For all the theater kids out there and people in the community who love to watch musicals and shows, the show Wicked had recently been performed at Peoria’s Civic Center on August 20-31. According to the City of Peoria, IL–Government Facebook page, the performance drew in an impressive 27,890 attendees within just 12 days. Almost 90% of the attendees were passionate theater fans from outside of Peoria.
For anyone who knows the story of The Wizard of Oz, this show retells the main narrative by focusing instead on a green girl witch named Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West). The musical follows her unlikely friendship with a bubbly, girly character named Glinda (who became The Good Witch) while going through their journeys of rivalry, difficult choices, and cultural stereotypes of what is good and what is bad. With unforgettable songs that ended up becoming trending icons like the riff from “Defying Gravity” and other songs like “For Good,” Wicked has become a global phenomenon in the theater world.
From local interviews with some cast members behind the scenes, actor Nicolas Garza, who played Boq, described the challenge as well as the reward of performing eight shows a week, describing how the feeling of touring shows felt routinely. The production, Garza said, allowed the actors to “bring themselves to the roles,” helping them keep their performances fresh each day. This was helpful for many small upcoming actors with their passion for theater in the long run. Jada Temple, who played Nessarose, also talked about how the theater helped present its own unique space and atmosphere which helped influence how they staged the show to have it as memorable for each audience that watched throughout each showing. (Wicked Actors 25 News Now)
After its Broadway debut in 2003, Wicked has earned multiple Tony awards and a Grammy and was seen by millions of people all over the world. “Seeing the show was a magical experience”, said Richwoods Student Addison Lagocki. “The energy in the theater was so high: the love of the fans combined with the heartfelt story was the perfect combination of joyful and emotional. Before seeing the movie, I wasn’t a fan, but the pure love of everyone there changed my opinion.”
The show had filled the seats of the Civic Center every night, bringing excitement to all the theater fans within the city, and was a perfect start to the 2025-26 Broadway season!
