Witch Slapped

Glinda tells all.

by A.D. Amorosi

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Since its Mischief Night 2003 Broadway debut, Wicked has been giving a whole new voice to the resident witches and bitches of Oz. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the pre-Dorothy musical provides the backstory of misunderstood green goddess Elphaba Thropp and her snotty pink rival, Glinda Upland. The "Good Witch" herself (Christina DeCicco) explains how things went before houses started dropping.

City Paper: Wicked is a story of misfits, but your character is the pretty, popular one. How do you avoid coming off as a spoiled "mean girl"?

CDC: Glinda's not mean. She grew up in a wealthy world. She gets accepted to the best university and decides she's going to study with the best sorcery teacher and be the most popular, most wonderful girl in school. Instead, this strange girl shows up. She doesn't dislike Elphaba because she's green. She dislikes her because she's ruining Glinda's plan to have the perfect college experience and the perfect future. Glinda's also painfully truthful without realizing it might hurt another person's feelings. She doesn't want to give Elphaba a makeover because she thinks Elphaba is ugly � Glinda really thinks she is giving Elphaba something special. Glinda just wants to be a good person, and sometimes goes about it the wrong way because she doesn't know better.

CP: What did you have to nail to get the part in Wicked?

CDC: Telling the story without playing it for the laugh. It's nice to get the audience to laugh with you. But in all actuality, if you just tell the story without judging what's funny or not, the audience usually laughs louder and longer.

CP: Have you received any hate mail from angry Judy Garland fanatics?

CDC: I've actually been asked this question about Billie Burke, the actress who played Glinda in the MGM movie, as well. I've not received mail regarding the movie, good or bad, I think, because Wicked fans see the musical as a separate entity from the movie.

CP: You've appeared at the Walnut Street Theatre as Maria in West Side Story and Belle in Beauty and the Beast. What's up with the "good girl" parts?

CDC: Good girl or bad girl, it really relies on being truthful to character. Like Glinda, those women wanted something. I had to learn to not judge their desires as childish or silly, no matter how small they might be. It doesn't matter if I play an ingenue leading lady or character part � I can't form an opinion about the character by the box that others put them in.

CP: What do you think about the notion that Wicked is political in its themes of color and race?

CDC: I think it's really special to be involved in a show that can entertain people with a beautiful story, gorgeous music, fabulous sets, lavish costumes and award-winning lighting design and still warn audiences about problems that may or may not be happening in our society today. If only a handful of people pick up on the political aspects of the show, it's nice to know that a Broadway musical can send people home thinking about their world as they know it.

Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz

runs July 25-Sept. 9, $30-$150, The Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, 215-893-1999, www.academyofmusic.org