The nuts and bolts were in place and the cast and crew was bustling as the immensely popular musical "Wicked" geared up for its six-week engagement at ASU’s Gammage auditorium.
The $11 million production had multiple trucks move the entire set from Portland to Tempe, and it took around 30 hours to recreate the set.
Parts of the show's cast has left the tour, but the rest are bringing a lot of emotion to the table. Company manager Scott Quinn talked about the challenges this musical has brought him and the rest of the crew.
“Every time a cast member leaves it’s an emotional thing,” Quinn said. “We are always happy when people move on to bigger and better things, but we are sad to see them leave.”
Quinn stressed this cast is still the most emotionally cohesive group he has had during his ten years of managing. With many of the cast members being repeat stars in their roles, everyone has their own unique connections.
“This company in particular has a great bond and affection for one another,” Quinn said. “The ensemble interacts so well with such energy for eight shows a week and it shows.”
While many of the people involved in the show have been consistent with the play, it has adapted a few changes. This comes from a creative team that understands that "Wicked" can change slightly while keeping the identity intact.
Quinn pointed out that Wicked hasn’t stagnated by utilizing parts of the Broadway production in New York and the London production of the show.
“Our creative team, when they launch a new version of the production, come back from a break and have time to reflect on the show,” he said. “(The creative team) takes things from other productions and see what they like and what they don’t like."
The result is a solid show that veteran viewers will still love and recognize with new moments that will bring renewed interest and entertainment. Quinn pointed out that anyone coming will have something to enjoy.
“There are new elements in this show that aren’t seen on Broadway,” Quinn said. “(The changes) also haven’t been seen in previous incarnations in Phoenix.”
At the end of the day, its the same show people have come to love because the core message still rings the same. Production stage manager David O’Brien voiced his love for the play’s message and recognized that the musical still rings true to those concepts.
“It’s a story of friendship,” O’Brien said. “It’s a story of girl who gets bullied, it’s a story about skin color and deals with people not accepting that and I think it rings true.”
Wicked is still going to be the classic play that everyone should see. With the classic characters and the emotionally engaging story and the production still maintains the original beloved idea of equality.
This is a lesson of learning to accept yourself and the skin you’re given, even if your skin may be green.
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Reach the reporter at dloche@asu.edu or follow @DMLoche on Twitter.
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