CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Before bootlegs of Broadway shows appeared on YouTube or TikTok, or before fully produced film recordings like “Hamilton,” there wasn’t much available to musical fans other than a cast album.
In high school drama club in California, I was introduced to the “Wicked” CD. I immediately fell in love with the music and concept of the show, especially as an avid “Wizard of Oz” fan.
I imagined what each song would look like on-stage: How would “No One Mourns the Wicked” start the show? Or how on Earth were they going to make a witch fly in “Defying Gravity?”
The mystery and suspense piqued my interest for years. I soaked in anything I could find online: photos, articles, little video snippets from a documentary in 360-pixel resolution. Anything that would help me visualize what the “Wicked” theater experience was all about.
Luckily, “Wicked” was opening an open-ended sit-down production in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, and so began my repeated journeys to Oz.
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I returned to the Los Angeles production several times, often introducing my friends to the magic of the stagecraft and music of “Wicked.” I still say this today: “Wicked” is a great introduction to Broadway for anyone who have never seen a musical in their life.
Throughout the years, I’ve watched as the show toured in whichever city I lived in at the time. I’ve seen “Wicked” a few times on Broadway, and once in the West End. No matter how many times I’ve watched it, I pick up something I’ve never noticed before, or dissect a new interpretation by the different actors playing roles I’ve seen over the years.
Now, the touring production is in my new home of Charlotte. Thus, I enter Oz for my 23rd time -- and I’m not including how many times I’ve seen the first movie.
The last time I saw “Wicked” on stage was two years ago when the tour made a stop in my old stomping grounds in Detroit. Now that the movie has been out for a year, it seemed about time to revisit the stage production, this time at the Belk Theater.
The first thing I noticed was the lighting. From the moment I walked into the Belk and stared at the stage as I walked to my seat, the proscenium, adorned with gears and mechanisms of the dramatic Clock of the Time Dragon, was lit in a bright blue leaf-like design that surrounded the glowing map of Oz.
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I don’t remember it being this vibrant before, and it really stuck out to me.
My fascination with the lighting in this production continued throughout the entire performance. From the warm tones of Shiz University to the glowing green of the Emerald City, the colors popped like never before and truly made me feel like I was over the rainbow.
It reminded me of the scene in “The Wizard of Oz” where Dorothy walks into Munchkinland for the first time in technicolor.
I also noticed lighting effects that I have never noticed before, like a single white streak of light that glowed when Elphaba was casting a spell.
For a show that has been running for over 20 years now, the technical marvel of “Wicked” continues to beat even some of the more modern musicals. If “Wicked” updated their lighting package, it was worth the investment.
Then came the performances.
I’ll begin with Zoe Jensen as the bubbly Glinda. Not only is she a comedic tour de force, she’s also a beautiful vocalist who handles the operatic introduction with complete ease.
I was instantly hooked as she came down that bubble. Watching her version of Glinda was like watching a theater kid live out her dreams. She was campy without being over-the-top, an issue many Glindas can fall into. Jensen commanded the stage as if there were always an audience cheering her on -- which, at the Belk Theater, there was.
Then came our green girl Jessie Davidson as Elphaba. I knew from the moment she started singing “The Wizard and I” that she was going to have one hell of a “Defying Gravity.”
And I was right.
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Davidson has one of the clearest voices in an Elphaba that I have ever heard. I’ve seen fan favorites like powerhouse Jessica Vosk, as well as Jackie Burns, the longest-running Elphaba, and Davidson has a voice that is so controlled and healthy, yet oh-so powerful.
I love that she starts so bright and earnest during “The Wizard and I” and eventually gets darker, meaner and grittier as her world around her changes for the worse. Davidson didn’t even finish her battle cry at the end of “Defying Gravity” before the audience began cheering and clapping.
It’s not just our witches who stole the show, though they do deserve their standing ovations. This entire cast is so engaged and so perfect for their roles.
Eileen T’Kaye as Madame Morrible was so lusciously menacing as the head mistress of Shiz University. When she yells “wicked witch,” the whole theater went silent. It was frightening, and I enjoyed this scarier interpretation of Morrible.
Ethan Kirschbaum perfectly encapsulates Fiyero’s himbo traits enamoring the audience in “Dancing Through Life.”
Jada Temple’s Nessarose brought out a character who has always felt secondary. She added a depth to the future Governor of Munchkinland that gave her more urgency and made her far more interesting to watch.
Blake Hammond as The Wizard, Nicolas Garza as Boq, and Drew McVety as Doctor Dillamond also gave standout performances as their respective characters.
This is a top-notch cast and it was so beautiful to watch with every person so invested and focused on the storytelling. It added an extra layer of magic to an already-great show, and made the 23rd watch almost feel new.
Now with millions of people having watched the first movie, and with the sequel coming out in about a month, it almost feels like the first time I saw “Wicked.” I get to share the experience of watching it with people who have never seen it before all over again.
It’s wonderful.
“Wicked” is now playing through Oct. 26, 2025, at the Belk Theater in Charlotte Tuesday through Sunday, with matinees on the weekends. Ticket prices start at $46.58.
For schedules and tickets, visit the Blumenthal Arts website right here.
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