Interpreted 'Wicked' is Out of this World!

For everyone who doesn’t know, Mikayla Hammrich, became HIS Sign’s social media consultant last year and took over the postings.

Hello:) Now I can type in first person;)

The Broadway show ‘Wicked’ had an interpreted performance last night and I had the pleasure of attending. I should say that I had already seen the show seven – you read right – times, so last night was my eighth time. Knowing the show so well did not stop the interpreters from blowing my mind and showing me new things. ‘Wicked’ is the story of Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West before the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’ happens. Their tag line is “A lot happened before Dorothy dropped in.” 

All three interpreters embodied one or two main roles, sharing the smaller parts and ensemble lines. Candace Broecker-Penn portrayed a charming and thoughtful Glinda. Christina Trunzo Mosleh was a phenomenally witty and heartfelt Elphaba. And Jon Wolfe Nelson took on the not-so-shallow Fiyero and The Wizard himself.

Those three became each character so flawlessly, other people had a hard time not focusing on them. 

During intermission, people told the terps, “I catch myself looking over,” “My kids keep looking at you,” “It’s amazing how you’re really able to capture the sounds and feelings,” and Candace said to Christina “I saw you in that last long – perfect.”

The perfection she was referring to was the final song of the first act, Defying Gravity. If you’ve never heard it before, please go listen to it, whether you’ve seen the show or not, listen to the song. As I said, I’ve seen ‘Wicked’ eight times and I have never seen it done with such passion and heart as when I watched Christina perform. She had tears in her eyes. You could see that she knew and believed what she was signing. “That song applies to every person in this room in their own ways,” she said, her love of the song evident in her still.

During the opening song of the second act, Glinda has a beautiful emotional journey. The way Candace interpreted that song, made me see it in a different light. She went on the journey with the actress on stage.

Later in the second act, The Wizard has his second song. Last night The Wizard’s understudy was preforming. I know the words to all the songs, and when the actor repeated the second line twice, then paused a couple beats, then said the next line too early, then again when he was actually supposed to (If that didn’t make sense, basically he messed up). Jon kept his cool and kept on signing, he didn’t let it trip him up.

Moral of the story, the interpreters were phenomenal!