Over the long weekend, I went to New York City with one of my best friends. I had never traveled without an adult, which I guess I still haven’t because my friend and I are technically adults (but let’s not jumpstart my existential crisis now), and besides my nasty cold which turned out to be bronchitis, I was ready to paint the town. My friend and I had planned this trip back in June and one thing we both agreed on was we had to go to Broadway. I have been a theater kid since third grade, and theater has always had a special place in my heart. I’ve been able to learn self confidence and public speaking skills through theater as well as the ability to laugh at myself. I have also been extremely lucky to have parents who supported my love of theater. Our family had season tickets to a theater in Worcester for a few years and we would see a show every month. Despite all this, I had yet to see one of the classic musicals, Wicked. I had heard some of the songs, I’d even sang some of the songs in voice lessons and with friends for school talent shows, but I had never seen it. Until Saturday.
What I loved about Wicked and what I think sets it apart from other musicals is the fact that the characters aren’t sensationalized. I feel like in musicals you have characters that are good and worshipped and characters that are evil and feared. And even though this musical is about Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba more commonly known as the Wicked Witch of the West, both of these characters in the musical are portrayed as thoroughly human. The lines between good and evil are blurred when it comes to the two main characters, and I think that makes them more relatable, and it really makes you think about the show. Besides that, it is ridiculously fun to watch if you’ve seen the Wizard of Oz. In fact that should be a prerequisite to buying your ticket. There are so many references to the movie and you find out the origin stories of the popular Oz characters such as the Scarecrow, and what happens to him once Dorothy leaves Oz.
This musical, like all other musicals, took me to another world. I laughed, cried, hoped, and felt heartbroken for the characters. Watching the musical made me forget I was sick, it made me forget all my worries and made me feel blissfully happy, and lucky to have the opportunity to be there. To see the joy on the actors faces at curtain call to be back to doing what they love, and to hear the standing ovation that the audience gave them at the end of the performance filled me with such joy. I had been missing live theater in my life and to see this show filled a hole in my soul that I had desperately needed to be filled. Seeing this show gave me hope in the darkness that has been this pandemic. Broadway is back and I hope it is here to stay.
Xxx,
Jillian