When one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history is brought to new audiences with a newer vision, opulence, elaborate sets, boundary-pushing (read: gravity-defying) acts are a given. You should expect a character flying across the stage and another floating mid-air while effortlessly tackling a glass-shattering high note.
But what happens when the characters in question are afraid of heights? Surprisingly, that’s the one fear shared by Eve Shanu-Wilson and Rebekah Lowings, who play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in the newest production of Wicked directed by John Stefaniuk.
“I’m afraid of heights. And when I get sent up in the air, even though it’s all very safe, an irrational part of your brain goes: I’m going to die,” says Shanu-Wilson, who distracts herself with her pre-show rituals (more on that later) to stop herself from looking down and eventually sweating profusely. Lowings, too, sometimes questions her decision to play the green witch in the musical that she has been obsessed with since she was 13. “Heights are not my most favourite thing in the world,” she says simply. Shanu-Wilson, however, adds, “But the minute I get on stage, it’s all worth it, and seeing the audience’s reaction to me flying is amazing.” All’s well that ends well, then?
After performing to packed crowds the world over and more recently at Dubai Opera, the latest production of Wicked arrives today (March 12) at the Grand Theatre at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai. The show reimagines the land of Oz through the unlikely bond between green-skinned outsider Elphaba and the impeccably polished Glinda. Expect a whole lot of spectacle performed by a cast and crew of over 100, making it one of the most ambitious live productions to arrive on Indian stage.
While grand theatrics, couture-like costumes, and soaring songs make Wicked the most beloved musical, the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda powers it. And this easy camaraderie extends off the stage, too. There are inside jokes and mutual admiration that come from performing together night after night.
We caught up with the leading ladies before one of their Dubai performances to talk about landing their dream roles, their pre- and post-show rituals, and what it takes to make Oz feel real. Excerpts from the interview:
What’s something you say to each other that absolutely no one else would understand?
Eve Shanu-Wilson: We do a lot of shows, especially towards the end of the week, and it’s quite taxing on the body and the voice. And sometimes we’re a bit tired, but we want to give it our best. So, I walk up to Becky and go like, how are you feeling today?
Rebekah Lowings: And I go like (enthusiastically raising a hand in the air) I’m finding it. I am finding it. I am finding it. And Eve goes: You’re finding it. This goes on for a bit. And then the minute we get on stage, we find it. It’s the energy of the audience and us playing off each other.
How did you celebrate when you found out that you had landed the role?
ESW: I had champagne and brunch with my best friend. I was very grateful.
RL: I went out for a celebratory coffee with my best friend (who actually plays Fiyero in the West End production) and my other friend who is on tour with Mary Poppins. We have trained together, wanting to be a part of the industry, and suddenly being on international tours together and amazing legacy shows felt just crazy. So, we just chatted and [looked back at our lives].
What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve done 30 minutes before your act starts?
RL: I have got to roll out my stomach before the show so that I can have that release in the sound. So, when my dresser comes in, I’m always spread out on the floor, rolling my stomach in a bright green morph suit.
ESW: Until five minutes before the show, I might be jetting down the corridor or annoying Becky or our wonderful makeup team, or I might be reading a book or drawing angel cards. But five minutes to the show, when my dresser comes in and gets me into my big dress, I get the serious hat on.
Do you have any backstage rituals or superstitions?
ESW: In my last job, my backstage rituals kind of got in the way of doing things, so in this job I’ve tried to be a lot freer. But once I am in my Glinda costume, I am quite ritual-oriented. Spoiler alert: I fly in a bubble, so I have to get lifted. So, I go side stage, where some of the ensemble are also side-staged with me because they run on. I greet them all. I say hi and then as I’m going up in the bubble, I bid them goodbye and they sing a goodbye song: ‘So Long, Farewell’ from The Sound of Music. And then I practise my high note by saying goodbye.
And then, when I’m waiting up in the bubble for some time, I look down at everyone and count all the heads. If I don’t get any of the heads, I start panicking.
RL: I sing along with Glinda in the opening, making sure I have my range and my register. And then I stretch my back out, and then I run on.
How do you recover between and after shows?
RL: I don’t have a lot of recovery time because I can’t leave the building in green. So, often I have things brought to me. I lock myself in my dressing room with my book, some good food, and a big bottle of water. I spend some quality time with myself. Nine times out of 10, I have to lie down on a heat bag because after a show my back is pretty shot to pieces.
ESW: I’ll read a book. Sometimes I’ll have a nap. Glinda’s is a big physical show, so sometimes my body’s like, you need to rest. But then after the show, we nebulise, we steam. Sometimes, we also sit downstairs in the hotel and chat and decompress a bit.
What are you currently reading?
RL: I’m currently reading the final book of the Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas.
ESW: I am reading two very different books on the go. One is essays by Virginia Woolf about feminism in literature. And then I’m also reading a romantasy series—I’m six books in out of the total of 12.
If you get to take home a piece of your costume from the show’s wardrobe, what would it be?
RL: I spend a lot of time with that hat and broom, so I would probably take my broom or my hat, like a little memory of the show.
ESW: I don’t know how practical this would be, but I would basically take the dress I wear in my opening scene, when Glinda has grown up and is engaged. It’s a peach ballgown, but it’s a take on a vintage Dior 1950s ballgown. I basically get to wear a piece of couture.
What’s the most random thought you’ve had while you were on stage in the middle of an act?
ESW: I’ve had quite a few random thoughts on stage. One of the most random thoughts was about sitting my tax return out. There is a moment on stage where I am not facing the audience, and in that moment I’m like, oh my God, I have so much attached to it.
After the scene, I ran and texted my accountant.
RL: I think I sometimes allow my impulses to win quite a lot, but the times that I don’t allow them to win is when I’m on stage. Sometimes I just want to push people for no apparent reason and then I am constantly thinking, don’t do it, Becky, just don’t do it.
Starting today, Wicked will play at the Grand Theatre, NMACC, till March 29. Book here
