I went backstage at the Wicked musical in Singapore – here are 5 things I found out

Ever wondered what it takes to be Popular in the land of Oz? Wicked the Musical is back in Singapore, showing at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands from now until Apr 27. It’s the third staging in Singapore after popular runs in 2016 and 2011.

CNA Lifestyle went behind the scenes of the Broadway blockbuster to unveil the magic behind the emerald curtain where I even got the chance to be transformed into the wicked witch of the west, Elphaba. 

I also spoke with cast members Courtney Monsma, who plays Glinda, and Zoe Coppinger, who plays Elphaba, to learn some of the set’s secrets. 

For those new to the musical, Wicked tells the story of two witches, Elphaba and Glinda, before and after the arrival of Dorothy in Oz as told in L Frank Baum's classic novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. It's loosely based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. 

Here are five things I uncovered that you may not know happens behind the scenes at Wicked: 

1. OPERATING THE OZ HEAD IS AN ARM WORKOUT

Did you know that one of the set’s biggest pieces, the Oz Head, is manually operated during the show?  

By swivelling different handles and squeezing levers, Lily, the operator, is able to trigger different parts of the Oz Head’s facial expressions from its eyebrows lifting to its mouth opening and closing. 

Built to represent the face of the character Wizard of Oz who controls the land of Oz in the show, listening to the sound cues while simultaneously animating the heavy Oz Head’s every movement takes a lot of coordination and practise. The actor that plays the Wizard of Oz, too, is behind the head with the operator, narrating as she controls the set piece. 

“It takes a bit of getting used to, that’s for sure,” Lily admitted. “Luckily the audience is pretty forgiving, so although it translates if you’re a second later on the sound cue, it still relates back to the audience.”

2. THE BIRD'S-EYE VIEW FROM THE BUBBLE FLIGHT MACHINE 

A ride on Glinda’s iconic bubble flight machine truly feels like a princess fairytale moment. 

Suspended high above the stage, Glinda makes her signature grand entrance in the show as she gracefully floats down in an ornate mechanical contraption, surrounded by bubbles. This iconic moment instantly sets the tone for her whimsical and glamorous character. 

From the top, I took in a bird’s-eye view of the entire auditorium, where even the farthest corner seat of the theatre was visible in detail.

“It has come to be one of my favourite places to be – up in the sky, I feel nice and safe up there,” said Monsma.

“There are a few bubbles that get into my eye sometimes when I’m singing so I usually just pop them,” she added, laughing. 

“It’s really cool when I go up; the bubbles are like mirrors and I can see the reflection of me as Glinda in the bubble, which is really strange."

3. GLINDA AND ELPHABA'S CHEMISTRY

As much chemistry as Glinda and Elphaba share on stage, Monsma and Coppinger have an equally – if not more – genuine friendship behind the scenes. 

Before their scenes, the stars often share a knowing look or give each other support.

“Zoe and I also have a little moment before we bow just behind the clock face where we kind of are dancing, and as soon as the clock face opens (to reveal Glinda and Elphaba), we are very serious,” she said while laughing. 

“We also have a little fun moment before (singing) Defying Gravity every night – I turn around to Courtney and we either do something silly to each other or we just check in with each other before we go on,” Coppinger said. 

Monsma said about her co-star: “I think another one of the special moments is when Elphaba is singing, there are sometimes a lot of people in the wings (of the stage) watching and just being in awe and just fangirling over what Wicked is.”

When asked about performing Popular, one of the most iconic and upbeat songs sung by Glinda, Monsma said: “Honestly it’s my favourite part of the show.”

“But my favourite thing about it is sharing it with Elphaba – it’s just the two of us on stage. Zoe gives me those little looks in her eyes that make me giggle or make me feel comforted when I’m really tired.”

4. LEARNING TO DANCE WITH THE EMERALD CITY CAST

Decked out in emerald couture and exuding class and wealth, the dance cast of the Emerald City took me through a short dance routine for one of the numbers in the play, One Short Day, where the dancers took turns walking down the stage, hitting an Ozian pose at the end. 

The dance captains explained that “champagne hands” was one of the essential pieces of Ozian choreography which consists of a flick of the wrist “as if you’re holding a really expensive glass of champagne”.

Not to forget their signature green circular glasses, a vital accessory which they all wear while performing the number.

5. IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

Concluding our backstage tour was my transformation into Elphaba, stepping into the shoes (literally) of the wicked witch of the west. 

As I sat in Elphaba's makeup room, covered in green paint in many corners, the makeup artists explained that a custom shade of green had to be mixed specifically for Elphaba’s makeup look and layers of powder were packed on to make the paint as transfer-proof as possible. 

Safe to say, being covered in green professional makeup from my face to my ears and hands was definitely a first for me.

But when the transformation was finished, walking around in the full get-up certainly made me feel a certain edge that Elphaba's character has. 

The toughest part was definitely removing all that green makeup – especially around the hairline and ears, which took almost as long to remove as it did to apply. However, it did allow me to hang on to my transformation into the iconic character just a little bit longer. 

Wicked is showing at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands from now until Apr 27. Book tickets via Marina Bay Sands, SISTIC, and Klook.