Wicked • April 17, 2025 • Eccles Theater
Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe
Photographed by Joan Marcus courtesy of Broadway at the Ecceles
What can I possibly say about one of the biggest musicals in Broadway history that hasn’t already been said? Wicked the musical has been seen the world over by millions of people. I know multiple people in my own life who go to see Wicked on a regular basis. It’s their favorite musical and they’ve seen it over and over again. To coin a phrase, this show is in a word, “Popular”. I’m sorry, I regretted it the moment I wrote it. But it had to be done.
I can still recall the summer of 2003 when I was working in New York. I remember the buzz around a new Wizard of Oz type musical that focused on the Witches instead of Dorthy. The vivid memory of the legendary poster going up in Times Square still makes me want to go see the show or at least listen to the soundtrack. Of course as my luck would have it, I would be done with my summer job before Wicked opened and wouldn’t get to see it for another four years when it played at the Pantages Theater (Starring Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty) in Los Angeles. Still one of the most memorable nights of my theater going life.
Wicked is as populer as ever. With the 2024 motion picture being released, the Broadway musical in continuing to fill the seats both in New York but throughout world including the U.S. Tour wich has made its stop in Salt Lake City at the Eccles Theater. Wicked will be in town until May 25. Ticket and Student Rush information will be available at the end of this review. I had the opportunity to see the April 17th performance. She show is still as magical and as fresh as it was the first time I saw it.
Leading up to attending Wicked at Eccles Theater, I had this weird anxiety for the actors in this production. I knew without a doubt that they would be talented and fit for their roles. But when a show is this successful, people have certain expectations. They have actors they love and even prefer in these roles. Much like roles such as The Phantom of the Opera, Christine, or Jean Valjean in Les Mis, people have come to love certain actors in these roles. The same can be said for Elphaba and Glinda.
With so many heavy hitters having played these characters, I just wanted to badly for everyone to love whoever was playing these roles in Salt Lake City. It’s difficult enough to step into shoes played by Idina Menzel, and Kristin Chenoweth. Not to mention, Soshana Bean, Stephanie J. Block, Anna Gasteyer, Kerry Ellis, Eden Espinosa, Megan Hilty, Kendra Kessenbaum, and Sara Jean Ford. Not only do these actresses have all of these Broadway greats to contend with, but now there is a movie that people have stuck in their heads when they walk into the theater. How would they compare? Should we compare?
I had the opportunity to attend a press event where Company Manager Steve Quinn addressed the media. He shared with us, that “The movie is a lovely tribute to our show. It’s a stand alone entity in itself. We all loved it.”He also stated that there is, “Movie magic and there is stage magic. It’s fun seeing the stage magic.” I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. But I was excited to get back to seeing some of the “Stage Magic” Steve was referring to. I made a point that I would focus on the stage production and not let any of the movie get into my head. For the most part, I think I did a pretty good job blocking it all out. This show really is its own entity.
I’ve gone on and on about everything that has come before this night. Now onto this show and the show I saw on April 17. Again, a buzz was in the air as patrons took their seats. People snapping quick selfies with the stage behind them and the huge dragon (that I learned was named Oswald), above them. The show begins and we see Glinda, played by Austen Danielle Bohmer decend in a large bubble. Bohmer was an excellent Glinda.
Again, there is so much to compair to. I hope they don’t feel that pressure in a negative way. I liked how she played the character in her own style. That is the great thing about the characters of Glinda and Elphaba. There is so much space to make the character your own. Of course if you go too far out you run the risk of die hard fans not wanting that. But Austen Danielle Bohmer didn’t do that. I thought her comedy style was subtle yet really funny. And her more sincere moments were heartfelt.
I loved Lauren Samuels as Elphaba. Samuels is an English actress who has played the role of Elphaba on the U.S. Tour for a year. Salt Lake is the last city she’ll be in this production. We are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to see her in this role. She’s incredible. Her acting was excellent. She was exactly what I think most Wicked fans want to see in an Elphaba, but with an extra punch of spice, personality, and power. But if you’re going to play Elphaba, you gotta have the pipes! And Samuels had the pipes.
There are these certain notes that are indicators for what you’ll get when you hear Elphaba. And when I heard these notes, I knew we were in great hands. Lauren Samuels sang the role perfectly. So many songs gave me chills. When “Defying Gravity” began, this huge smile grew on my face. Because I knew we were going to get an memorable and moving performance from Lauren. And we did. I could see people wiping away tears as the song went on.
I wanted to erupt in applause several times before the first act curtain closed. But I was able to refrain until Act I ended. Like the rest of the sold out audience roared with applause. There is absolutely nothing like seeing that scene live. I cannot applaud Lauren Samuels enough and I commend her for what has no doubt been an incredible run on this tour.
Samuels and Bohmer had excellent chemistry with one another. They seemed so natural together. The entire cast gelled really well. I loved Blake Hammond as the Wizard. He was different than any other Wizard I have seen. And I really enjoyed his portrayal. Fun fact about Hammond. He is not a stranger to Salt Lake City. He was in the cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when it played Kingsbury Hall with Donny Osmond. So I imagine many in the audience during this run will have seen him in that show way back in 1997. Aymee Garcia was an great Madame Morrible. This audience really loved her.
It’s impressive how much goes into putting the production together. During the press event I attended I was able to go on stage and watch how much was involved getting the stage up and running. Steve Quinn said there were over 90 people involved in building the stage. They have a traveling crew of 65 people and a local crew (people hired for the haul in) of about 30. That’s like a crew working to set up a concert at the Delta Center!
To see so much of the set under construction and then watch how beautiful it all looks during the show made me appreciate just how much goes into making this production what it is. And if Elphaba’s skin wasn’t green enough, the show itself has gone to great lengths to go green. They recently installed $4.1 million worth of LED lights. This makes the show more economical. They have a Green team to make sure that they’re recycling properly and not wasting any energy. I was happy to hear that.
I loved Wicked and I can’t wait to see it again. This cast is fantastic. The power and the message of this show is more relevant today than it was when Wicked opened in 2003. I encourage anyone who wants to be moved, inspired, and impressed to check it out.
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Tickets are limited, but some are still available throughout the run. For ticket information go to Broadway at the Eccles.
Wicked is also offering Student Rush tickets through April 27. A limited number of tickets will be available for every performance at $59 each. Tickets are available 90 minutes prior to each curtain with a valid student I.D. 2 per student. While supplies last. Quantities limited.
Press Event Photo Gallery
