‘Wicked’ Delights a New Generation at PPAC
The twist on The Wizard of Oz is “as relevant as ever” and plays for three weeks through March 22.
Jessie Davidson as Elphaba and Zoe Jensen as Glinda in the national tour of ‘Wicked.’ (Photo By Joan Marcus)
For those of us who lived through the Wicked craze of the early 2000s, it wasn’t quite like anything we’d seen before.
The riff on The Wizard of Oz (originally marketed as “the untold true story of the Witches of Oz”) took the musical theater world by storm when it premiered on Broadway in 2003. Miniature Elphabas and Glindas took over high school stages everywhere, and thousands flocked to touring productions, not to mention the more than fifteen million who’ve seen it at the Gershwin Theatre in New York. My own tickets to a production at the Providence Performing Arts Center during one of its earlier tours arrived tucked inside a copy of the soundtrack on CD (remember when those were still a thing?) which I’d already practically memorized.
Returning to PPAC for my second viewing of the hit musical this week brought on a wave of nostalgia as I witnessed a new generation discovering the story of Elphaba and Glinda for the first time. Little girls with Wicked merch in hand crowded the lobby alongside adults done up as their favorite residents of Oz. The excitement was palpable as the cast launched into the third show of a nearly three-week run.
Today’s Wicked mania is a result of the two-part film starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that has delighted audiences since 2024. While for many, the film is their first encounter with hit songs like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular,” those of us with longer memories hold the original versions by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as the gold standard. Performances by Jessie Davidson (Elphaba) and Zoe Jensen (Glinda) in this production did both versions justice, bringing bold new voices to a show that ultimately spotlights female friendship and empowerment.
“It was such an obsession for me, and I remember working on the music in my voice lessons as a little kid and just dreaming about doing the role,” says Davidson, who recalls seeing a touring production at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, Conn., as a child. “It was the first time I remember really seeing an opportunity to shoot for something, to dream about a specific goal, and seeing a world where this would be my career. That dream bloomed with Wicked.”
Jensen, likewise, came of age during the show’s peak and credits it as an early inspiration to pursue a career in stage acting.
“I just love the story. I love the spectacle. It brings back nostalgia when you think about it, [and] that’s been really special about this project,” she says.
For Davidson, who grew up in Connecticut, the tour stop has been a homecoming of sorts. Her family has long vacationed in Middletown, where she lived for about a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Second Beach is my home away from home for sure. Spent a lot of mornings just walking there,” she says, adding she also counts Sachuest Point and Diego’s Barrio Cantina among her favorite stops.
For Jensen and actor Tom McGowan (who portrays the Wizard), the visit to Rhode Island is their first, but both say they’ve enjoyed the food and attractions of Providence. McGowan, in particular, was eager to pay a visit to Al Forno on his first night in the city, where he’d long heard about the legendary grilled pizza. McGowan says he’s made his own version of the Providence invention for years.
“That’s been my company meal forever, but I had never gone to the original place,” he says.
For McGowan, who has performed in four tours of Wicked and also played the role on Broadway, the script is familiar territory. Over the years, he’s watched countless actresses step into the shoes of Elphaba and Glinda and add their own touches to the roles.
“They continue to find these extraordinary young women to play these parts. And anybody who comes to Providence is going to see two right here,” he says. “They’re enormous parts to carry, and to see these two just own the show and drive the story and sing it like angels is just great.”
There’s no shortage of comedic moments in this show (many of them provided by Jensen, who has perfected the Glinda hair flip) but its underlying themes are serious, and unexpectedly familiar. At times, the 2003-era script seems tailor-made for our current political era. McGowan as the Wizard elicits knowing laughs, and occasionally gasps, from the audience as he tries to convince Elphaba to join his all-powerful regime. (“Elphaba, where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true — we call it ‘history.’”) McGowan says he’s even had fans ask if the show was rewritten, as some of the jokes seem to land a little too on-the-nose.
“Sadly, it’s as relevant as ever,” he says. “I’ve had audience members think that it’s been rewritten. Like, ‘Oh, did you add that stuff?’ Nope, it was there from the beginning, and history repeats itself.”
At the end of the day, Wicked is a story about a girl ostracized because of her skin color and later labeled “wicked” when she refuses to use her power to prop up an unethical government. It’s also a story about friendship, and how one can form even when the world tries to pit two women against each other. Elphaba may be the hero of the show, but it’s Glinda who leaves the audience thinking about how a character can change for the good.
“My character comes in with preconceived notions. She changes. She eventually becomes an ally to Elphaba, and I really hope there are people in the audience inspired by that ability to change, and change your perception of things, and grow,” Jensen says.
Whether you’re looking for a feel-good sing-along or a deep dive on the ethics of being good in a world determined to see evil, Wicked will stay with you long after you leave the theater.
Wicked plays at PPAC through Sunday, March 22. Visit ppacri.org for showtimes or to purchase tickets.
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