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I have to credit my sister Maegan for introducing about a trillion cool things to me. One day in 2005, she brought home two books: a piano book with two witches on the cover, and a green book called Wicked: The Grimmerie. Maegan explained that Wicked was a play about the Wicked Witch of the West.
Now, my family adores musicals. This story was particularly compelling to me, as three of us were in the middle of rehearsals for Wizard of Oz, our high school play that year. (Maegan played Dorothy, our brother the Cowardly Lion, and I played a munchkin and an Ozian.)
It didn’t take long for the songs from Wicked to frequent our home. I quit piano after two years of lessons, (which I deeply regret), but Maegan played well, and our family quickly learned the songs from the musical. Eventually, we bought the soundtrack, and the voices of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth blared from our stereos on a regular basis. My siblings and I sang different arrangements of “Popular”, “Loathing”, “Defying Gravity”, and “For Good” at talent shows, weddings, and in our school choir.
And that other green book? I loved it! I was fascinated by all the behind-the-scenes secrets and stories. It was so interesting to read the actors’ perspectives on the show, how the music developed, and to see the beautiful photos of the sets and characters.
Needless to say, I really wanted to see the show! I was pretty jealous when my sisters had opportunities to go.
13 years after Maegan first brought home those green books, I finally got the opportunity to see Wicked.
My husband and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on Saturday, and we got to go on a long date. We ate at a steakhouse and enjoyed a ton of food that we didn’t have to share with our kids. Then we headed to the 8:00 showing of Wicked at the TPAC in Nashville.
I was not disappointed.
The cast was ridiculously talented. Usually, there are one or two characters that fall short of expectations, but there were no weak links in this cast. I was even blown away by the flying monkeys, you know?
And man, these people can sing.
The acting, music, scenery- all of it was exceptional!
The moment when Elphaba rises in the air during “Defying Gravity” was every bit as grand as I had imagined.
I love plays and the experience of seeing and feeling a story. It’s really amazing what can be done with a stage, some lights, and a bit of magic.
Wicked was a work of art.
If you’ve never been to a Broadway or other professional-level show, add it to your bucket list! Just make sure you pick a good seat where people aren’t climbing over you the entire time and that the person beside you doesn’t enjoy chomping on popcorn kernels.
-Mariah
Tell us about the things on your bucket list!
