People Going Wild Over 'WICKED'

By Baumgartner Vaughan, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.

Oct. 28--DURHAM -- Halloween Eve will be the sixth anniversary of the hit Broadway musical "WICKED." The "untold story of the witches of Oz" has been a cultural phenomenon, producer David Stone told an audience of invited guests at a "WICKED" preview Tuesday morning at the Durham Performing Arts Center. "WICKED" will be at DPAC April 21-May 16.

Though "WICKED" won't be performed in Durham for another six months, group tickets are on sale now. Group tickets are those sold in groups of 20 or more. Group tickets get priority seating. DPAC has been promoting the show for more than a year, even before the center's construction was finished. Individual tickets go on sale Jan. 15 and are expected to sell out fast. Other "WICKED" shows have sold out in hours.

Based on the best-selling novel of Gregory Maguire, "WICKED" has won 26 awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards. It is the story of two girls who meet in Oz -- one born with emerald green skin and misunderstood, the other beautiful and popular. The musical tells how Elphaba and Glinda, once college roommates, became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

"WICKED" has had two national tours and long-running shows in major cities in the U.S., Europe and Japan. A variety of actresses have starred in all the shows since the original Glinda was played by Kristin Chenoweth and Elphaba by Idina Menzel. On Tuesday, Merideth Kaye Clark, who plays Elphaba on the national tour coming to DPAC, and Libby Servais as Glinda, performed the duet "For Good." Not in stage costume or makeup, Servais wore a white dress and Clark wore a gray dress. Clark also sang "The Wizard and I" for a crowd that packed rows of chairs set up on the DPAC stage.

A video montage of scenes and audience reactions was shown as well as short interviews with producer Marc Platt and composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Platt said the show is one that will make audiences laugh, cry and cheer, and make them think long after they've left the theater. Schwartz said that after hearing about the book, he thought turning it into a musical would be the best idea of all time.

Producer Stone was there in person to talk about the show that he said has surpassed his wildest dreams. " 'WICKED' touches the heart and we hope that will be true here as well," he said. Stone said the production value of the traveling show, which arrives on 16 trucks, is the same as it would be on Broadway. The only difference is that flying monkeys are on stage, but not out in the audience as they are in New York.

When "WICKED" comes to Durham in April, the cast will be accompanied by some touring crew and six musicians. Ten local musicians and several crew members from the local area will work the four weeks of the DPAC show. Stone expects "WICKED" to be around for a long time on Broadway and on tour. He thinks the past 15 years have been a second Golden Age for Broadway with productions like "The Lion King," "RENT" and "The Light in the Piazza."

"It has been a great time for musical theater. Broadway, despite the recession, has held up amazingly well," Stone said.

He thinks the success of "WICKED" is partly due to understanding the character of Elphaba was more complicated than her "wicked" description. The power is in that idea, Stone said.

"Maybe there is no good and evil, black and white, red and blue. Maybe there's just green," he said.

Stone doesn't think there will be any staged musical sequels. Sequels are for movies, he said, though acknowledged a "Phantom of the Opera" sequel is in the works in England. And anyway, it was Elphaba's story that spoke to them, he said, not those in Maguire's sequels to "WICKED," which focus on "Son of a Witch" and the Cowardly Lion. A film version of "WICKED" is being discussed, but probably won't be made for a good seven years, he said.

WHAT: "WICKED"

WHEN: April 21-May 16

WHERE: Durham Performing Arts Center

TICKETS: $31.25-$91

Group tickets on sale now

Individual tickets go on sale Jan. 15

Contact: 281-0587, www.dpacnc.com

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