When Aristotle mused about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, he may not have been referring to the Herculean effort involved in taking a world-famous Broadway production like “Wicked” on the road, but it still serves as an apt comparison. While audiences will surely swoon over the visual spectacle of green witches, flying monkeys and a rather large dragon that will grace the Capitol Theatre stage during “Wicked’s” Salt Lake run, the real spectacle is arguably the sum of many parts that make the show possible.
“Wicked” closed its Tulsa, Oklahoma run on Sunday, July 6, and crews immediately clicked their heels and spent the next 7 hours dismantling the set and loading it into 14 semi-trucks and driving through the night to Salt Lake City, arriving Monday morning. With the show opening two days later, the crew wasted no time transforming the Capitol Theatre stage into the Emerald City.
“They have two days to get everything set up, and then they do a sound check to make sure the orchestra and voices blend together,” said “Wicked” company manager Steve Quinn. “There is an orientation backstage, because what changes the most from venue to venue is the space available backstage where they dress and do quick changes.”
Because this is the third time “Wicked” has come to Salt Lake, the crew, which includes some local workers, is familiar with setting up shop at one of the smallest venues on the tour.
“This is the most intimate theater that we play to on the road, so what’s nice about it is the set is going to look enormous,” Quinn said. “We don’t cut any set pieces or scenery or anything the audience would see between here, Tulsa, San Jose, or anywhere else we would go.”
The “Wicked” tour production is different from the shows they have on Broadway, partly due to the smaller size of the venues, but the changes are minimal. For example, Broadway theaters have trapdoors and ramps that can’t be reproduced at smaller venues. As a result, the Salt Lake showing will not be graced by flying monkeys zipping through the audience. But that doesn’t mean audiences will be any less impressed by what they see on stage.
“It’s a 14 million dollar show, and our producers did a great job of making sure that your getting a complete Broadway experience when you see the show,” Quinn said. “The scope of the show is built for a larger auditorium. So as a result everything in Capitol Theatre will look much bigger than anywhere else.”
Broadway fans in Utah should take advantage of these unique, intimate performances of major Broadway shows – productions like “Wicked” will eventually take their talents to the new Utah Performing Arts Center, which will house 2,500 seats and will be completed in 2016. The newer, larger theater is needed because productions like “Wicked” face challenges with the load in of equipment and space backstage, as well as lobby, seating and concession issues. Yet despite all these obstacles, shows like “Wicked” still make it a point to come to Salt Lake City.
“Here’s the thing about Salt Lake. It’s a great theater town, but some shows can’t play here because it’s too small,” Quinn said. “We all know it’s worth it because Salt Lake is a smart audience, and I think the show plays terrific.”
“Wicked’s” two previous Salt Lake runs were overwhelming sellouts, and this current run is expected to be the same. However, both fans of the show and those who have yet to experience the spectacle of “Wicked” shouldn’t feel discouraged from buying tickets. This year, “Wicked” will be enjoying an extended run in Salt Lake with show times spanning from July 9 – Aug. 24.
“We sell tickets in a lot of markets, but it’s particularly strong here, and I don’t know if I can really explain it,” Quinn said. “The nice thing about having a run this long is that there are seats available. We’ve been sold out, but people can get tickets. People may look at Friday and Saturday and say we’re always sold out, but come see us during the week.”
So don’t wait around for a thundering twister to sweep you away to Capitol Theatre – once audiences see how the sum of “Wicked’s” parts come together to create the whole of this tremendously popular extravaganza, tickets will be gone faster than Dorothy can click her ruby red heels.
“The popularity of a show like Wicked is that there’s an endurance and popularity about it that kind of has the repeat factor,” Quinn said. “You will want to see it again.”