Wicked Good Theater

QUICKIE QUIZ: What’s the fastest-selling show in Broadway/San Diego history? Cats? Phantom of the Opera? Les Misérables? The Producers? All good guesses—but wrong. The answer is Wicked, which sold nearly all tickets for its Civic Theatre 16-performance run (July 26–August 6) by early May. If that answer surprises you, don’t feel dense. Wicked’s skyrocket success since its Broadway debut in October 2003 has surprised most theater observers. The $14 million production opened to mostly chilly reviews, making the likelihood of a long run—not to mention the show’s survival—highly questionable. But audiences adored it, spread the word, and sellout followed sellout.

In 2004, Wicked garnered 10 nominations for Tonys, winning three. Although it lost the Tony for outstanding musical to Avenue Q, it was honored as such by the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle. In the last seven days of 2005, Wicked broke the Broadway record for weekly box-office gross, with $1,610,934. On March 23, it celebrated its 1,000th performance, with no end in sight. In June 2005, a second Wicked company started a open-ended run in Chicago; another cast opens in London in September, and other editions are planned around the world.

What’s the strong allure? Well, first, the musical’s characters are well-known from the beloved Wizard of Oz books and film. Wicked, however, is not from the L. Frank Baum stories but is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The stage adaptation is by Winnie Holzman, who wrote for television’s My So Called Life and thirtysomething, and is complemented by a hot-selling score by Stephen Schwartz, famed for Godspell and Pippin. At the musical’s helm is Joe Mantello, who won a Tony in 2004 for directing Assassins.

Since Wicked’s tale takes place largely in Oz before Dorothy blows in, it’s often considered a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but it’s actually a separate story. Mainly, it concerns the relationship of two girls, the beautiful Glinda—who, of course, grows into the Good Witch—and the green-skinned Elphaba, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, played here by Julia Murney. Their connection grows into “a love story between women,” says Kendra Kassebaum, who has been getting excellent reviews as Glinda in her year or so of touring with the show. That kinship, Kassebaum says, is at the heart of Wicked’s appeal, but she adds that Holzman’s script contains many other stories and a “tongue-in-cheek moral.”

Kassebaum says the script is “really genius” because it answers such questions as the one she had as a child who loved The Wizard of Oz: “Where does Glinda go after she meets Dorothy?” Young adults are particularly responsive to the story, Kassebaum says, because it’s about an underdog who’s triumphant, “and they identify.” Beyond the script and music, she adds, Wicked’s attractions are many. “The spectacle is beautiful . . . It’s a release from reality.”

Part of Wicked’s initial prosperity stemmed from its starry cast. Kristin Chenoweth was Glinda, and Idina Menzel (who’s about to headline the London cast) was Elphaba. Both were nominated for Tonys, with Menzel winning. And the Wizard was played by Joel Grey. But subsequent replacements have not diminished the show’s drawing power. As Kassebaum says, “We set records wherever we go.”

Broadway/San Diego is also presenting the musical Rent in July (11-16), and connections abound. Menzel began her Broadway career as Maureen in Rent, gaining the notice that won her the Elphaba role, and Kassebaum had two long Broadway stints in Rent, also paving the way for her tour in Wicked.

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