Video of the dressing room at the San Diego Civic Theatre, where the star of the musical “Wicked” transforms into the green witch before each performance by CBS8.

About 45 minutes before each performance, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, is born backstage. The green makeup goes on wet, but dries within seconds. Makeup artist Christina Tracey, who has done this more than 1,000 times, then uses a translucent powder to keep the green from rubbing off. The process takes about 20 minutes.

Watch the Video below:

San Diego, California News Station – KFMB Channel 8 – cbs8.com

Actress Nicole Parker is now part of the national tour playing at the San Diego Civic Theatre, after starring in the role on Broadway in 2009. You may recognize the Emmy Award-winning actress from the sketch comedy television series MADtv.

Parker tells News 8 she sometimes prefers her green sheen, saying, “You almost get used to being green, almost to the point where I like myself better. It looks more normal to me. It’s like a blank slate. I think it changes my face for the better. I love it, I think it’s really pretty make-up.”

Tracey tells News 8, “A lot of people confuse it with the wicked witch they know and it’s nothing like that in our show. She’s very pretty, she’s designed to be almost the prettiest girl in Oz. It just happens that her skin is green. So she’s very beautiful.”

She’s beautiful, and not really the bad witch she’s portrayed to be in “The Wizard of Oz.” We learn in “Wicked” that Elphaba is shunned and scorned just because she’s different, just because she’s green. Fans tell Parker all the time how much Elphaba has inspired them.

Wicked Play at San Diego Civic Theatre through July 15, 2012. Avail $15 OFF on Wicked San Diego CA Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code SUMMERTIXTN at Checkout!

The Broadway musical Wicked tour returns to East Lansing, MI and currently performing at Wharton Center – Cobb Great Hall through July 08, 2012. Here is the Wicked musical review by Bridgette Redman.

The production currently at Wharton Center is the second national tour, but unlike some shows that cut budgets and special effects for the second tour, this one shows no signs of being second best. Christine Dwyer (Elphaba) and Jeanna De Waal (Glinda) are strong vocalists who command the space with soaring voices that beautifully blend in their duets. They convincingly loathe and love each other and take the audience along their journey of growth and transformation.

It’s hard to believe a show as commercially successful as “Wicked” could be chock full of so much word play, irony, tragedy and political commentary. Yet, that’s exactly what this musical has. The show was inspired by Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which was in turn inspired by Frank L. Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” It follows the story of Elphaba, the woman who would become the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda (later Glinda) the Good Witch.

The story explores dependency, co-dependency, independence and interdependency. It contemplates how deceptive appearances can be and how truly wicked those who “create” truth by ramping up public anxiety are.

One of the more fascinating characters is Catherine Charlebois’ Nessarose, Elphaba’s sister, who eventually becomes governor of Munchkinland and the famous owner of the ruby slippers. Charlebois plays the innocent, embodying the “beautifully tragic” label that others tag on her merely because she uses a wheelchair. Like her sister, she is judged on appearances in dangerous ways and others underestimate her and fail to see who she really is.

There were no weak performances in this production and all of the stage magic, including a rather gratuitous dragon who existed only to create wonder and set the stage for the wizardry that was to come, remained slave to the most important part of this musical: the story.

Read the complete review {Via LansingStateJournal.com}

Wicked Play at Wharton Center – Cobb Great Hall through July 08, 2012. Experience the Spell of Wicked. Wicked Musical East Lansing MI Tickets are in full Demand! Avail $15 OFF on Wicked Wharton Center Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code SUMMERTIXTN at Checkout!