In its third Denver visit, “Wicked” will still be the most-watched theater production of the year here by far. We talked to Randy Danson, who plays Madame Morrible, about its enduring popularity.
Question: Why does “Wicked” speak with such impact to tweener girls?
Answer: I think “Wicked” owes its success to a much broader and more diverse demographic. However, there is no denying they are huge fans. I’m afraid there often just isn’t that much out there for them. It is unusual for the hero to be a young woman, let alone two young women.
Q.How do you think a 21-year-old woman looks at “Wicked” now, as opposed to when she was 15?
A. You know the other night, Elphaba’s understudy went on and did a terrific job. She is almost exactly the person you describe. She loved ‘Wicked’ as a teenager in college training to be an actor, and here she finds herself onstage playing the role a few years later.
“Wicked” is one of those ideas like wheels on a suitcase. It is such a simple, elegant take on a classic that you almost can’t believe it wasn’t always there.
I can remember seeing “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time at about age 6 and being mesmerized by it. And I have continued to be, every time I’ve seen it since. I think “Wicked” has become a modern classic not unlike that, and, as such, is for everyone.
Q.What do you make of audiences’ continued loyalty?
A. There is some kind of magic that happens for a very few successful shows in which the production transcends being a hit and moves into a whole other category that reaches people in a way that can’t be explained in any ordinary fashion. I’m not sure that it is quantifiable, but I’m profoundly grateful to be part of it.
Q.You play a press secretary who trades not only in rumormongering but in destructive cyclone-making. Don’t you think we in the media already have it tough enough?
A. Are press secretaries part of the media? Or are press secretaries the ones who feed the beast? I don’t think the poor beleaguered media has to take Madame Morrible as one of their own — she is a singular phenomenon.
Q:Do you get added street cred when people introduce you at parties as “The Headmistress of Shiz?”
A: Well, I have only been performing the role for a few weeks, so I have yet to be introduced at a party like that. However, I’m not sure headmistresses are the type to have much street cred.
“Wicked”
Musical. National touring production at the Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Through Nov. 15. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 p.m. Thursdays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. $35-$135 (there will also be a lottery before each performance for 20 orchestra seats costing $25 each). 303-893-4100 or
This weekend’s theater openings
“Afghanistan in the Age of the Flowers” This original drama chronicles the plight of the women of Afghanistan since World War II to the present. Through Oct. 31. Presented by the Mercury Motley Players at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St., 303-294-9258 or
“Halloween Dreams” Gram Doobie and her grandchildren celebrate Halloween all month. But this year there’s a murderer on the loose. A family-friendly thriller. Through Oct. 31. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or
“Heads” Contemporary hostage drama by E.M. Lewis in which a British embassy worker, an American engineer, a network journalist and a freelance photographer must decide what each is willing to do to survive. Performs Tuesdays through Thursdays only. Through Oct. 29. Presented by And Toto Too Theatre at the Victorian Playhouse, 4201 Hooker St., 720-280-7058, or
“Invisible Voices: New Perspectives on Disability” The New York theater company comes to Colorado Springs to weave the stories of six local Colorado Springs disabled residents on the stage. Presented by Ping Cong & Company at TheatreWorks’ Bon Vivant Theatre, 3955 Cragwood Drive on the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs campus. Call 719-262-3232 or go to for exact schedule.
“The Lost Soul of Cripple Creek” This adaptation of an 1867 Victorian melodrama tells the story of a poor Cripple Creek miner who journeys to Denver to reclaim his wife and have his vengeance on the villain who stole her. Through Oct. 31. Presented by the Thin Air Theatre at the Butte Theatre, 139 E. Bennett Ave., Cripple Creek, 719-235-8944 or
“Night of the Living Dead” George Romero’s 1968 Zombie thriller as it was never meant to be seen: Live and onstage. Seven people are trapped in a farmhouse surrounded by flesh-eating ghouls. Will any of them get out alive? Through Oct. 31. The Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 303-477-9984 or
“Rent” A modern musical about love, friendship and community in AIDS-era New York City. This is the first locally mounted production by any professional Colorado company. Mature subject and themes. Not recommended for under 13. Through Nov. 21. Carousel Dinner Theatre, 3509 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, 970-225-2555 or
“The Rocky Horror Show” On the way to visit an old college professor, two clean-cut youngsters, Brad Majors and fiancée Janet Weiss, run into trouble and seek help at the freaky Frankenstein mansion. Little do they know that the mansion is inhabited by alien transsexuals from the planet Transylvania and Dr. Frank N. Furter is in the midst of one of his maniacal experiments. Songs include “Time Warp.” Dress as your favorite character, but no props allowed. Through Oct. 31.
73rd Ave. Theatre Company, 7287 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, 720-276-6936 or
“Slut Energy Theory” Jazz singer Rene Marie uses songs and spoken-word essays to present her one-woman play about an elderly yet ageless woman whose harrowing life experiences have left her anything but speechless. Through Oct. 10. Presented by No Credit Productions at the Crossroads Theatre, 2590 Washington St., 303-832-0929 or
“Third” In this, the final play by Wendy Wasserstein, professor Laurie Jameson is disinclined to like the jockish, jingoistic attitude froma student named Woodson Bull III (but you can call him “Third”). He is, as she puts it, “a walking red state.” Believing that Third’s sophisticated essay on “King Lear.” could not possibly have been written by such a specimen, Jameson reports his plagiarism to the college’s Committee of Academic Standards. But is Jameson’s accusation justified? Or is she casting Third as the villain in her own struggle with her relationships, her age and the increasingly polarized political environment? Through Oct. 25. Lake Dillon Theatre Company, 176 Lake Dillon Dr., Dillon, 970-513-9386 or
“Where Did My People Go?” A religious choir piece written and produced by Connie Sauls Wilkins. Friday and Saturday only. Presented by Mile High Choir at Montbello High School, 5000 Crown Blvd., 303-371-6801.
