'Wicked' casts its green spell on Seoul again
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Park Hye-na, left, as Elphaba and Ivy as Glinda in a scene from the musical “Wicked” / Courtesy of Clip Service
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The witches have returned.
The curtain was raised on Broadway’s blockbuster musical “Wicked” at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul for a limited seven-week run last week.
This is the third time the mega-hit show has been staged in Seoul, following the 2012 tour of an Australian company and the first Korean language production in 2013. The 2016 Korean production toured Daegu from May to June, before opening the door to the Land of Oz in Seoul.
“Wicked” is based on the novel of the same name written by Gregory Maguire, who has a knack for overturning fixed ideas in fairy tales and classics. The musical tells the story of the Wicked Witch in L. Frank Baum’s “Wizard of Oz” series in the most unconventional way.
There is no Dorothy in “Wicked,” as the show centers on the two witches Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and Glinda the Good.
The musical starts with Ozians rejoicing over the Wicked Witch’s death and travels back in time under the guidance of Glinda, who admits that she attended school with the Wicked Witch long time ago.
“Wicked” offers a great visual spectacular, complete with a 12-meter-long mechanical dragon over the stage, but it is not just a simple, happy show. Rather, it has several layers beneath the fairy tale plot — Elphaba in green skin represents minorities and the manipulative Wizard is no different from politicians nowadays.
In this production, Cha Ji-yeon and Park Hye-na alternate the role of Elphaba, while Jeong Sun-ah and Ivy take on Glinda.
Fiyero is played by Min Woo-hyuk and Ko Eun-sung; the Wizard by Nam Kyoung-joo and Lee Sang-jun; and Madame Morrible by Lee Jung-wha and Kim Young-ju.
“Wicked” runs through Aug. 28. Tickets cost from 60,000 to 140,000 won. For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.co.kr or call 1577-3363.
Cha Ji-yeon
Cha Ji-yeon is known for her powerful vocal and charismatic presence on stage, but her interpretation of Elphaba is unprecedented.
The actress, who debuted as Rafiki in “The Lion King” 10 years ago, has portrayed many intense characters including Aida in “Aida,” Effie in “Dreamgirls,” Margrid in “Marie Antoinette” and most notably Empress Myeongseong in “Lost Face 1895.” Earlier this year, she swept the nation with her overwhelming performance as the five-time winner of the “King of the Mask Singer,” Cat Girl.
So people might expect another fiery and fierce witch venting her rage from Cha, but she conceived of the character as an ordinary person caught behind rumors.
Elphaba makes her first appearance in the show as a Shiz University student and Cha’s Elphaba is nothing but a girl next door, who just wants to make friends at a new school, only that her skin is green.
Cha’s Elphaba is smart, logical and revolutionary. When she finds out what is going on behind the great Wizard of Oz, she has the conviction not to compromise with injustice.
As the show progresses Cha delicately portrays how Elphaba is forced to become truly “wicked,” through losses of those dear to her.
Park Hye-na
Park Hye-na is the actress who has “defied gravity” the most times in Korea. She celebrated her 150th performance as Elphaba in last May and her understanding of the character has gotten deeper and deeper over time.
Park mostly worked for small theaters until she was cast as the green witch for the first Korean production in 2013. Just like Idina Menzel, the Broadway’s original Elphaba, Park lent her voice to the iconic song “Let It Go” in Disney’s animated feature “Frozen,” which made her even more popular.
Park’s Elphaba is honest and straight forward. At first, Park’s character might look blunt and gruff, but soon the audiences will discover that under that stern — and green — exterior is a woman with a soft heart. Her cynical smile much resembles that of the green witch featured in the famous poster for “Wicked.”
She does not dare to come out of herself and it makes her “Defying Gravity,” the showstopper, more persuasive to the audience.
Park is also one of the few actresses in the world who can hit the optional high notes in the song “No Good Deed,” which adds more tragedy to the dramatic song and the witch’s fate.
Jeong Sun-ah
Jeong Sun-ah, who was praised for her portrayal of the bubbly Glinda in the Korean premiere, returns to ride her bubble machine again this year.
Though the youngest among the four witches, Jeong has the longest career in the musical theater, making her debut as Mimi in “Rent” in 2002 when she was a high school senior. Her notable roles include Evita in "Evita," Princess Amneris in "Aida," Maria in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and Lauren in "Kinky Boots."
Jeong shows how an actress with perfect comedic sense can spice up the show and make the role shine even brighter. She never misses a moment to make the audience laugh from the beginning to end.
However, Jeong’s Glinda is not just a vain snob. She acts out how the egotistical girl grows up as she makes friends with the green-skinned outsider. As Glinda the Good, she portrays of the ambivalent feelings of being a public figure in the song “Thank Goodness,” opening the second act of the show.
She also has great chemistry with the two Elphabas — Jeong played alongside Park in the Korean premiere of "Wicked" and opposite Cha in several musicals including “Dreamgirls” and “Aida.”
With a great understanding of the magical world of “Wicked,” it is no wonder that Jeong steals the limelight in the show.
Ivy
Ivy is new to the 2016 cast along with Cha Ji-yeon.
She debuted as a singer in 2005 with a JYP-produced album “My Sweet and Free Day” and became popular with hit songs such as “A-ha” and “Sonata of Temptation.”
But now she is more dedicated to the stage, playing Roxie Hart in “Chicago,” Molly in “Ghost” and Hope Cladwell in “Urinetown” after her first stage appearance as Lois Lane in “Kiss Me Kate” in 2010.
Now she challenges one of the most highly coveted roles in contemporary musical theater and Ivy proves that she is nothing short of an A-list stage actress.
Some of Glinda’s songs require the singing ability of a skilled soprano and there were concerns about a popular singer taking the role when the cast was announced. However, Ivy dispels those worries with excellent vocal capabilities, covering a wide range of songs without any problems.
Ivy’s Glinda looks like a doll just unwrapped from a box with her curly blonde wig and signature "bubble" dress.
She is in her element when she sings the song “Popular,” in which Glinda beautifies Elphaba, as Ivy is a well-known beauty guru who loves to share her knowledge on cosmetics and fashion on her Instagram.