At the Library in May
May 1, 2013
Andrew J. Cantrelle
May 2, 2013
Jesse JP Johnson may have started as an understudy, but these days audiences will find him centerstage as Boq in the popular touring version of “Wicked.”
It wasn’t an easy job to land, mind you.
“I had probably auditioned at least eight times, and then I finally got the call,” he says. He said goodbye to “9 to 5,” the production he was in at the time, to pursue the Yellow Brick Road as an ensemble player in “Wicked.”
The story of two of the most famous witches in the Land of Oz – told with a bit of a twist from author L. Frank Baum’s original – the tale is a prequel to the “Wizard of Oz.” It follows the Wicked Witch of the West, the unusually tinted Elphaba, and the Good Witch of the North, Galinda, long before Dorothy and her cohorts arrive.
Audiences get a glimpse of the girls’ college days, the early beginnings of the Emerald City and the Ozdust Ballroom. Hailed by critics, the play reveals how Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion all came to be. And why Elphaba is so green. And what caused the rift between her and one-time classmate Galinda. After all, inquiring minds want to know.
Johnson moved into Boq’s role in April after the actor who’d long played the character left the show.
“Ever since nine years ago, I wanted to play Boq, even though I loved my original role in the cast because I got to interact with everyone – including the audience,” he says.
Boq has morphed over the years. Baum originally conceived him as a rich Munchkin who provided Dorothy shelter as she made her way to the Emerald City. In Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” on which the musical is based, Boq is a Munchkin who attends Shiz University with Elphaba and Galinda and, eventually, serves as the love interest for Elphaba’s younger sister, Nessarose – “Wizard of Oz” fans know her better as the Wicked Witch of the East – the one who has a close encounter with Dorothy Gale’s home and loses her infamous ruby red slippers in the process. But his heart truly pines for Galinda, who barely knows he exists, often mistakenly calling him “Big.”
“(Nessarose) cons him into being with her and, because she’s disabled – she has no arms – he feels empathy for her because of his stature,” the Munchkin character says.
“He’s a challenge to play,” Johnson says. “He yells a lot, so it’s a challenge to keep my voice healthy.”
After Boq admits his fancy for Galinda, the love-scorned Nessarose seeks revenge, yet again morphing Johnson’s character in a surprising twist. (We’d love to tell you more, but, according to Johnson, “it’s a little secret.”)
A global story, “Wicked” follows the challenges Elphaba faces being green and how it impacts her life.
“She’s actually not wicked at all, but because of her exterior look, people have a different view of her,” Johnson says. “The play actually follows (the witches’) stories rather than that of Dorothy, the Tin Man and the others.”
The touring production has been selling out across the United States, and shows no signs of slowing. Johnson credits the universal love for the “Wizard of Oz.”
“Everyone knows the film – even into the upcoming generations,” he says. “It’s a timeless movie and, because the show is so well written and executed, it makes it very timeless. And it appeals to every age.
“Come see it. You won’t be disappointed,” Johnson says. “It has a beautiful message that’s really great for families.”
The play runs May 8 through June 2 at Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts, 1419 Basin St., New Orleans. Tickets range from $90 to $456. For more information, call (800) 218-7469 or visit www.BroadwayInNewOrleans.com
“Wicked,” a prequel to the “Wizard of Oz,” opens May 8 at Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.
