinda, his inner turmoil is palpable.  Josh Lamon as Boq is energetic, moody and slightly over the top.  Deedee Magno Hall as Nessarose has a lovely, plaintive voice that makes me wish she had more to sing, and her acting was perfectly gauged to the moment, whether she is awestruck, embarrassed, heartbroken or angry.  The real find of the cast for me is Barbara Tirrell as Madame Morrible, a role that I have found in previous companies to be seriously lacking.  Instead, Ms. Tirrell has created a full character, and her subtext fills in many blanks.  She also sings well, acting the role as much as vocalizing, and she is absolutely terrifying as she announces the search for the Wicked Witch of the West.  Her interpretation of the role, along with Benjamin's, makes the scenes in act two with Morrible and the Wizard reverberate with political resonance.  The two are chilling as they explain away their actions by saying people need something to fear, and even more so when they admit that they themselves are unable to read the document by which they control the land.  Sound familiar?

Technically, the show is in fantasic shape.  The direction, by Joe Mantello is tight and unobtrusive, and the musical staging, by Wayne Cilento, serves the piece well, and its phrasing, like Oz-speak, is slightly "disjointilated."  The folks who maintain the set (designed by Tony-winner Eugene Lee) and costumes (designed by Tony-winner Susan Hilferty)must surely be among the most busy and dedicated in any theatre anywhere, as it looks workshop new, and those intricate costumes must keep wardrobe hopping!  It should also be noted that, while there are some changes necessitated by moving the show from theatre to theatre, the look of the show is spectacular, and just as exhilarating as the original.  In fact, I prefer the set "frame" to the sprawling mass on Broadway, and the seriously toned-down sound vastly improves the understandability of Stephen Schwartz's clever and intelligent lyrics.  The smaller sound also allows the waves of details in Winnie Holzman's book to be much clearer.

            Sometimes, when a show tours (and finally gets to Baltimore) it is far less than the original, and/or has lost all of its power through watered down casting and a tired ensemble.  Happily none of this is the case at the Hippodrome.  If you have tickets, you have much to look forward to.  If you don't get down to the box office two and a half hours prior to curtain and put your name in for the lottery for the best available remaining seats.  Even if they are obstructed view (and they may not be) at $25.00 you are getting awesome return on your Wicked dollar.

PHOTOS: MAIN PAGE: Victoria Matlock.  TOP to BOTTOM: Christina DeCicco; Victoria Matlock, Christina DeCicco; Clifton Hall (L) and Victoria Matlock; P.J. Benjamin.  All photos of the National tour by Joan Marcus.