Brilliant performances give “Wicked”'s witches flight
BY MARC STEWART For Starkville Daily News
“Wicked” reminds you where its story is headed from the very beginning. As an assist to those unfamiliar with the Land of Oz, or those who are just in need of a refresher, the musical opens with Glinda the Good addressing the cheering citizens of Munchkinland immediately following the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. As Glinda struggles to answer a question from the crowd as to whether or not she was the Wicked Witch's friend, the story she tells of their relationship reveals a very different side to the characters and story we think we know. In giving its audiences a peek behind the curtain, if you will, the strong cast of the glorious “Wicked,” playing at the Orpheum through March 25, is a thrilling evening at the theater that is also surprisingly timely.
“Wicked” is based on Gregory Maquire's 1994 novel of the same name, telling the story of the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of its villain, the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical focuses on the friendship that develops between Elphaba, a shy girl with brilliant green skin and a brilliant mind to match, and Galinda, a seemingly vacuous beauty. It's hate at first sight when the two meet at Oz's Shiz University, where Elphaba has been sent by her father to look after her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose. Elphaba is an outsider from birth. Her green skin, unheard of even in fantastical Oz, earns her scorn and resentment from her father in stark contrast to the affection and gifts showered on her sister. Things aren't looking good for Elphaba when she arrives at Shiz, where she resembles a bookish Lower East Side striver in a sea of happy go lucky students turned out in the Ozian version of Brooks Brothers prep. Only after an explosive burst of anger reveals Elphaba's once-ina-generation talent for sorcery do the other students and headmistress Madame Morrible begin to take her seriously. When Madame Morrible takes Elphaba under her wing and suggests that she may find a place as an apprentice to the Wizard, the plot we think we know is set in motion.
The roles of Elphaba and Glinda are so closely identified with the actresses who originated them on Broadway that they would present a nearly insurmountable challenge for any performers who followed them. Luckily for Memphis audiences, Mary Kate Morrissey and Ginna Claire Mason are extraordinary. Morrissey is beautifully human as Elphaba, almost vanishing into the background in her early scenes as a fiercely protective dogsbody for her sister. Morrissey allows the audience to see the glimmers of hope as Elphaba begins to imagine that her life might hold something grand, making her incandescent fury after a series of betrayals all the more heartbreaking. Her voice is a marvel, too, equally capable of the delicate yearning of “The Wizard and I” and the face-melting belt of “Defying Gravity.” Ginna Claire Mason is brilliant in a surprisingly sensitive performance as Glinda, pulling off the incredibly tricky task of allowing the audience momentary glimpses beneath Glinda's mask of bubbly self-assurance. She is luminous as the It Girl of Glinda's first appearance, and the flashes of Glinda's insecurity and uncertainty make her performance all the more remarkable.
The performances from the other principals are every bit as good: multiple Tony-winner Judy Kaye brings a hint of desperation to the surprisingly devious Madame Morrible, and Tom McGowan's floksy hucksterism as The Wizard comes across as so sincere that he almost manages to turn Elphaba from her anger. Michael Campayo's blaze of party boy charisma as Prince Fiyero masks hidden depths, and Robin De Jesus's earnest nice guy Bok has a simmering anger just beneath the surface. Everyone is “Wicked” is more than they seem, and the direction by two-time Tony winner Joe Mantello helps the cast brings that message powerfully home.
The first-rate production values of this company are so high that you could easily believe you're watching it on Broadway. The costumes are sumptuous, the sets magnificent and dazzling, and Wayne Cilento's musical staging inspires some of the best dancing I've seen on the Orpheum's stage. The book, by Winnie Holzman, doesn't hold too closely to Maguire's text, but it works in perfect harmony with Stephen Schwartz's songs to remind us that no one is purely good, or purely bad. Wicked's characters are remarkably human, each with their own brilliance and blind spots.
Inevitably, Elphaba's story brings us back to Glinda speaking to the citizens of Oz. It's a testament to the singular genius of “Wicked” that, even though we know where the story is going, the brilliant performances that bring these beloved characters to life dare us to hope that this time, it might turn out differently. Parents should know that the Orpheum recommends “Wicked” for playgoers ages 8 and older. There are some scary and intense scenes, and some adult themes that might be too much for playgoers under 8. Wicked plays through March 25 at the Orpheum Theatre, located at 203 South Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee.