By Claire McConnell
January 16, 2019
Wicked is just one of those shows you HAVE to see. The story, the music…just all of it is amazing. The story takes place in the land of Oz before Dorothy dropped in. This was probably the 7th or 8th time I’ve seen Wicked but my first time seeing it on Broadway. The magic is still there after all of the times I’ve seen the show. I was so excited that I had the chance to see Jessica Vosk play Elphaba. I’ve fallen in love with her voice and now her acting in this beautiful show.
Jessica Vosk as Elphaba in Broadway’s “Wicked” (Joan Marcus)
Vosk's voice is just incredible. Her understanding of the character is, and she puts a little bit of herself in the green witch that I love. It’s the same show but a bit different than other times I’ve seen because she’s made the character her own. It was actually a dream come true getting to see Jessica play Elphaba. She is vocally one of the best Elphabas in my opinion.
I loved the show so much that the next day I went and bought a ticket for that night. I didn’t know I would be introduced to another powerhouse. That night I got to see standby Laurel Harris. Laurel Harris is crazy amazing. I was actually very excited when I saw she was performing. I had never heard of her before until then, but I was excited to see a new take on the character after just seeing Vosk’s version of Elphaba. Her version is much grittier than others that I’ve seen, and a lot of it reminded me of Idina Menzel’s original version of the character. She has excellent comedic timing and knows how to get a laugh. And the woman has insane pipes.
Lisa Livesay is lovely and is good at the bubbly comedic character of Glinda. She seems to have so much fun on stage and has a fantastic connection with both Jessica and Laurel.
Nancy Opel is a great Madame Morrible and puts her own twist on the evil character.
Kevin Chamberlin is a great comic. My favorite was watching him sing Wonderful with Laurel. He is best at physical comedy which he uses throughout the show.
Jake Boyd’s voice is delicious, and he is a wonderful Fiyero. He and Harris had one of the greatest (and hottest) "As Long As Your Mine" kisses with a loud “woohoo” from a man a few rows behind me. It was also probably one of the longest kisses I've seen because the audience just went wild.
Jamie Jackson is a great Dr. Dillamond and is an excellent comic in such a dark role.
Left to right: Kristin Martin, Jye Frasca, Amanda Jane Cooper, Isabel Keating, Jessica Vosk in Broadway’s “Wicked” (via Amanda Jane Cooper on Instagram @amandajanecoop)
The current cast still includes Kristin Martin and Jessica Vosk
Jessie P Johnson has a great voice and is fun to watch as Boq. His interactions with Glinda are perfect and very true to that character.
Larkin Bogan is such a great Boq, and I love his interactions with Glinda as well. I enjoyed the scene before "Dancing Through Life" when he’s talking to Glinda, and she touches his arm. Boq has a short line that says “you’re touching me,” but Bogan's use of physicality was funny and worked for that character. He was great in act two as well before the change into the Tin Man.
Kristin Martin is an excellent Nessa Rose. A girl with big hopes and dreams that is naïve in a way and I love her take on the character. One of my favorite songs in the show is "Wicked Witch Of The East" which is not on the recording. Nessa is finally getting to say to her sister what she’s wanted to say ever since she knew Elphaba had magic within her. This song turns from anger at her sister to anger because she is scared. It is a plea for help to save this boy that she fell in love with from the moment she laid eyes on him. Earlier in the show, when Dr. Dillamond is teaching, I watched as Boq handed out the rest of the papers to his fellow classmates. Martin physically showed her want to talk to the character. It was small, but I noticed it. Only until Glinda mentions her does Boq look to see who she is. She’s now scared of what will happen to Boq and has seen her reflection as the Wicked Witch Of The East. ‘We deserve each other’ she sings in contrast to Dancing Through Life when she sings it about Boq.
Notable Mentions: These are ensemble members that drew me in with their energy, light, and love for what they do. The whole ensemble is amazingly talented, and I loved watching every single one of them. These are just a few that stuck out to me.
Teneise Mitchell Ellis
Katie Lander
Marissa Lupp
Dominic Giudici as Chistery
I got to sit front row on the far stage left side my first round seeing the show. Because I had seen the show multiple times before, I was watching the ensemble a lot. I was able to look at the detail in the costuming which is incredible. I knew this fact already, but all of the Ozians have different costumes. No one is wearing the same costume which works perfectly for those who live in Oz. But the detail in all of these costumes is crazy good and small. Elphaba wears this gorgeous white jacket/top during I’m Not That Girl as well as the scenes before that. If you aren’t in the first few rows, then you just can’t catch the small flower details on the jacket. They match the new pink hairpiece that Glinda has recently put in her hair. Other little details are that none of the Ozian costumes are symmetrical. I also noticed the small jeweled details of the costumes that they wear while in the Emerald City.
There are also a few things you miss from the Broadway version if you see a touring show because they don't have to move the full set on the Broadway show. You must go see this show. MUST.
EDIT P.S.
I have to also add one more note about the people that make this show happen and that is the crew in blacks backstage. I want to thank every single person who works backstage who helps with costuming, lighting, orchestrations, sound, all of the special effects, hair, makeup, just everything. I got to see some of you working while I sat on the side and you guys work so hard and I feel like you don’t get the credit you deserve. You guys rock and the theatre would be no where without you. So standing ovation to you guys who work in the dark.
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222 W. 51st St. Midtown West