Something Wicked This Way Comes
Hit Broadway Musical Returns To Toronto
Stephen Schwartz's musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire's Wicked has been a phenomenon everywhere it has played, and is continuing to gather momentum.
The show is approaching its third full year on Broadway; the Chicago production is still packing the audiences in; it just opened in London starring Idina Menzel, and a sit-down production of Stephen Schwartz's Wicked is slated to open in Los Angeles in the coming months.
On a crisp October afternoon, the four stars of the current tour are going through their paces speaking to the various journalists in Toronto's historic Canon Theatre, where the show began performances last Friday. This is the second stop in Toronto on the current tour, after selling out the last run in mere hours. The show booked a return engagement almost immediately, and Toronto theatre goers have been itching, waiting for the show to return.
So why is this show so "popular"?
The response was unanimous. "The show touches on so many human levels, from being an outcast and being popular, to the need of approval from our peers, dealing with betrayal, and ultimately, forgiveness." says Megan Hilty, who plays Glinda. Shoshana Bean, P.J. Benjamin and Alma Cuervo all echoed the same sentiments. Cuervo continued though, saying that "the show is clever, it's humane, and it's very profound".
One of the other major reasons why this show has been so successful is the cast. Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Ben Vereen, Norbert Leo Butz, Taye Diggs, George Hearn, David Garrison and Carol Kane are some of the big names that have been associated with the show over its run on Broadway, and the cast that is currently on tour, while they may not be household names, they are simply spectacular, night after night.
These four actors have each taken a different path to their new found fame. Hilty and Bean are relative newcomers to touring and to performing in a Broadway show, while Benjamin and Cuervo are veterans of the Broadway stage and to life on the road.
Wicked was Hilty's Broadway debut, and she had some very large shoes to fill - those of original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth. To separate herself from Chenoweth's performance, Hilty approached the role by reading the script and delving into her characters development. "Glinda is very smart, and she uses what she has to get what she wants". She recently had the honour of performing the show in her native Seattle, and she says that it was a thrill for her. "I had friends, family, everyone there to support me and to cheer me on."
Shoshana Bean, the green-faced Elphaba, has been working in New York for the past several years. She originated the role of Shelley in the hit musical Hairspray, and performed in the Actors Fund performances of Hair and Dreamgirls. Born in Portland, Oregon, Bean recently had the opportunity to perform in Wicked in her hometown. "It was great - I had friends come out of the woodwork" says Bean. Arriving in Toronto for the first time, she is excited to explore the city, and all it has to offer. After the Toronto run ends, she is planning on finishing her debut CD, which will include original pop and R & B tunes. "I don't plan on being the next Beyonce, filling Madison Square Garden - I just love to perform," she explains, grinning from ear to ear.
Life on the road is nothing new to Alma Cuervo, who plays Madame Morrible. She toured Cabaret for almost two years, including two stops in Toronto. She was performing in the Broadway cast of Beauty And The Beast as Mrs. Pottswhen she saw the final preview of Wicked, and instantly fell in love with the show. She was asked to audition for the role of Madame Morrible, who is one of the teachers at Shizz University, where Elphaba and Glinda are students, and two weeks later, got the call that she got the part. Cuervo says the experience of performing with this company, to quote a line from the show, is "thrillifying".
Finally, P.J. Benjamin arrives, and is fairly relaxed for a guy who has done nothing but answer questions for the last couple of hours. Benjamin is a music theatre veteran, including six years with the Broadway cast of Chicago, where he performed the role of Amos Hart. He noted that in the six years of performing the role, he had 22 "wives" playing the role of Roxie Hart, including Melanie Griffith, Brooke Shields, and Sandy Duncan, amongst others. On November 14th, he will return to New York to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show. LIfe on the road for him isn't easy, he says. He has a wife back in New York City, who is also an actress. "She flies in every once and a while, and sometimes I get the chance to fly home when I have a few days off" notes Benjamin, who has been on the road for 45 weeks now. He is looking forward to taking some time off from performing, and has expressed an interest in purchasing a villa in Tuscani, Italy, and spending some time renovating it. First though, he will be part of a documentary television series entitled Living Treasures, which is a look at extraordinary people over the age of 85. After that? He dreams of someday playing Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof, but as he says that, he chuckles and says "but who doesn't?"
Bean, Hilty, Benjamin and Cuervo may have had different paths that brought them together for this journey and they may end up following different paths in the course of their respective careers, but they each agree that performing in Wicked is a "dream come true" and they are "loving every moment".
Wicked is playing at the Canon Theatre in Toronto now through November 26th. For ticket information, click here, and for Wicked tour information click here.
