Girls help make ‘Wicked’ so wickedly popular

You can tell a lot about a performance by its audience. If, for instance, the Twittering tweens in the lobby are wearing green dresses, glittering “Popular” t-shirts or ruby slippers, you know you’re at “Wicked,” the smash hit musical that has broken box-office records around the world.

Based on the best-selling Gregory Maguire novel, “Wicked” is returning to San Diego, care of Broadway/San Diego, for a run that lasts from July 29 to August 30. It’s the lengthy follow-up to the two-week engagement in 2006, which sold out in record time.

The musical is the recipient of 20 major awards, including three Tonys, a Grammy and three Drama Desk Awards.  With music and lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz (”Godspell,” “Pippin,” “Pocahontas,” “Prince of Egypt”) and book by Winnie Holzman (”My So-Called Life,” “Once and Again,” “thirtysomething”), “Wicked” tells the backstory of the witches of Oz, long before Dorothy showed up.

A show cannot enjoy this level of success without broad appeal.  And while “Wicked” certainly attracts audiences of all ages, and male as well as female fans, one cannot help but notice all those girls in braces. Many are there for a second - and even a third - time.

Twelve-year-old Maddy Urie will attend “Wicked” at downtown San Diego’s Civic Theatre this summer, after having seen the show in London last year.

“I thought it was amazing…by far the best show I’ve ever seen,” says the freckle-faced soccer player from San Carlos.

“I love it a lot,” chimes in Emily Mittleman, an energetic 12-year-old from Del Cerro, who has seen “Wicked” three times.  “It’s one of my top favorites and for me, worth seeing over and over.”

Looking forward to her first production of “Wicked” is Leah Munson, 12, of Del Cerro, a coltish Abercrombie girl: “A lot of my close friends saw it and said it was the best show they’ve ever seen.”

One would be hard pressed to find a girl who doesn’t like “Wicked” – or isn’t aching to see it.

Why does this show resonate so soundly with this group?  Why has it blown away similar youth-oriented shows like “Grease,” “High School Musical” or “Hairspray”?

Lauren Robinson-Hunt, who teaches middle school at Grant K-8 in Mission Hills, has a theory.  She has seen the show six times, three times as a chaperone for her eighth grade students on their East Coast trip. She knows that girls in the audience identify with Elphaba, the misunderstood emerald green witch.

“I think every middle school girl thinks she’s completely different than the rest,” she says.  “They are just on the cusp of the whole idea of seeing yourself as an outsider.”

Both the show — and young women — grapple with issues of popularity, adds the English and History teacher.

One of “Wicked’s” most memorable musical numbers is when Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, promises to teach Elphaba how to be popular.  The tongue-in-cheek lyrics address many of the issues of conformity that girls face today.

Girls love that the heroine is strong and independent, says Robinson-Hunt. By contrast, some of her students noticed the decidedly anti-feminist message of “Grease.”

“Some of my more savvy girls were like, ‘Totally change who you are and you’ll get the guy?!’  They did recognize that and it bothered them,” she explains.

My daughter, Katie O’Nell, 12, is going to see “Wicked” for the second time with a gaggle of girls her age in early August.  She says what appeals to her most about the show is the clever concept of telling the story from the Wicked Witch’s point of view.

“I think it’s always interesting to hear the villain’s side of the story…it reminds you not to judge someone until you know their whole story,” she says. “You know why the witch is so desperate to steal the ruby slippers from Dorothy and it makes you root for her.”

Mittleman agrees: “You’re always used to not liking the Wicked Witch, but then you can see things from her perspective. I love how you can see the background.  Everyone thinks the Wicked Witch is such a bad person, but this changes your mind.”

And everyone could use a little more understanding, according to Munson.

“It’s like when (my friend) got all mad at me and (another girl) and walked away, and we didn’t know why.  It was really just a misunderstanding,” she recalls.  “If we’d gotten to explain…”

She says the girls are all good friends now but the incident made her appreciate the importance of knowing the whole story before making a decision.

Representatives of “Wicked” say that too much emphasis is placed on the fact that young girls love the show.  They say the musical’s demographic is “8 to 80″ and appeals to a diverse population.

Fair enough.  The audience is by no means exclusively tween and teen girls.

But there’s also no denying that “Wicked” is wickedly popular with middle school girls.

Jennifer Coburn is an SDNN contributor.

Event info

What: “Wicked,” presented by Broadway/San Diego

When: July 29 to August 30

Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue, downtown

How much: $25 to $128

Tickets/information: (619) 570-1100 or (800) 745-3000; www.BroadwaySD.com

Tags: Elphaba Wicked, SDNN, teens Wicked, tweens Wicked, Wicked, Wicked Broadway/San Diego, Wicked Civic Theatre, Wicked San Diego

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