Popular! You know it’s going to be pop-u-lar! It’s the perfect show to see— while you’re in DC— it’s very, green for the hol-i-daaay. You’re simply gonna love it— so don’t wait— get your tickets to-daaay! The musical sensation that’s sweeping the nation once more, Tony Award-winning Wicked has once again landed in Washington DC at The Kennedy Center, having drifted away in an emerald cloud some six years ago. Directed by Joe Mantello, with Musical Staging by Wayne Cilento, the iconic Stephen Schwartz musical returns in time for the holidays and will welcome the nation’s capital into the 2023 new year with its extended stay in The Opera House Theatre at The Kennedy Center.
Dazzling and wonderous, this is the thing everyone missed about live theatre— tremendous spectacle that’s laced flawlessly with an epic story, told with astonishing performers to make you laugh, make you cry, and make you experience all of the sensational feelings that accompanies such a legendary show. With gorgeous sliding and rolling scenery by way of Eugene Lee (settings) and equally impressive illumination by way of Lighting Designer Kenneth Posner, you get an astonishing theatrical experience like no other. Projections master Elaine J. McCarthy and Special Effects wizard Chic Silber tie all the magic together creating a spectacular experience as audiences are transported to the land of Oz. It’s practically indescribable, but it’s breathtaking, especially once our two main witches find themselves visiting The Emerald City— as the song says, it’s all grand and it’s all green. With so many shades of green one can hardly absorb it all! The overall setting, lighting, and general aesthetic design of Wicked is stupendous (though somewhere in Scotland a miry bog is naked because this production has stolen all of the fog and flooded the stage with it for “As Long As You’re Mine” You seriously almost lose the characters on stage with that amount of hip-high rolling ground fog.)
Wonder never ceases when it comes to furthering the aesthetic excellence of Wicked and this time it’s the innovative creations of Costumer Susan Hilferty and Wig & Hair Designer Tom Watson. Chimerical creations abound between the work of Hilferty and Watson, and it’s not just the broad ranging shades of green— emerald to avocado to chartreuse and everything in-between— it’s the animal accessories to complete the looks of the flying monkeys, and the variations and hybrids of monochrome black and white stripes and polka dots during “Dancing Through Life” at the OzDust Ballroom for the ensemble that give the show that extra sparkly bit of luster. And of course all of the sensational costumes seen in the Emerald City. There are no limits to the imaginations of Hilferty and Watson when it comes to crafting these crazy couture looks.
Performances across the board are spectacular, as one would expect them to be for this national-touring sensation. An energetic and enthusiastic, well-versed ensemble (featuring at this performance Alexia Acebo, Jennifer Bermeo, Kyle Brown, Matt Densky, Marie Eife, Sara Gonzales, Chelsea Cree Groen, Marina Lazzaretto, Megan Loomis, Ryan Mac, Tiffany Rae Mallari, Brittany Marcell Monachino, Rebecca Gans Reavis, Andy Richardson, Derek Schiesel, Paul Schwensen, Justin Wirick,) provides sensational singling as well as fantastical movements, some which (mostly during “Dancing Through Life”) is even considered choreography. Wicked doesn’t have the big flashy, splashy dance routines (save for that one aforementioned number) but more than makes up for it in spades with all of the visual effects and extraordinary aesthetics. When Elphaba acts up with her magic, watching the ensemble flip about as if caught in a true twister is just wicked.
You get rich and robust performances from various supporting players, like Jake Pedersen as Boq, Kimberly Immanuel as Nessarose, and Michael Genet as Doctor Dillamond. While Genet is only featured briefly, his rendering of “the only animal on staff at Shiz” makes one take notice. Genet lends his voice to a duet with the Elphaba character— “Something Bad” and it’s a powerful moment shared between the two of them. Kimberly Immanuel’s Nessarose is in a similar boat, having just one true moment to musically shine during the number “The Wicked Witch of the East” but it’s a striking moment that truly showcases Immanuel’s vocal prowess. Pedersen, as the munchkin boy Boq is spry and quirky and understands the comic dynamic of his role but is not without an equally boisterous voice, which appears most powerfully during “March of the Witch Hunters.”
Putting a uniquely horrifying spin on the character of Madame Morrible, Natalie Venetia Belcon, you get to see a much more brutally villainous side than generally accompanies the character with Belcon’s approach to the magical-esque mistress. Full of vigor when it comes to proclaiming ‘goodness’ you get a nasty shock at just how vile and vicious the character is, particularly toward the end when Belcon lets the character’s true colors— a violent and revolting shade of greedy envy— rage through.
Paying true homage to L. Frank Baum’s ‘wizard’ and his home-grown Kansas roots, John Bolton’s approach to The Wizard is nothing short of delightful and perfectly quirky to the point where you simply believe he’s a hapless and mostly harmless fraud. There’s the slightest hint of ‘Professor Frink’ from The Simpsons infiltrating his vocal affectation when Bolton speaks the lines as the wizard, but when he sings you get a classic hybrid of warm, resonate vocals floating blissfully through the characterized voice. Fleet of foot when doing his little ‘song-and-dance’ routine for Elphaba during “Wonderful”, Bolton delights and charms the audience; he even brings a sentimental warm and fuzzy feeling to everyone listening when he’s first introduced with his song “A Sentimental Man.”
Rich, smooth, buttery vocals come gliding out of Jordan Litz in the role of Fiyero. There’s an expected level of charming smugness that accompanies the character from the moment he’s carted onto the stage and Litz does not disappoint; he delivers tenfold. His robust tenor tones melt gorgeously into “Dancing Through Life” and its easy to fall under his vocal spell. But the impressive thing about Litz’ performance is how fluid his transition from hapless hunk to sincere character is delivered. It happens so gradually but so flawlessly that you take the ride with him and are as stunned as Glinda to see the change in him. There’s world of honest heart and passion in Litz’ voice and overall bodily expressions when he’s embraced with Elphaba for their duet, “As Long As You’re Mine.”
Blasting her shoes off (literally) and impressing the audience by leaps and bounds, Jackie Raye (at this performance) as Glinda is the epitome of the vivacious, bordering on obnoxious, bubble of a character that you both hope for and expect when it comes to Glinda Upland. Raye, whose vivacious, sparkling energy is as vibrant as her bubblegum pink ‘OzDust’ dress, delivers an extraordinary performance, mastering the squeaky voice, the insane high-soprano notes that come with character track, and is pure joy, even when she’s being a less than loveable character. It’s Raye’s physicality and how fully she throws herself into the wild gesticulations and other body-based comedy moments as well as her perfectly balanced sense of high-camp versus extreme-truth. It makes for the perfect rendition of Glinda. Watching her sing the opening number, “No One Mourns The Wicked” is a tragically beautiful experience because you can see plainly on her face and in her body language exactly what she knows (and the audience, if they’ve seen the show before, what they know too) right from the moment she floats down in the bubble and the battle watching her trying to contain that knowledge is remarkable. Her voice is perfection, beyond suited for numbers like “Popular”— another fine example of her indefatigable energy and overly exuberant nature— as well as “What Is This Feeling?” and “For Good”, both duets that she shares with Elphaba. Raye is an astonishing wonder and the perfect fit for the shoe that is Glinda in this production of Wicked.
The stellar voice that comes roaring out of Lissa deGuzman’s Elphaba will blow you away; the clear, gorgeous sound she blasts during “The Wizard and I” is phenomenal. You hear all of her hopes and dreams coming together in a vocal conflagration that sparks up a storm of emotions all in that first song that she sings. Filled with opportunities to showcase the impressive scope of her range, deGuzman takes every chance presented to take the higher-top soprano options at the end of numbers but never waivers or falters in the lower registers of her songs. There is a passionate vehemence pulsating through deGuzman’s Elpahba at all times, so intense it’s practically palpable in the audience. When she blasts her face off for “Defying Gravity” you feel like you’re hearing the number for the very first time with all the raw emotional fortitude with which it was written. And when she roars through “No Good Deed” it all but tears your heart out as you hear the emotional turmoil surging through the song. Lissa deGuzman is her own Elphaba will still channeling hints of the role’s originator, giving the audience the best of both worlds with this very wicked witch.
It’s here for one short day— well… several short weeks… but don’t delay— before you know it, it’ll be gone, caught up in a hot air balloon and floating away to the next city. Don’t miss this incredibly stellar and stunning production of Wicked.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours 50 minutes with one intermission
Wicked plays through January 22, 2023 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
