Interview: WICKED's New Witches Keri René Fuller and Emma Flynn Take Flight

Wicked on Broadway boasts a legacy of incredible women who have brought Elphaba and Glinda to life for over two decades on stage. The actresses currently embracing the strength of the pointy hat and the power of the bubble are Keri René Fuller and Emma Flynn, who have as much magic between each other as their character's do on stage. 

Wicked is Emma's Broadway debut, Keri was the standby for Elphaba before stepping into the role full-time alongside Emma in March. 

BroadwayWorld interviewed Oz's newest leading witches about the joys and challenges of starring in Wicked on Broadway, what they do to connect with one another on and off stage, the qualities in their characters that they connect to the most, and more. Read the full interview, and see photography by Jennifer Broski here!

Wicked for so many people, is their life-changer show. The show that got them interested in Broadway, or sometimes the first show they’ve ever seen. And now with the films, it’s accessible to so many more people. What was your first experience with Wicked?

Keri: Well, what’s crazy is I joined the company in June of last year to be the Elphaba standby. So, when I booked the job, I told myself, ‘I just should probably see this musical!’ I had always loved it, which probably set the bar really high for why I hadn’t seen it yet, to be fair. I also grew up in Oklahoma, I didn’t have access to Broadway. We were a very middle class family, I didn’t come to New York until I was a junior in high school, I just didn’t have access in the same way. And when I moved here I couldn’t afford to see Broadway because I was a personal trainer. So, it took me a long time to see it. I’m really glad it worked out this way. The first Glinda and Elphaba duo that I saw was Allie Trimm and Lencia Kebede, the women I was going to be working with for the next six months, so it was really special. But I had loved it for a very long time.

Emma: I also watched it for the first time as an adult. I did not grow up in Oklahoma, I’m from New Hampshire, but I’m one of nine children, so we didn’t go anywhere! [laughs]. There was just too many of us. When I grew up, I knew about Broadway, and I knew about Wicked, but I hadn’t seen it, so I didn’t have the bug for it, but everybody used to tell me, “Oh, you’re just like Kristin Chenoweth!” So, I knew about Kristin Chenoweth. I would Google Kristin Chenoweth, and I knew everything about her, I knew her whole life story, I knew every song she ever sang. And so, I was really in love with her, and Wicked by proxy. But I hadn’t seen it, I had just seen a couple bootlegs on YouTube, but I didn’t have the bug for it because I had never seen it in person. And I sort of was scared to desire it because everybody desired it, and everybody wanted to play Glinda, and everybody wanted to do Wicked, so I was like, ‘Okay, everybody wants to do that, so I want to do something else,’ but secretly I formed my book around, ‘Oh, I wonder…’ I sort of always had Glinda in the back of my mind.

And then when I moved to New York, my mom and a couple of my sisters came to visit me, and Wicked was the first show that I saw. That’s the first time I saw Wicked. And I didn’t even keep track of who I saw—horrible fan! But I saw it for the first time, and I was like, ‘Oh, I get it now!’ But really when I caught the bug was after my first audition. The next day I bought a ticket, thinking, ‘I want to go watch it again now knowing the material,’ because I learned the material for the audition. And I saw McKenzie Kurtz do Glinda, and I was so struck by her. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was the best thing I’ve ever seen!’ That’s when I really caught the bug, and that was three years ago. I was like, ‘I have to do this.’ That’s when I became a little bit Wicked obsessed. So, thanks McKenzie! And I’m still her number one fan.

Elphaba and Glinda are such rich, layered characters. Keri, what qualities of Elphaba do you most identify with? And Emma what qualities of Glinda do you most identify with?

Keri: I think I’ve learned to embrace all of the parts of the character, the good, the bad, the ugly, and that is just like what makes us human beings, what makes our characters as fully fleshed out as possible for our audience, and makes them more relatable to our audience. If they only see all of the good stuff, it feels unattainable, it feels inaccessible. And so, I really, really wanted to approach Elphaba this time around by embracing her temper, by embracing how she is so reactionary to people judging her, and as a defense mechanism, she, in turn, judges people very quickly as well. Because then there’s somewhere for her to go. There’s something for her to learn from Glinda specifically.

I love discovering, and especially with Emma, she’s so courageous and trusting in her scene partnership. And that’s not always something that you’re gifted. And I love exploring, ‘How are we each finding our characters throughout these three hours?’ So, of course Elphaba is vulnerable, of course she is naïve, of course she is sheltered, but she has this deep curiosity, and this deep advocacy for people who cannot seemingly fight for themselves, and deep desire for justice. Of course all of those are beautiful qualities, but I’ve enjoyed more finding the little shadow, dark parts of Elphaba throughout this process. And I look forward to, over the next months, finding things I didn’t even know were there! They always talk about how Wicked and playing these two witches is always a contract-long process, and that’s what I’m loving the most—it is also the most challenging.

Emma: First of all, I have to say, working with Keri has unlocked so many things about Glinda for me, because I just feel so connected to Keri as a person and as an actor, and we both have talked about it, it’s such a gift to get to work together because we just feel this energy together, and this trust, and it makes it so much easier to define things. It’s so cheesy, so much of me is made from what I’ve learned from you, but it’s true! Being on stage with Keri has unlocked so many discoveries for me.

I think I’ve always had a lot in common with Glinda in terms of her energy. I think we just have a similar vibe, which is that of a bouncing-off-the-wall girl. I think that part is what I had in common with her. And I was surprised to discover, especially in act two, the places where I really connected with her. Also in act one, there’s the immediate friendship, like, ‘Okay we had one bonding session and now we’re best friends!’ I share that, I am a very trusting person, and I always want to be everybody’s Best Friend, and I want to be well-perceived by everyone. And I think that’s something that Glinda shares, but also struggles with throughout her journey, that need to be well-liked, well-perceived, and also sort of be the leader in terms of the energy of the Ozians, to be their common voice, their cheerleader, their mascot. I think in a lot of ways I share that desire to be well-perceived.

But then, in act two, the parts that I really connect with are the struggle of knowing what is right, but, ‘Am I going to be brave enough to stand for it?’ I think as an adult coming into this role and seeing it for the first time, that’s something I really was struck by. That’s so real, knowing, and seeing through Elphaba, Elphaba being sort of that moral teacher, and Glinda’s finally connecting with, ‘This is wrong, but am I going to be brave enough, and strong enough to change the way that I am functioning?’

And also, ‘Everything in my life is perfect right now, I got everything that I wanted, and still, there’s something not right.’ That happens to everyone I think, when you come into success. This is my Broadway debut, and it feels so incredibly special, but then you do realize there are cracks that come in through the seams, and I think that experience that Glinda has when she reaches the pinnacle of leadership, she’s saying, ‘Okay, I got everything I’ve ever wanted that I thought was going to make me happy, and still, there are cracks that are coming through.’ That happens in 'Thank Goodness' and through act two, and I just really connect with that as an adult who is reaching this level. Nothing is ever perfect, so you do have to read with your moral compass, and make sure that you’re doing what is going to give you the most sleep at night.

The magic of Wicked lies so much in the chemistry between these two characters and the actors playing them. It sounds like your connection was very natural, but do you two have anything that you do onstage, or backstage, to connect with one another, to say, “I’m here, I’m in with you, we got this.”

Keri: Once the show begins, we never see each other offstage, not even at intermission, because I’m still getting ready while the show begins. So, she says hello to me before every show, she knocks on my door while I’m still getting painted, and she’s like, “Have a good show!” And sometimes we’ll have a word for the show that we’ll shout out to each other, and then she’s off to fly in the bubble! The amount of discipline, and love, and care that we want to dedicate to this show, and these roles, and these women, and the rest of our cast, is just so demanding, that outside of this show, I tend to just shut up. I tend to go home, and everything I do leads up to doing this show. So, I rely a lot on what we do onstage together.

There are a couple moments in the show where once we’re friends, you’d be surprised at how much a little hand-hold can do, or a little whisper of, “I got you!” I think we just inherently know that as well. We inherently understand each other’s struggles, onstage and off. The bar that we’re both trying to hold, the standard at which we’re both trying to work at, and when I have extra I give it to Emma, and when Emma has extra she gives it to me, and there’s just this really beautiful synergy that we’ve been able to find that doesn’t always need words, and that’s really special. I’m not sure that I’ve ever really experienced that in a production I’ve done. I feel like it’s a very huge honor to get to experience that, because it’s not always that way in the shows that you do. 

Emma: Before I even did the role with Keri, they were like, “You are so lucky to be with Keri because she makes everybody on stage look even better.” And it was true. Even from my first rehearsal with her, I was like, ‘This is so exciting!’ because we both were very open-hearted people. We’re very connected. I think throughout the show we check in with each other at certain points like, “Are you good?” “Are you good?” “Okay,” “I’ve got you.”

I remember Keri texting me at the beginning of the process like, “If you need anything, I’ve got your back, and I’m going to be here for you 100%.” And I was like, “Me too!” And I think it set a precedent that we were going to be there for each other in and out of the show 100% to support each other. Sort of the greatest part of Wicked to me has been working with Keri. The whole principal cast set a precedent about the kind of work we were going to do, and putting our heart 100% into every show. I don’t think I’ve ever done a show where I’ve been like, ‘Oh my god I had no connection to anybody.’ I feel so deeply connected to everybody on stage every night. Even if I’m having an off day, I’m rooted in the fact that in all the scenes I can count on my scene partners being incredibly generous and open-hearted, and that has been such an amazing gift that the show has given me.

Keri: I think also watching Emma be brave on stage inspires me to be brave onstage, and then we’ll find moments and beats. I don’t think there’s a single time when we’ve done 'Popular' where I’ve not seen Emma make a different choice, and not because she’s like, ‘I want to make a different choice!’ no, it just organically comes up. And it’s been really a joy to watch, and very difficult not to break.

Wicked is one of the longest running and most successful shows of all time, and so many amazing people have played these two roles and left their mark on them. How does it feel to carry on the legacy of Elphaba and Glinda?

Keri: Honestly, if I think of all the amazing people that have played this role my head starts to spin. I think it’s double; I am so honored, I am so beyond honored, but with that honor comes a lot of pressure. It took me a while, if I’m being completely honest, to enjoy singing 'Defying Gravity'. It took me a long time, and I’m still not fully there.

Emma: Which is crazy because it’s the best I’ve ever heard it sung!

Keri: 'The Wizard and I' kind of has a similar vibe of… think of all of the voices that have sung this music. It’s unbelievable, and I go into this show really trying not to think about that, because if I do I’m prone to comparing myself, I am prone to cracking under pressure in terms of doubting myself. I love feeling the push and pull of pressure onstage because it’s a challenge I am so excited to tackle. But I’m human, and I do compare myself, and I do see bootlegs every now and then, even if I’m not looking for them, and I will listen to myself and I’m like, ‘Ooh, I need to place it differently here,’ or whatever. So, while I’m extraordinarily grateful to have joined this legacy of stunning women that have played Elphaba, I also can’t really think about it very much, or else the pressure is just too much. And the show is already so hard. It’s a big lift. And especially when you’re just wanting to bleed yourself dry every single show it’s like, ‘Ah, I only have so much bandwidth to think about things while I’m singing ''Defying Gravity!’'

I’m very lucky to have several Elphabas in my orbit that have played the role, and the one thing that they all pretty much say, is that it goes by really fast, it’s one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do, it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, and if you’re not careful you will not enjoy it. I’m trying to take in enjoyment, and love. There are times on stage where I’m doubting myself, and I would just tell myself in my heart, ‘Keri, just sing. You’ve been singing your whole life, and you’ve always loved it.’ It’s the closest thing to breathing, for me. And if I remind myself of that, it takes me out of the spin that my brain is going through, the comparison, and the ‘What are people going to think?’ ‘If somebody’s recording is that going to go online? And then what are people going to say—’ It is so easy to go down that road. And so I think, ‘Keri, just sing. Just be there and sing.’ That typically helps me.

Emma: It’s such a different world now, because now when you go onstage, it used to be that it was a live performance…

Keri: It felt more sacred! Everybody was on the same page, the audience members understood how hard it was, and how sacred it was that we were doing something live.

Emma: And now it does feel like before every show you go, ‘Can I do the show? Yes. Do I want the show online forever?’ And that’s a different level of readiness I think than it used to be. It used to be, ‘Okay, I’m going to push through every single show no matter how I sound because if my body can get out there, I can get out there.’ But now it’s like, ‘Do I feel like I can put on a show that I feel comfortable being permanently on the internet?’ 

I think the gift of having had so many women do the role as Glinda, yes there are parts of it that’s hard because I’ll never be Kristin Chenoweth, I’ll never be Megan Hilty, but also it’s a gift to have women to go to, to be like, “Has this happened to you?” and for them to be like, “Yes! And this is what I did, and what you can try.” I’ve had so much advice given to me that has been so helpful, and I feel like there is this network of women who know exactly what I’m going through, and have been through the same thing.

Growing up I was so in love with Kristin, and Megan Hilty, and Katie Rose Clarke and Annaleigh Ashford, and McKenzie, she really changed something in my brain chemistry, because she was just so brave with the role. I hope that when people watch me they also get something out of it that I got out of the women. Whenever I watch the other Glindas, every one of them brought something so beautiful, and creative, and unique, and brave to the role, and I’m like ‘I want to be like them!’ I think it gives you permission to be courageous, which I think is great.

Keri, are you a ‘Wizard and I' Elphaba, a ‘Defying Gravity’ Elphaba, or a ‘No Good Deed’ Elphaba?

Keri: 'No Good Deed' is probably my favorite song to sing in pretty much most of music theatre. I think that it is just such a beautiful song. It’s hard, and it’s an acting piece, but it’s got such a melodic drive. The form, and the structure is so chaotic in the best way, it literally encapsulates exactly what Elphaba is feeling in the moment without being saccharine, or without spoon-feeding the audience. She really gets to go through something in the moment, and uncover something in the moment that completely shifts her entire structure of her life. I do think all of the songs tend to do that, but 'No Good Deed' in a very visceral, raw, feral way that I feel like I connect with the most.

Emma: Watching her sing 'No Good Deed', I just want you to know that me and Ellen Harvey are up in the rafters getting ready to go on, and it’s like we’re watching the Superbowl like, “Come on Keri!” “Yeah!”

Emma, are you a ‘Popular’ Glinda or a ‘Thank Goodness’ Glinda?

Emma: I’ll be honest, 'Popular' intimidates me. I get nervous every time we’re about to do it. I would say I’m more of a 'Thank Goodness' Glinda, and I think Kristin once said on the red carpet that it felt like that song was written for her, and I think every Glinda hopefully feels that way, “Ugh, I feel like that song was written for me!” The lyrics are so touching, and relatable to me.

Keri: It’s one of my favorite songs in the entire show.

Emma: I love 'Thank Goodness', and I love to sing it. I love that whole scene. I think it’s where you start to see Glinda face some real trials.

Keri: I always get to my entrance a little early so I can just watch Emma, just beaming, because that’s a hard song!

Save On Select Seats! on Wicked