My Night at the Wicked Musical in San Diego
Alright, let me walk you through what happened last weekend. My buddy texted me Wednesday night: “Yo, tickets for Wicked this Saturday at the Civic Theatre… you in?” Honestly? I hadn’t even thought about it. But I figured, why the heck not? San Diego’s theater scene is usually solid. Jumped online quick – nearly choked seeing the prices, man! Section A was a joke. Found cheaper seats way up in the balcony, grabbed two, and hoped for the best.
Fast forward to Saturday. Drove downtown early. Traffic sucked, parking was its usual ridiculous hunt. Found a spot blocks away, paid way too much. Felt kinda grumpy walking over to the theater. Then… BAM! Walking into the Civic Theatre lobby kinda slapped the grump right outta me. Place was buzzing! Everyone dressed up a bit, fancy drinks flowing, this crazy excited energy bouncing off the walls. Totally unexpected vibe shift.
The lights dimmed, orchestra started up – boom, goosebumps. I’m talking instant chills down my spine. The curtain went up on Oz, all green and sparkly and full of people moving like magic. Seriously impressive staging. Then enter Glinda, floating down in that giant bubble. How do they even DO that? Crowd gasped – me included. Just stunning visuals right from minute one.
The real kicker? Elphaba and Glinda. Okay, when Elphaba opened her mouth for the first song? Chill city. Voice cut through everything, pure power. But then Glinda? Completely different! All airy and light, cracking jokes, nailing that high-pitched annoying-but-lovable rich girl vibe. Their chemistry? Spot. On. That duet “What is this Feeling?”? Sounded incredible and looked hilarious. You could feel the audience totally loving it.
Act 1 Finale. Okay… “Defying Gravity.” Everyone talks about it. I get it now. Holy moly. The build-up, the orchestra swelling, Elphaba standing there belting it out, the whole crowd buzzing… and then she FLEW. Legit flew up over the stage, spotlights hitting her green skin, cape billowing. Jaw hit the floor. Instant standing O, people screaming. It was insane! Like pure theatrical magic unfolding right there. Lights came up for intermission and people were just buzzing, eyes wide like “Did you SEE that?!”
Act 2 rolled in strong. “No Good Deed” came crashing down hard – felt Elphaba’s rage, the bitterness, the power. Serious vocal powerhouses flexing. Then Glinda’s “Thank Goodness” shift? Oof. Hit different. Made you feel for her. The costumes kept blowing my mind, especially all the Oz creatures during “Wonderful.” Such clever design work everywhere.
The Ending. Don’t wanna spoil it, but that final scene between the two witches? Touching. Like, genuinely touching. Felt the weight of everything they went through. That final swell of music, the lights fading on them… curtain dropped. BOOM. Whole place exploded. Jumped to my feet screaming with everyone else. Hooting and hollering felt so good. They took bows, the cheers were deafening.
Leaving the theater, felt drained but hyped. Walking back to the car in the cool night air, rehashing everything with my buddy. Point is: that Wicked production? Seriously world-class. Performances blew me away, visuals stunned, music soared. Even my crappy balcony seats felt worth it. San Diego’s got talent on stage doing something special right now. If you get a shot at tickets? Grab ’em. Experience that magic yourself. Worth every penny for the sheer spectacle.