insight

Wicked

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Talia Suskauer performs as Elphaba in the North American tour of Wicked. Lissa Deguzman took over the principal role in March.

Iconic Broadway show opens at Ohio Theatre May 18

By Claire Miller

Photos courtesy of Joan Marcus

IT’S BEEN NEARLY two decades since Wicked premiered on Broadway, and the awardwinning show, set in the Land of Oz before Dorothy arrived, is as magical and relevant as ever.

After almost 16 months out of commission due to the pandemic, Wicked was the first Broadway show to return to the road, beginning with an opening stop in Dallas in August 2021.

Now, after postponing its original May 2020 Columbus performances, Wicked returns with 24 performances at the Ohio Theatre from May 18-June 5.

Glinda will be played by Jennafer Newberry, who stepped into the role full-time March 22 after spending almost three years in the ensemble cast as the Glinda understudy.

“I don’t really have words for it; it’s basically overwhelming in all of the best ways,” Newberry says. “I have always loved the show, and to be a part of it in any way was the hugest honor. I, over the past three years, have grown to know and love the cast and crew and the team that we work with. Getting to step in to the role of Glinda fulltime is just honestly a dream come true.”

Adding to the surreal character of the opportunity, Newberry will join Jordan Litz, who plays Fiyero, on the tour stage. Back in 2017, when the two were performing at Walt Disney World at the same time, Litz says Newberry took him to see his first Broadway show: Wicked. “We never imagined that we would actually be performing this together, let alone being the leads together,” says Litz, who took over as the full-time Fiyero this past November. A large changeover of principals also joined Newberry as she stepped into her full-time role, and each of them will accompany her onstage in Columbus, including Lissa deGuzman as Elphaba, John Bolton as the Wizard, Michael Genet as Dr. Dillamond, Kimberly Immanuel as Nessarose and Jake Pedersen as Boq. Leading the charge There’s nothing quite like live theater, and the Wicked cast was reminded of its magic when they finally reopened with a preview for family, friends and front-line workers.

Jennafer Newberry Jordan Litz

Relevant reflection

“It felt really amazing to lead the charge in a way,” Newberry says. “It also felt a little bit scary because it’s the unknown, but we have a fantastic COVID team and our cast and crew have been so responsible and we’ve felt safe at work, which has been great from day one.”

Due to the prolific reputation of Wicked in the musical theater world and its bevy of fans, Litz had no doubt he and the cast would once again grace the stage even after the extended hiatus. “With Wicked, I always knew that we were going to come back,” Litz says. “It’s just such a huge hit and it’s so popular that I was very fortunate in that I never feared for my job. I just knew that it was a matter of time before we came back.” Wicked dedicates a tab on its website to exploring the themes of the show, and in the downtime of the pandemic, the cast was able to reflect more deeply on the themes as they played out around them in the news and current life, Newberry says.

“It’s crazy we still have people leave the show and say, ‘Was that rewritten? That seems strangely relevant,’” she says. “It’s just written that well and that thoughtfully that it’s always going to be relevant.”

Per the website, the Linguification Library is a “road to reflection” on the show’s themes, including “goodness vs. wicked-

ness,” “privilege & apathy,” “power & propaganda,” “popularity vs. belonging,” “equality & justice in action” and “true friendship.” “We really made the connection between our show and the themes and the beauty that Wicked embodies to our world as a whole and the issues of social justice and issues of everything we’ve been experiencing the past few years,” Newberry says. “You see so much in our show that is so applicable to today.” The show is layered, and Newberry says it has something for everyone, whether or not patrons wish to remain on the surface, enAmanda Fallon Smith (left), Talia Suskauer, Sharon Sachs and Allison Bailey perform together during a scene of Wicked in the North American Tour. joying the spectacle and entertainment, or go deeper and explore the nuanced themes. “I hope the people of Columbus come out to see our show,” she says. “We’ve worked really hard to get it back up. It’s our joy and honor to share it across the country again, and especially after such a long shutdown. We recognize on a whole new level what a gift it is to share live theater with actual audiences and we can’t wait to bring it back to Ohio again.” CS

Claire Miller is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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Allison Bailey (left) and Talia Suskauer face off as the Glinda and Elphaba in the North American tour of Wicked.