'Wicked' flies away from Windy City
LaGrange Park native Barbara Robertson won't have to apply lavender face makeup eight times a week after Sunday, Jan. 25. That's when the Chicago production of the Broadway blockbuster musical "Wicked" plays its last show after an amazing run of 1,500 performances.
"The fact that this show had expected maybe to run a year and now is closing close to four years later is really exciting," said Robertson, who played the pale-faced villain Madame Morrible on and off since May 2007.
It was unprecedented Chicago box office demand for "Wicked's" initial national touring stop back in April 2005 that prompted its Broadway producers to gamble on opening an exclusive Windy City production in June that year. "Wicked" in Chicago proved to be a winning bet since it regularly grossed about $1 million a week.
"Wicked" is based upon Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel of the same name, which presents a revisionist take on L. Frank Baum's children's book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Featuring a score by "Godspell" composer Stephen Schwartz and a script by Winnie Holzman (TV's "My So Called Life"), "Wicked" overcame its initially mixed reviews when it opened on Broadway in 2003 to become a runaway audience hit (it is still frequently the highest-grossing Broadway show each week).
During "Wicked's" time at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, the show generated $206 million in ticket sales and hosted more than 2.9 million visitors (some from as far away as Australia and Africa).
"Wicked" in Chicago initially featured a star in the leading role of Elphaba (Ana Gasteyer of "Saturday Night Live" fame), but it also proved to be a boon to many Chicago-area performers since it doled out Broadway-sized salaries. Local actors such as Gene Weygandt, Heidi Kettenring, Jeff Dumas and even Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble members Rondi Reed and K. Todd Freeman appeared in Chicago's "Wicked."
"Yes, I will miss the paycheck," Robertson said with a laugh, adding that the financial security of a long Broadway-style run helped fund her daughters' college education and also came in handy when her roof needed repairing.
Once "Wicked" closes in Chicago, some of its cast and elements of the physical production will be put into service for the show's second national touring company. A "Wicked" production also begins this month in San Francisco, while the original continues on Broadway. "Wicked" can also be seen in London, Melbourne, Tokyo and Stuttgart, Germany.
Though Robertson is besieged with fans at the stage door who question why "Wicked" is closing now, she's glad the show is going out while it's on top with full houses. Besides, she's heard rumors that "Wicked" probably will come touring back to Chicago in the future.
In the meantime, Robertson is enjoying the final few days of being part of a Broadway blockbuster.
"It's very fulfilling," Robertson said. Though the eight-show-a-week routine can be tiring, Robertson says it is worth it. "It's always nice to see a show do so well and touch so many people."
"Wicked" finishes its run at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 and 24, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 24 and 25. The show is mostly sold out, though some regularly priced tickets may become available. A $25 ticket lottery for the first two rows is held two-hours before each performance. (312) 902-1400.