They were handed out buttons Thursday night in the lobby of the Nederlander Theatre. “I’ve seen ‘Wicked’ (blank) times,” they read, allowing the user to borrow a marker and ink the number. Wandering around the lobby, I saw some impressive digits, although I’ll note immodestly that few matched my own.
That’s because “Wicked,” more than any other Broadway show in living memory, made a huge commitment to Chicago in the early aughts. It ran here for more than three and a half years, making a big commitment to Chicago-based actors and musicians and reminding every other show out there of the potential strength of the Chicago market. The buoyant downtown theater and restaurant districts in those years owed much to “Wicked,” which put money in servers’ pockets, helped at least a couple of actors buy houses here and filled the streets of the Loop, eight times a week.
Such was the interest in the show at the time, I was persuaded to go back for every big cast change, watching great performers like Ana Gasteyer, Rondi Reed, Telly Leung, Heidi Kettenring (now Dolly in “Hello, Dolly!” at the Marriott Theatre) and Gene Weygandt (Broadway’s “Come From Away”) cycle through the lead roles. (I looked up one of my favorite Fiyeros, Kristoffer Cusick, and was chagrined to discover he’s now 48 years old.)
I’ve written countless times about why I think the show (about to be turned into two movies) works. Fundamentally, it’s part of a movement at the time to note the complexity of moral choices and the prices we have to pay for making them: as such, it has a lot in common with the (“pain will come”) Harry Potter books. “Hamilton,” in my view, marked both the climax and the end of that era, which roughly coincided with the Obama administration. Musicals and plays now are far more likely to assert moral imperatives and absolutes than encourage relativistic thinking. If you read me often, you’ll know I lament that, although there are brave holdouts if you look hard.
And, of course, the green girl and the blonde girl, as they refer to each other, are everyperson figures. We’re all either one or the other.
Viewed now, “Wicked” is a reminder of how musicals can support complex stories when you have a book writer of the quality of Winnie Holzman (“My So-Called Life”), great songs by Stephen Schwartz and a rich, visually splendiferous production, as directed by Joe Mantello.
For the record, the current national tour has a great second-generation Elphaba in Lissa deGuzman, who never missed a note (and even added a couple) and whose emotional connection with the show’s fans is palpable. She’s well supported by Jennafer Newberry’s Glinda, Natalie Venetia Belcon’s Madame Morrible and, especially, Jordan Litz’s droll Fiyero. And if you are a longtime Broadway fan, you’ll enjoy seeing the veteran John Bolton as the Wizard.
And if you are worried, there has been no diminishment in production values. Too much at stake for that. Of all that abides here, it’s the consistency of the musical direction that impress me the most.
“Wicked,” which is back for what by today’s standards is another long run, always looks like it was built for the Nederlander Theatre and the city of L. Frank Baum that returns its affection.
It has been a while since I sat in a Chicago theater packed with diverse, paying customers and excited for every moment. Most heartening. Once the audience has gotten over the hump of a return with “Wicked,” there’s a decent chance they’ll finally decide to come back for more, all over the city.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Wicked” 3.5 stars
When: Through Dec. 4
Where: Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Tickets: $59-$194 at 800-775-2000 and www.broadwayinchicago.com