From September 21st through October 8th, WICKED: The Musical came to Providence Performing Arts Center. I got the privilege of seeing this show during one of its last few nights, and yes, it was amazing.
Okay, I’m not gonna lie – I’m kind of a theater geek. I’ve acted for basically my whole life and love performing, so I may be a little biased, but you definitely cannot exaggerate the talent of the wonderful women who led the performance. Jessica Vosk, the actress who played the main protagonist Elphaba, literally gave me the chills when she sung “Defying Gravity.” Her co-lead Amanda Jane Cooper played one of the funniest Glindas I have ever seen, and together they were an excellent pair. Never have I been more moved by a show, and believe me, I’ve seen a lot.
Even before I saw the show live, WICKED has always been my favorite musical: the plot line is incredibly interesting (it’s essentially a prequel to the ever-so-popular Wizard of Oz – and it’s a plus that we did that for our own Spring musical last year!), the soundtrack is beautiful and exciting, and the characters are hilariously serious. Even the costumes and sets are just so…unique. All-around, it keeps you on your feet and contains several plot twists that basically make you rethink your entire childhood, but I swear it’s in a good way.
When the show originally came out 13 years ago, the original Broadway cast consisted of Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. Imagine seeing that live?! Honestly though, any rendition I have seen either online (or in person now!) has blown me away. Something about this show just gets to me every time. Even though I have seen it many times now, it never fails to make me happy.
Although the show has left the nearby area and has now moved on to different cities, I highly recommend you buy a ticket next time it comes around or try to make your way to Broadway in New York City to catch a performance – you won’t regret it.