EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Your chance to see ‘Wicked’ at the Wharton Center is winding down, but before it’s over Kiyerra Lake caught up with the leading women of the musical to share their journey and what they hope you take away from the show.
“Oh my God, I wanted this for so long. I can’t believe I’m here,” said Olivia Valli who plays Elphaba. She let us get a behind-the-scenes look at turning into her emerald green character.
We also met with Celia Hottenstein who plays Glinda. She said, “It’s also very empowering and beautiful and I’m excited by it, I’m nervous. It’s all the things.”
Valli said, “To be a character who’s so unapologetic and only knows how to be herself, much like me, is really therapeutic.”
The roles are familiar for the two because years ago they were cast members in Wicked, but they weren’t the leading ladies just yet. They were backups and in more minor roles.
“So now it’s just me challenging myself to be the best I can be,” Valli said. “I guess it hasn’t really hit me yet and I’m kind of okay with that. I kinda hope it doesn’t hit me so that I can still continue to have as much fun as possible.”
If you plan to see the show, you will get the chance to see the land of Oz in a new way. You’ll meet the characters who are misunderstood and see them break down walls to form an unlikely friendship.
“I think that holds true for 20 years now and I think that when audiences watch this show, that’s the most important thing to take away for me is don’t judge somebody based on their first interaction,” said Hottenstein.
These two women who play the main characters had nothing but good things to say about their cast and each other.
“I can’t imagine doing it with anybody else at this moment,” Valli said about Hottenstein. “She’s so giving and fun and funny and just, I’m blown away by her talent.”
“Olivia who plays Elphaba is one of the best people I’ve ever met,” Hottenstien said. “She has a heart of gold and her voice is absolutely insane.”
If you would like to see ‘Wicked’, it is playing at the Wharton until Sunday, May 28. You’ll get to see these women on stage living their dream and wishing the same for others.
“You get to do it and that’s the gift every day,” Valli said. “That’s what matters at the end of the day is creating this and at least somebody in that audience is gonna feel the way I did and be like I can’t wait to play her, I hope I play her, and have that same dream and I hope that comes true for them.”
