There’s magic in the air as the Blockbuster musical “Wicked” arrives at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (SCFTA) February 9 to March 6, 2022. “Wicked” has previously played SCFTA and if past performances are a bellwether of what to expect then grab your ruby red slippers & get your tickets fast.
Adolescent females were among the first to respond to the “Wicked” message of hope for those daring to be different. That inspiring moral soon spread to fans of all genders and ages. In the lingo of youth if bad means good then ‘wicked’ translates to really excellent. This perfectly describes a show with a narrative that everyone already knows and then spins it into a Technicolor musical that is fresh, peculiar and yes, wickedly delicious.
“Wicked” is the story of two young women who meet in enchanted ‘Oz’ long before the kid from Kansas dropped in. It tells the tale of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good and how they became immortalized as evil and good witches.
Elphaba and Glinda struggle over their reactions to the Wizard’s corrupt government. In a land tinted green, there’s more than one side to every story, including that of the Wizard ruler of Oz.
Tony Award winner Cleavant Derricks, featured as the Wizard dug deep into his character. And in Oz where green doesn’t represent mean and things aren’t always what they seem, his Wizard isn’t just black or white, good vs evil. Like the witches, he’s mainly misunderstood or so says Derricks.
Chatting with Derricks was akin to talking with the Wizard himself. He construes his character as he sees his personal relationship to the show. He says “I’m able to interpret the character for myself and what I think of him. The lines are beautiful and I deliver my lines as my truth of who I believe he is. Every night I get out there and I lose myself and become the Wizard. He’s whimsical, he’s lovable and he’s serious. He plays with the audience until they fall in love with him.”
Asked why he auditioned for “Wicked,” Derricks says he was called to it after seeing the show on Broadway. He says “when I saw it, I was fascinated, the cast was so gifted. I can’t explain how enthralled I was. For me everything about it was so wonderful, the sets, the designs, the total package. But it was the talent on stage, from chorus to understudies, the impressive ensemble, the leads and even the behind the scenes crew that were so talented. It was a gift to American theater. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Derricks has a unique take on his Wizard. He read background material on the character based on life and times in Oz. And he is the first African American in a National Touring Company to play the Wizard which he says “allows him to draw on a different perspective towards the Wizards backstory.”
The character of the Wizard lacks magic, but Derricks brings magic to the stage transforming himself into a Wizard that is so real that audiences believes that he isn’t a villain, just a man trying to do good for the people he governs. He says, “After reading the books about the Wizard, I realized he doesn’t have supernatural skills but lives in a time of witchery when strange things were happening. He doesn’t have much but he is looking for a better life and joins a carnival where he learns showmanship.
“It was also a time when things weren’t going well for African Americans. So, here’s this guy working the ropes on a Balloon ride, he glances up and spontaneously leaps in. It takes off and lands in Oz. The people look up at him in awe and he thinks, ‘the people in Oz see me landing in this Balloon and they think I’m ‘wonderful.’ From his African American viewpoint, it’s the first time he feels admired.”
He continues, “To portray the Wizard onstage I had to come up with ideas of who I was, where I came from and where I was going. I used the books to make my Wizard relatable to audiences.”
Dispute Derricks’ sympatric sympathetic interpretation of the Wizard he is the villain of the piece. He’s smoke and mirrors, obliviously politically motivated. Derricks concedes, saying
“Well, yes, he’s a villain but he doesn’t see himself as the bad guy. So, I don’t think of him that way either. In the musical, he’s just trying to win Elphaba over because he has no real magic and this girl has magical skills like he’s never seen before. He needs her to retain his powerful hold on Oz.”
“Wicked” is a musical with an inspiring moral that resonates universally. It’s message is the costs of prejudice, exclusion and division can be overcome through love and friendship. The message Derricks sees in “Wicked” is the importance of appreciating those around you.
He, however, sees parallels between our world and Oz, saying “that’s how it was written.
It’s just life, yet it’s inspiring in positive ways. I believe “Wicked’ makes folks think twice about their actions and how they treat others. When people look at the political issues happening today and compare them to Oz, it awakens their consciousness to right and wrong. People need to reach out, not push away others, and let friendships develop.”
Derricks says “Wicked’ is a musical that dazzles the eyes and melodiously mesmerizes the ears. Its spirit is alive and audiences, no matter their background, knowledge or nationality can relate to it.”
Follow the yellow brick road to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. “Wicked” runs February 9 to March 6, 2022. For tickets and information: Online, SCFTA.org; In person and phone, The Box Office, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, Ca. 92626; Phone, 714-556-2728. Box Office hours: Mon. 10 a.m., Tues. – Fri. 12 to 3 p.m.
