Arts 8( Entertainment

Wickedly from page 81

for thirtysomething and The
Wonder Years.
Neither was available for
an interview for this article,
but the show speaks for itself.
Here's this writer's opinion,
after seeing performances
in New York and Chicago:
Wicked is ornate, yet simple;
amusing, yet serious; frivo-
lous, yet with deep meaning;
realistic, yet cynical — but
mainly enormously clever and
enchanting.
The story is a pre-Dorothy
prequel to The Wizard of
Oz. It has the type of scen-
ery and devices that really
require the large Masonic stage
— flying monkeys and witches,
dragons and plenty of magic
acts; plus humorous references
to the Tin Man, Scarecrow and
Cowardly Lion. Throughout the
show, laughs are derived from
famous bits from the movie, and
Holzman's script has a comic
edge that makes it appealing to
all audiences.

Special Friendship
Long before Dorothy shows up,
two girls become roommates in
Oz's sorcery college. One — born
with emerald green skin — is
smart, feisty and misunderstood.
The other, beautiful, ambitious
and a bit like a preppy prom
queen, loves to spout one-liners.
The story covers their families,

Elphaba (Julia Murney)

and her invalid sister,

Nessarose (Jennifer

Waldman)

84

May 25 • 2006

Wicked has some deep
meaning because the
story of the committed
friendship of the two
witches is a good lesson
for shy, awkward teenage
girls as they enter wom-
anhood," said Waldman.
"It demonstrates that if
they persevere, they can
change their lives around
and become important
and do anything they
want:"
According to Waldman,
Wicked has become sort
of a cult show for teenage
girls. "They seem to have
Jewish actress Jennifer Waldman has
adopted Wicked as 'their
played many a Tevye's daughter in her
story' and make up a
career.
large part of the audience
at most performances:'
friendship and secrets — a spe-
she said. "We can spot them from
cial relationship between two
the stage mouthing the dialogue
unusual young women.
and lyrics right along with us. And
Glinda becomes the Good
they often wait at 'the stage door to
Witch of the North, and Elphaba
get the cast autographs."
becomes the Wicked Witch of
Lichtenstein said it's difficult to
the West — who turns out to
tell whether group ticket sales are
be not so wicked after all. The
going to teenage girls more than
name "Elphaba," incidentally, is
other people, "but I sure saw a lot
believed to come from the initials
of mothers and daughters stand-
of L. Frank Baum, author of The
ing in line when tickets went on
Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
sale the first day.
Playing Elphaba's invalid sis-
-"When the box office opened,
ter, Nessarose, is Jewish actress
the line was about 300 yards long,
Jennifer Waldman, who has been
up and down the Fisher Building
in more than 600 performances of foyer."
the Wicked road company.
When Waldman was a teenager,
"Besides being entertaining,
she spent her summers travel-

ing from her native
Los Angeles suburb
Calabasas, Calif., to
study at theater schools
in Chicago, Pittsburgh
and elsewhere. She
started taking tap danc-
ing lessons at the age of
2 and devoted almost
three hours a day, six
days a week, to dancing.
"My family loves
music:' she said. "We're
Reform, and we loved
to follow our favorite
cantors around to vari-
P.J. Benjamin portrays the Wizard.
ous Friday night services
and for the High Holidays. When I "The Wicked Witch of the East"
was 14, I broke my foot in a water- in the second act, both performed
skiing accident and couldn't dance with other cast members but with
for a long time, so I took voice
solo parts for Waldman.
lessons, which helped get me well
Schwartz's score is not the type
rounded for the theater."
that has the audience humming
She played in many local the-
as it leaves the theater. But it's
ater productions, including the
powerful and potent from the first
roles of various Tevye's daughters
note of the in "No One Mourns
in Fiddler on the Roof She
the Wicked" right through to the
crossed the country to get a bach- finale. The three most memorable
elor of fine arts degree at Ithaca
songs are "The Wizard and I','
College in New York then started
sung by Elphaba; "Popular", sung
auditioning on Broadway.
by Glinda; and "Defying Gravity,'
Within six months, Waldman,
led by Elphaba. The latter is a
who is single and declines to give
very loud and bold production
her age, had landed a role in the
that sends Elphaba flying on her
musical Titanic, and later played
broomstick to the ceiling and
in the road company in Detroit.
ends the first act with an adrena-
"It was a case of being in the
line rush for the audience.
right place at the right time she
That follows the Broadway
recalled. "Getting a big break like
adage of leaving the audience
that was just the luck of the draw.
wanting more after the intermis-
My parents and two sisters have
sion."Some people actually will
used up a lot of frequent flyer
walk out on any show, no mat-
miles following me around the
ter how expensive the ticket:'
country."
Waldman points out.
The performer also operates
The Wicked story slows down
the Jen Waldman Voice Studio in
a bit at the start of the second
Manhattan, and has been flying
act, although it's quickly revived
back and forth there to help teach
by the twists and surprises of the
on Mondays when the show is
plot.
closed and the tour city is near
The flying monkeys are air-
New York.
borne thanks to a method using
"I've tried my best to observe
steel aircraft cable devised by
the major Jewish holidays, but it's
Jewish designer Paul Rubin, a
tough when you're on the road a
special-effects genius who made
lot. For Passover, I was able to get
Peter Pan fly on the Fisher Theatre
some cast members of all faiths
stage last year.
together and have a small seder,"
"I got the monkeys flying in the
she said.
Broadway Wicked, and we're just
using the same method in Detroit
Flying Monkeys
with the help of the stage per-
Waldman was in the ensemble of
sonnel at Masonic," he said. "For
the Wicked cast on Broadway and the "Defying Gravity" number,
was promoted to the Nessarose
Elphaba goes to the ceiling with
role for the road company. Her
the aid of a hydraulic lift."
two big numbers are "Dancing
Rubin, whose grandfather was
Through Life" in the first act and
a Brooklyn cantor, is known as the