Holding Space for Wicked

 Something has changed within me

Hey everyone! It's been another crazy month, and this time, Mumbai saw another Broadway show grace the beautiful stage of The Neeta Ambani Cultural Centre. This time, it was 'Wicked', a show that I have been very abnormal about since it came out. 

Now I know, I know, with the movie out, who even wants to watch the live show anyways? Well, as much as I'm happy to see that the movie that's been stuck in development hell since I was TWELVE YEARS OLD finally came out, the movie simply couldn't capture the live show. Which is why I jumped on a plane and headed straight to see this show. 

Wicked must have the hypest intro of all time, "GOOD NEWS, SHE'S DEAD" lives in my head rent free.  The way the curtain rises on Munchkinland in full celebration is pure theatrical chaos. What struck me most, though, was how intimate the story feels despite all the spectacle. Yes, there are flying monkeys, gravity-defying witches, and so much strobe lighting, but at its core, Wicked is about friendship. Watching Elphaba and Glinda evolve and become friends made me sob more than a few times. 

And then there were the vocals. I genuinely don't know how to describe the feeling of hearing "Defying Gravity" live without sounding completely unhinged, but I'll try. The theatre went silent in that suspended moment before the final note, and you could feel the collective breath of the audience being held hostage. When she finally hit it... I think I let out a tear. 

The staging at the NMACC was also stunning. The set design managed to feel grand without overwhelming the performers, and the transitions were seamless. It's strange because you can see the tech crew crawling in all black uniforms to move the sets, and yet, the actors manage to keep the vision alive without breaking my immersion. 

But what really stayed with me after the curtain call wasn't the spectacle or even the music. It was the message. Wicked asks a deceptively simple question: who gets to decide who is good and who is wicked? Watching that story play out live, surrounded by an audience reacting together, laughing, gasping, occasionally sniffling made the themes hit harder than ever.

So yes, the movie was fun. I'm glad it finally exists. But if you ever get the chance to see Wicked live, whether in Mumbai, London, New York, or anywhere else, please take it. Because no matter how good the screen adaptation is, nothing quite compares to sitting in a dark theatre, hearing that orchestra swell, and watching a witch quite literally defy gravity in front of your eyes.

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