With a wink to the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz, Broadway’s Wicked takes flight with Glinda the Good floating above the citizens of Oz in a bubble and a ballgown. Flashing a radiant smile, she greets her groupies in front of the Wizard’s palace as they rejoicify the demise of “The wickedest witch there ever was/the enemy of us all.”
Photos by Joan Marcus.
It’s a dancing in the street sort of celebration that comes with questions for the shimmering blonde witch, including the incendiary: “Is it true you were her friend?” Flash backward to the “hallowed halls and vine-draped walls” of Shiz University circa once upon a time.
The phantasmagorical musical about to unfold is both a prequel and sequel (but mostly a prequel) to L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” harvested from Gregory Maguire’s revisionist novel by Winnie Holzman (book) and Stephen Schwartz (score). And, like all the companies before it, the current cast is exceptional. Make that groundbreaking, as two key performers are making Broadway history: Lencia Kebede, the first full-time Black actress to play emerald-green Elphaba on Broadway, and Jenna Bainbridge, the first authentic wheelchair user to play Elphaba’s disabled younger sister, Nessarose, at the Gershwin Theatre.
“The building, even though it’s one of the newer Broadway houses, predates ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act], which generally only applies to public areas, so backstage is not always required to be accessible,” says Bainbridge, adding that when she arrived, the cast and crew were creative in adapting to her unique needs. “Because backstage space is at a premium, movement there is as intricate and choreographed as it is onstage.”
Bainbridge officially joined the cast last April, alongside fellow principals Allie Trimm (Glinda), Natasha Yvette Williams (Madame Morrible), Daniel Quadrino (Boq), and Ms. Kebede—a stunning overlap of talent and style that brings humor and fresh emotional depth to the long-running production (22 years and counting).
Smitten by Baum’s original book growing up (“I read and reread it over and over again”), Bainbridge became enchanted by Wicked the musical after seeing the first national touring company with Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba when she was around ten. “All my friends and I loved it,” she says, going on to recall singing Elphaba’s anthem “Defying Gravity” with them in her middle school choir room.
The show’s storyline follows reluctant college roomies Elphaba (a studious societal outcast), and Glinda (a self-absorbed fashionista and campus influencer) as they morph from enemies to BFFs and find themselves entangled in an Ozian battle of good vs. evil.
As for the “tragically beautiful” Nessarose, her narrative turns out to be one of the show’s most intriguing and heartfelt. After arriving entrusted to her sister’s care, headmistress Morrible swoops in and declares herself Nessa’s de facto guardian, triggering a showstopping moment in which Elphaba flexes her extraordinary magical talent. Impressive? Sure. But Nessa is still relegated to sharing quarters with Morrible, which, fortunately, doesn’t squelch her independent mindset, or her romantic feelings for Boq, a quirky Munchkin dude who has a major crush on Glinda.
“Nessa resents the way people treat her and Elphaba, so my using a wheelchair and dealing with ableism brings a different flavor to the character. Because I’m comfortable with my disability, I get to put my signature on the role, which is meaningful,” says Bainbridge who became paralyzed after she tripped and fell when she was 16 months old. Partially paralyzed her whole life, the Denver, Colorado native is what is called an “ambulatory wheelchair user.” “Most people who use wheelchairs are able to walk or stand in some capacity,” she explains.
A super-active kid who was into athletics, Bainbridge turned to acting once her favorite sports started to become more competitive and unsafe. “But I never thought I’d be a professional actor, since I’d never seen anyone like me on TV or in films.”
Still, she kept getting roles. “Performing found me,” she says.
In preparing to play Nessarose, Bainbridge turned to her Shakespearean background, which allowed her to tap into the show’s distinctive diction and grandiose language, particularly in Act II after she’s succeeded her father as Governor of Munchkinland. Still, her favorite part of the show is Act I’s Ozdust Ballroom sequence where the students go out dancing for the night. “I love, love, love being part of the ensemble…doing the choreography…listening to the music. It’s so much fun, and I get to relive it at every performance."
Also at every performance Bainbridge makes a forceful visual statement by taking her curtain call in her own, contemporary wheelchair. “It’s important for the audience to see that the person who plays Nessa is authentic,” she says. “I think being—and seeing—a joyfully disabled woman in a wheelchair moving freely on stage is both radical and empowering—and a gift.”
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Did you know that Wicked...
…is the 4th longest-running show in Broadway history
…has won over 100 awards internationally, including three Tonys and a Grammy
…has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world
…the 2024 movie version is the highest grossing film based on a Broadway musical
…The Clock of the Time Dragon on the proscenium of the Gershwin Theatre is a 40-pound puppet named “Oswald”
…Gregory Maguire used the initials of L. Frank Baum—L.F.B.—when creating the name “Elphaba”
Wicked is playing at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre, 222 W. 51st St. (btw. Broadway & Eighth Ave.) For tickets call 877-250-2929 or visit wickedthemusical.com.
