October 30, 2023 • 25 mins
Picture this: A small-town Floridian, dreaming of the bright lights of Broadway, finally gets her chance to witness the magic of theater. That was me, nineteen years ago, stepping into New York City's Gershwin Theater for the first time to witness the mesmerizing world of Wicked. From that moment, I knew my life had changed forever. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of this landmark musical, join me on a sentimental journey back to when it all began.
From the verdant wonder of Elphaba's transformation to the heartfelt journey of Glinda, Wicked stole my heart and never gave it back. After watching it a whopping 14 times, I've been on the journey from timid audience member to a season ticket holder of the national tour. This love letter to Wicked is also an ode to all those who've nurtured my theater passion. A shout out to my friends Carl and Brian, who first planted the seed of Broadway love in my heart. Join me as I celebrate Wicked and the transformative power of theater, and encourage you all to experience this magic by supporting the arts, Broadway, and its many charities.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey everybody, thanks so much for tuning in today.
It is such an exciting day.
I am so glad to be here.
It's been a little while.
I'm trying to get back to it ona regular basis and a little
more consistent, but I have totell you today is October 30th,
2023, and it is so excitingbecause, when I plan on
recording an episode of thepodcast, I didn't realize what
(00:21):
today was.
The significance of today isjust unbelievable for me
personally and for many peopleall around the world.
So what am I talking about?
I am talking about it is thenational day that we are
celebrating Wicked the Musical20 years of Wicked the Musical.
(00:43):
So it is officially like, ifyou go on the calendar and you
look at the national day of, itis actually national Wicked Day.
So back in 2023, wicked wasadapted from a book to a
Broadway musical and since thenit's won over 100 international
(01:04):
awards, including three Tonysand a Grammy award for the best
musical theater album, and it'sgot some really famous people in
the original cast.
And I just want to talk aboutit a little bit, because this
show changed my life and I knowthose are big words, but it
really did and I think a lot ofpeople feel that way as well.
(01:26):
So I thought you know what?
Let's just take a littlejourney back.
So many of you don't know thatI have a love affair for
Broadway and it dates back justabout 20 years.
So, although Wicked debuted in2003, I didn't see it until 2004
.
So I thought let me just tellthe story about my first
(01:49):
experience with Wicked, and Iwill say this I have seen this
show 14 times, which I knowsounds like a lot.
I know it's not the worldrecord, but it's not going to be
the last time I see it either.
There is going to be a 15th anda 16th and a 17th, and one day
(02:11):
I have bucket list plans to seeit in other countries.
So back in 2004, I lived in PortSt Lucie and I was working at a
company and a couple of peoplethat I worked with were big
Broadway musical fans and webecame very close friends.
It was actually my vicepresident at the time.
(02:31):
We became very close and I saidmy dream and this is about 19
years ago I said my dream is togo to New York, even if it's
just for one day, and see aBroadway show.
And at that point in my life.
I was married to my firsthusband.
I had one small child she wasonly four years old and I didn't
(02:56):
have any aspirations or likeany plans, real travel plans.
I thought a Wicked in NYC waspretty much unattainable, or at
least that's how it felt at thetime.
For me it was like that was thebiggest deal in the world is if
I was going to be able to geton a plane and go to New York.
So I was talking to my friendsabout it and I said my dream is
(03:16):
to go to Broadway, to go to NewYork City and to go see Beauty
and the Beast on Broadway.
And at the time that's the onlyshow I had on my radar, because
I wasn't knowledgeable aboutBroadway.
I really wasn't in the circle,I wasn't following the shows and
you have to remember back in2004, there was no social media,
so it wasn't like I had theexposure that we have today.
(03:38):
I wasn't able to follow a showand keep up with the cast and
all of that stuff.
And obviously I didn't live inNew York, I lived in Florida.
So what happened was I had alot of family in Jersey and I
would see them going in and outof the city and I thought, oh,
maybe I can go to New Jersey andmaybe take a train and go see a
show with somebody in my family.
And so I started talking aboutthis with my friends and they
(04:02):
were like, well, you have to goat Christmas time.
So I was like, yeah, I wouldlove to go at Christmas time.
I had dreams of seeing theRockefeller Center Christmas
tree and the city decorated forthe holidays and just Christmas
in New York City.
It just seemed so magical.
Everything on that I saw on TV.
So it's like when something isout there and you look at it and
(04:27):
you don't think it's possiblefor yourself no-transcript, it
just seems so much bigger thanit really is, right.
So I was talking to them andthey said we want to go to New
York, let's take a New York trip, and we want to take you, since
it's your first time.
And Again, I was on, like youknow, I was like in an
entry-level position.
(04:48):
I wasn't really, you know,making a lot of money at the
time and I didn't know how I wasgonna accomplish this.
So I said, well, I want to stayat the Plaza.
Like that's, my dream is tostay at the Plaza and go see a
show in Broadway.
And they were like, well, we'renot gonna stay at the Plaza,
but we can get a room, a suite,and you'll have like a sleeper
sofa and you could come with usto New York and it'll be X
(05:10):
amount of dollars.
So I talked with my husband.
He's like yes, I want you to go.
So then came the Broadway show.
I said I really want to seeBeauty and the Beast.
It's like my dream, that's theonly show I care about.
And they were like well,there's a show on Broadway and
it is All the rage, everybody'stalking about it, and it's
(05:31):
called Wicked.
And they started telling meabout the story and, of course,
growing up as a kid, I love theWizard of Oz.
So I was like, okay, well, thatsounds really good, but tickets
were impossible.
It was like the Hamilton ofthem.
So when Hamilton first came out, it was like impossible to get
tickets.
So Wicked tickets were veryexpensive.
So they told me it would belike $110 to go to see the show
(05:53):
and I was like, okay, no problem, I can do that.
But what they didn't tell me isthey bought me an orchestra
seat.
That was definitely not $110and they gave me just the most
beautiful gift, but they talkedme into Seeing Wicked, the
musical, as my first Broadwayshow.
So I don't know if any of youcan relate to this, but if you
(06:14):
have seen any other shows andyou are like me and you love the
razzle, dazzle and you like thesparkle and the costuming and
the sets and the lighting, ifyou love the spectacular aspect
of the visuals of a Broadwayshow, wicked is just amazing.
(06:38):
So Then I started listening to alittle bit of the music and
again, I don't even think Idon't think I had an iPhone back
then.
I think I had an Android.
I don't know what I had, but itwasn't what we have today and
so I wasn't streaming oranything like that.
I would hear bits and pieces ofthe music, but I didn't know
(06:59):
what to expect.
I didn't know what I wasgetting myself into and I didn't
know what I was gonna watch.
I get, I left myself very, veryvanilla, you know, didn't
really know a lot about the showand, again, no social media.
So now a lot of exposure.
So, anyway, I get on the planeand I should preface this by
(07:22):
saying I was very, very, veryheavy back then, so probably
over a hundred pounds more thanI weigh now.
And so you know the wholedebacle of getting on the plane,
having to get a seatbeltextender you know being a very
heavy set person, and then it isFreezing cold in December.
So we I think we went likeDecember 1st through 3rd or
(07:44):
something like that.
I have my original ticket.
I could have go back and lookat the date, but it was whole
big production To pack andprepare for clothing because,
again, I lived in Florida, Ididn't have winter clothes, I
didn't have a winter coat, so Ihad to get like all this stuff
and Still try to, you know,scramble money to have spending
money to be there.
And so we get to New York andwe go see the show and I have to
(08:10):
tell you I Was ruined for good.
Right, I have been changed forgood, but I was ruined for good,
so Ruined in a good way.
So let me tell you who wasactually in the cast that I saw.
The cast was Just about theoriginal cast, with the
exception of Kristin Chenoweth.
(08:32):
She had left by then and I hadthe Wikipedia here because I was
looking at, you know, all thepeople who have played in this
role, but at the time, idinaMenzel was still in the show, so
I actually got to see Wickedwith Idina Menzel, which, again,
I didn't know who she was, so Ididn't know.
(08:52):
This was such a big deal tohave this experience and it was
absolutely just incredible.
So we go see the show andJennifer Laura Thompson was
Kristin Chenoweth understudy andshe took over the role.
She was Magnificent.
We fell in love with her.
We just loved her so much.
She did such a great job.
I think she's one of the mostunderrated glendals that nobody
(09:15):
talks about.
But Jennifer Laura Thompson wasIncredible.
So we go to this show and Thenit I think it was the time of
the year.
I don't know.
I've seen the show so manytimes, I get it all mixed up,
but I don't remember if it wasthe time of the year for
Broadway Cares, equity fights,aides or what the charity
(09:36):
Situation was.
I think that was happening inDecember, but not 100% sure.
Again, I've seen so many timesI lost count.
But there was one time that wewent and we actually made a
donation.
It was like 500 bucks and weall got to go backstage.
I don't remember if that was myfirst time or not, but let me
(09:57):
tell you about some of the othertimes that I saw the show.
So the first time I saw the show, adina Menzel was in it and we
went to the stage door because,again, I wasn't familiar.
I was a Broadway Virgin and wewere.
I was not familiar with thestage door stalking situation,
so that kind of opened my eyesto meeting celebrities on
Broadway.
So after the show we went tothe stage door to get our
(10:20):
playbills autographed and AdinaMenzel didn't come out and we
were all very disappointed.
Well, it turns out this wasback in the day when she was
married to Tay Diggs and she wasreceiving some threats and was
not comfortable with coming tothe stage door.
So anyway, I'm cursed.
When it comes to Adina Menzeland Kristen Chenoweth, I can
(10:41):
talk to you a little bit moreabout that.
Basically, anytime I try tomeet them or anytime I've gone
to a show that they are in,either they don't come to the
stage door or there's somethinggoing on, or I get a meet and
greet and it gets canceled.
So anyway, I've given up hopeof meeting Adina Menzel and
Kristen Chenoweth, because thatnever happens for me.
(11:02):
All right, any who.
So, going back to the severaltimes that I've seen Wicked.
So once I saw the show for thefirst time I was like destroyed
for good in a good way, ruined.
It's my show, I love it, I lovethe music.
And then, of course, the bestthing about a Broadway show is
then you go home and then youput the CD in your car because,
(11:24):
again, we weren't streamingApple Music then and then you
just have the visual of thewhole show playing in your mind
when you're listening to themusic and it was just so
powerful so that soundtrackagain definitely worth every
Grammy.
So we go back home to Floridaand I'm like, oh my God, I've
had a taste of New York.
I've had a taste of a littleItaly, I've had a taste of the
(11:45):
city.
I'm like, now I'm addicted, Iwant to go back.
So the next time I went backI've actually seen Wicked, the
musical, five times on Broadway.
Some were purchased on purpose,some were lottery.
So let me tell you about mylottery experience.
So another time we were goingback and I was like kind of
(12:06):
tight budget and I told myfriends I'm like, because they
were getting tickets to go seethe Saturday Night Show, and I
said I really can't afford to dothat this trip.
But you guys go to the show andI'll go walk around the city or
do something else.
So it was four of us and ourfriend Charlie was with us and
he didn't have tickets either.
(12:28):
And we found out that Wickedthey kind of pioneered this they
had a lottery.
So if you go to the theater twoand a half hours before the
show, you can put your name inthe hat and they will call.
I think they called like 12names and then you had an
opportunity to purchase one ortwo seats and, based on how many
seats you chose, they wouldcall more names.
(12:49):
So basically, what Wicked doesis they auction off, they
lottery, they raffle the firstrow, so you can't purchase the
first row.
It is the first row of thetheater, so you are basically
first row, you are seeing theshow up close and personal and
it's $25.
So if they draw your name, thenit's $25 and you can buy one or
(13:13):
two tickets for $25 each.
So these are tickets peoplewere paying $5, $6, $700 for and
they are $25.
So we go to the matinee it was aSaturday and none of us had
tickets and I said, well, let'sjust try.
And they didn't call any of ournames.
So we're like no big deal.
So my two friends that had thetickets for the APM show, the
(13:34):
four of us went back at sixo'clock for the 630 lottery and
we were like you know what.
What's the worst case scenario?
The four of us will put in ournames and if one of us gets it
then we get two tickets and weall can go together.
So they start calling names andthey call my name and I swear
to you there was about six or700 people in that parking
(13:57):
garage at the Gershwin waitingfor the lottery and they call my
name and my name was LydiaMartino at the time because I
was married to my first husbandand I screamed to the top of my
lungs in excitement and I got tobuy two tickets for $25 each.
So let me tell you about thebest part.
We get our tickets because thenyou have to go to the ticket
(14:20):
office and they give them to you.
The tickets we got were the twofront row center, so we were
the two most center seats in thefront row for Wiccan.
So talk about being ruinedseeing it one time.
Then I was ruined seeing it inthe orchestra from the very
front row and I was just besidesmyself.
(14:41):
I mean, we had the best timeever.
And of course, the very firsttime I saw this show I didn't
realize what happened at the end.
So when the witch disappeared Ithought she was gone forever.
I was crying my eyes out, youknow.
And then the beauty of seeingthe show many, many times is you
catch different things eachtime you see it.
(15:02):
You notice different thingsevery time you see it.
You have favorite numbers thatyou know and look forward to.
But it really is truly magical.
So if you have not seen Wiccan,you must, you must, you must,
you must see it.
So I know a lot of people willbe upset and disagree that it's
the best show ever, but in myopinion it's the best show on
(15:24):
Broadway and it's now having its20th anniversary.
So I've seen it five times inNew York.
Twice they called my name and Iwent in the lottery and got to
see it from the front row andthen on the tour.
So when they first, you know,started having a national tour,
I was so excited because I livein Fort Lauderdale and we have
(15:47):
Broadway across America, youknow, fort Lauderdale at the
Broward Theater for thePerforming Arts at Broward
Center and I became a seasonticket holder because Wiccan is
what sparked my love of Broadwayand going to see shows.
My issue is that I love thenewer shows and I love the
Razzle Dazzle, so some of theolder classic shows I get bored,
(16:09):
but nevertheless, theexperience of seeing theater is
just so amazing and I'm alwaysin awe of the talent.
Okay, so let me tell you, I'mstanding at the stage door and
then you start seeing peoplefrom the ensemble and people
from the orchestra and they comeout of the stage door like oh,
no big deal, I was just in aBroadway show and I'm gonna ride
(16:31):
my bike home or I'm gonna gojump on the subway and you're
like how many people get to saythat they just performed in a
Broadway show, like that's whatthey do for a living.
And how many artists and howmany aspiring actresses and
singers and how many dancers andhow many musicians get to live
their dream.
(16:51):
So for somebody from Floridawho didn't have exposure to
growing up in New York, it seemsso glamorous and fabulous.
Right, for them, it's justthat's their job, that's their
craft, that's their gift, and toget to do what you love for a
living, it is just reallyincredible.
So I was always amazed by that.
So, after Jennifer LauraThompson, my next favorite
(17:15):
Glinda was Megan Hiltsey.
So Megan Hiltsey was anunderstudy and we love, love,
loved her so much she was one ofthe best glindas of all time.
So one time when we went to gosee her, we were in New York.
We were walking down the streetand all of a sudden I see this
(17:36):
blonde, this bouncy blonde withhigh energy, walking on the
sidewalk.
We're just a few steps behindher and we stopped at a
crosswalk because we didn't havethe walk sign and I noticed she
had this beautiful emeraldgreen bag and I was like, oh my
gosh, I'm like I absolutely loveyour handbag, it is gorgeous.
And she turned around and I waslike, oh my God.
(17:58):
I said, are you in Wicked?
And she's like, yeah, I'mwalking to work right now.
And I'm like, oh my God, I loveyour bag.
We're going to the show tonight.
We're so excited, it's so greatto meet you.
We took a picture and then Iwas like I have to know more
about your bag.
And she's like, oh, it's a MarkJacobs.
I treated myself, I bought itfor myself when I first booked
the show and I was like it isjust absolutely gorgeous and
we're so excited to see you inthe show tonight.
(18:19):
And she was super sweet and ofcourse we followed her career.
We went to go see her in 9 to 5the Musical.
We saw her in Opening NightAgain.
It just fueled the fire for myNew York City addiction, my
theater addiction, and it's justbecome one of my favorite
things to do.
So fast forward 20 years.
I've been to New York a bunch.
(18:40):
I used to try to go three tofour times a year and
pre-pandemic the last coupleshows I saw.
I saw Chicago with Erica Janeon Broadway and A2 Proud.
A2 Proud is actually the verylast Broadway show I have seen.
I haven't been to New York inthree years.
It's time to get back.
I would love to go again.
Maybe next year I'll take atrip up there.
(19:01):
But so now getting back toWicked, I have a lot of
memorabilia.
I've got tons of sign playbillsfrom the stage door but the
touring cast.
So the reason I've seen theshow 14 times I think it's 14 or
15.
But the reason I've seen theshow 14 times is because I have
(19:24):
been changed for good, becausethe show is life-changing.
I just can't stop seeing it.
And when people tell me they'venever seen it, then I have to
take them.
I'm like, oh my god, if youhave not seen this show, I have
to take you.
I want to witness you enjoyingthis for the very first time and
it's so special and it's such agift.
But the greatest thing is thatthe national tour they do the
(19:46):
lottery also, so you could alsoshow up at the theater on the
local stops and you can show uptwo and a half hours before the
show and you can get into thelottery and you can win tickets
there as well.
Now, normally they raffle offorchestra seats and it's not
necessarily the front row, butif you don't win the lottery,
then they give you a secondchance, cheapy seat that you can
(20:06):
buy for like 45 bucks.
So I love this show that haspioneered the Broadway lottery.
Now, I could be wrong.
Maybe it wasn't the first showto ever do it, but they were a
show that did it and it just hasgiven so many people the
opportunity to see a show ofthat caliber at an affordable
price.
And for me They've gotten thereturn on their investment,
(20:28):
because I've seen it 14 or 15times since then and bought
tickets for me and my friendsand my daughter and you know my
daughter loves theater.
So it has really just been alife-changing experience and the
best thing is like withdifferent people and celebrities
are in the show.
So let me tell you about thetime Joey McIntyre played Fiero
(20:50):
and if you're not familiar withwho Joey McIntyre is, he is from
a one boy band called New Kidson the Block.
So we went to see him when heplayed Fiero on Broadway and we
got to meet him after the show.
It was unbelievable.
It was so amazing.
So some of the famous alphabasthat I've seen, we've seen Dina
Menzel, we've seen Shoshana Bean, we've seen Stephanie J Block,
(21:14):
we have seen a lot of differentpeople play alphaba.
But I have to tell you, some ofthe best performers I've seen
are actually on the nationaltour and they're not even from
here, they're from London orthey're from Australia and they
do just such an incredible job.
They're so gifted, they're sotalented and if anything from
this episode comes through today, I hope it is that you will
(21:36):
give Wicked the musical a chance.
So lots of merchandise.
I'm an Emerald Green person.
Anyway, I am just alwaysattracted to Green and I love
Emerald Green.
So to tell me that I ampositively Emerald is the
biggest compliment.
It's just so fun.
I have the hoodie, I have theGrimary book.
(21:56):
I had so much merchandise fromthe show and most recently my
husband gifted me a braceletfrom the Little Words Project to
find gravity.
So I just feel like those wordsdefy gravity.
When you think about and Ialways say this to my students
because I work in education Isay you're limitless and I
(22:20):
always think of Wicked.
So I'm like you're limitless,don't ever think that you can't
do something you can.
You can totally do it.
You are unlimited in yourpotential and what gifts you can
develop and talents you cannurture and share with this
world.
So anyway, wicked changed mylife for good.
I bought like a baby every timeI see it and I always cry at
(22:42):
the end of Broadway showsbecause I'm sad they're over,
but I'm always crying becauseI'm in awe of their talent, like
the people on stage are sotalented and they're studying
their craft and they are livingtheir dreams.
I don't know, it's just it's sospecial, it is so, so special.
So, anyway, that's my story.
But since then I have seen many, many, many, many, many
Broadway shows and too many totalk about today.
(23:05):
But it is National Wicked Dayand if you have not seen Wicked
the Musical, please, the nexttime it's on tour in your town,
go see it.
And then I'm going to wrap up.
But the bucket list.
So I always talk about thebucket list and I'm kind of a
Halloween hater because I don'treally love Halloween.
I don't love horror movies andI know I'm a weird person.
(23:28):
Halloween is not my favoriteholiday, but released around the
time of Halloween.
It's always this time of yearthat we get excited about Wicked
, but on the bucket list now isto see it in one.
I want to see Wicked in Londonand I want to see Mamma Mia in
London.
So London is on the bucket listas a trip in the next few years
(23:48):
and it's just so fun.
So if you ever have the chance,or the show tours near you or a
local regional theaterproduction puts a version of it
on, please go.
Support the arts, please gosupport the theater, please
(24:08):
support Broadway.
Cares, equity, fights, aids.
It's a great charity and I justwant to dedicate this episode
today to all the people in mylife, my friends Carl and Brian,
who exposed me to the love oftheater and Broadway and gifted
me such a beautiful experienceseeing it for the first time.
I want to dedicate this episodeto all the people in my life
(24:31):
who have ever supported me,loved me and helped me have a
beautiful theater experience.
So have a great day, everybody.
I'm going to hope to see youreal soon.
Thank you so much for listening.
I truly appreciate you have themost magical, wicked day ever.
Hey everybody, thanks so much for tuning in today.
It is such an exciting day.
I am so glad to be here.
It's been a little while.
I'm trying to get back to it ona regular basis and a little
more consistent, but I have totell you today is October 30th,
2023, and it is so excitingbecause, when I plan on
recording an episode of thepodcast, I didn't realize what
(00:21):
today was.
The significance of today isjust unbelievable for me
personally and for many peopleall around the world.
So what am I talking about?
I am talking about it is thenational day that we are
celebrating Wicked the Musical20 years of Wicked the Musical.
(00:43):
So it is officially like, ifyou go on the calendar and you
look at the national day of, itis actually national Wicked Day.
So back in 2023, wicked wasadapted from a book to a
Broadway musical and since thenit's won over 100 international
(01:04):
awards, including three Tonysand a Grammy award for the best
musical theater album, and it'sgot some really famous people in
the original cast.
And I just want to talk aboutit a little bit, because this
show changed my life and I knowthose are big words, but it
really did and I think a lot ofpeople feel that way as well.
(01:26):
So I thought you know what?
Let's just take a littlejourney back.
So many of you don't know thatI have a love affair for
Broadway and it dates back justabout 20 years.
So, although Wicked debuted in2003, I didn't see it until 2004
.
So I thought let me just tellthe story about my first
(01:49):
experience with Wicked, and Iwill say this I have seen this
show 14 times, which I knowsounds like a lot.
I know it's not the worldrecord, but it's not going to be
the last time I see it either.
There is going to be a 15th anda 16th and a 17th, and one day
(02:11):
I have bucket list plans to seeit in other countries.
So back in 2004, I lived in PortSt Lucie and I was working at a
company and a couple of peoplethat I worked with were big
Broadway musical fans and webecame very close friends.
It was actually my vicepresident at the time.
(02:31):
We became very close and I saidmy dream and this is about 19
years ago I said my dream is togo to New York, even if it's
just for one day, and see aBroadway show.
And at that point in my life.
I was married to my firsthusband.
I had one small child she wasonly four years old and I didn't
(02:56):
have any aspirations or likeany plans, real travel plans.
I thought a Wicked in NYC waspretty much unattainable, or at
least that's how it felt at thetime.
For me it was like that was thebiggest deal in the world is if
I was going to be able to geton a plane and go to New York.
So I was talking to my friendsabout it and I said my dream is
(03:16):
to go to Broadway, to go to NewYork City and to go see Beauty
and the Beast on Broadway.
And at the time that's the onlyshow I had on my radar, because
I wasn't knowledgeable aboutBroadway.
I really wasn't in the circle,I wasn't following the shows and
you have to remember back in2004, there was no social media,
so it wasn't like I had theexposure that we have today.
(03:38):
I wasn't able to follow a showand keep up with the cast and
all of that stuff.
And obviously I didn't live inNew York, I lived in Florida.
So what happened was I had alot of family in Jersey and I
would see them going in and outof the city and I thought, oh,
maybe I can go to New Jersey andmaybe take a train and go see a
show with somebody in my family.
And so I started talking aboutthis with my friends and they
(04:02):
were like, well, you have to goat Christmas time.
So I was like, yeah, I wouldlove to go at Christmas time.
I had dreams of seeing theRockefeller Center Christmas
tree and the city decorated forthe holidays and just Christmas
in New York City.
It just seemed so magical.
Everything on that I saw on TV.
So it's like when something isout there and you look at it and
(04:27):
you don't think it's possiblefor yourself no-transcript, it
just seems so much bigger thanit really is, right.
So I was talking to them andthey said we want to go to New
York, let's take a New York trip, and we want to take you, since
it's your first time.
And Again, I was on, like youknow, I was like in an
entry-level position.
(04:48):
I wasn't really, you know,making a lot of money at the
time and I didn't know how I wasgonna accomplish this.
So I said, well, I want to stayat the Plaza.
Like that's, my dream is tostay at the Plaza and go see a
show in Broadway.
And they were like, well, we'renot gonna stay at the Plaza,
but we can get a room, a suite,and you'll have like a sleeper
sofa and you could come with usto New York and it'll be X
(05:10):
amount of dollars.
So I talked with my husband.
He's like yes, I want you to go.
So then came the Broadway show.
I said I really want to seeBeauty and the Beast.
It's like my dream, that's theonly show I care about.
And they were like well,there's a show on Broadway and
it is All the rage, everybody'stalking about it, and it's
(05:31):
called Wicked.
And they started telling meabout the story and, of course,
growing up as a kid, I love theWizard of Oz.
So I was like, okay, well, thatsounds really good, but tickets
were impossible.
It was like the Hamilton ofthem.
So when Hamilton first came out, it was like impossible to get
tickets.
So Wicked tickets were veryexpensive.
So they told me it would belike $110 to go to see the show
(05:53):
and I was like, okay, no problem, I can do that.
But what they didn't tell me isthey bought me an orchestra
seat.
That was definitely not $110and they gave me just the most
beautiful gift, but they talkedme into Seeing Wicked, the
musical, as my first Broadwayshow.
So I don't know if any of youcan relate to this, but if you
(06:14):
have seen any other shows andyou are like me and you love the
razzle, dazzle and you like thesparkle and the costuming and
the sets and the lighting, ifyou love the spectacular aspect
of the visuals of a Broadwayshow, wicked is just amazing.
(06:38):
So Then I started listening to alittle bit of the music and
again, I don't even think Idon't think I had an iPhone back
then.
I think I had an Android.
I don't know what I had, but itwasn't what we have today and
so I wasn't streaming oranything like that.
I would hear bits and pieces ofthe music, but I didn't know
(06:59):
what to expect.
I didn't know what I wasgetting myself into and I didn't
know what I was gonna watch.
I get, I left myself very, veryvanilla, you know, didn't
really know a lot about the showand, again, no social media.
So now a lot of exposure.
So, anyway, I get on the planeand I should preface this by
(07:22):
saying I was very, very, veryheavy back then, so probably
over a hundred pounds more thanI weigh now.
And so you know the wholedebacle of getting on the plane,
having to get a seatbeltextender you know being a very
heavy set person, and then it isFreezing cold in December.
So we I think we went likeDecember 1st through 3rd or
(07:44):
something like that.
I have my original ticket.
I could have go back and lookat the date, but it was whole
big production To pack andprepare for clothing because,
again, I lived in Florida, Ididn't have winter clothes, I
didn't have a winter coat, so Ihad to get like all this stuff
and Still try to, you know,scramble money to have spending
money to be there.
And so we get to New York andwe go see the show and I have to
(08:10):
tell you I Was ruined for good.
Right, I have been changed forgood, but I was ruined for good,
so Ruined in a good way.
So let me tell you who wasactually in the cast that I saw.
The cast was Just about theoriginal cast, with the
exception of Kristin Chenoweth.
(08:32):
She had left by then and I hadthe Wikipedia here because I was
looking at, you know, all thepeople who have played in this
role, but at the time, idinaMenzel was still in the show, so
I actually got to see Wickedwith Idina Menzel, which, again,
I didn't know who she was, so Ididn't know.
(08:52):
This was such a big deal tohave this experience and it was
absolutely just incredible.
So we go see the show andJennifer Laura Thompson was
Kristin Chenoweth understudy andshe took over the role.
She was Magnificent.
We fell in love with her.
We just loved her so much.
She did such a great job.
I think she's one of the mostunderrated glendals that nobody
(09:15):
talks about.
But Jennifer Laura Thompson wasIncredible.
So we go to this show and Thenit I think it was the time of
the year.
I don't know.
I've seen the show so manytimes, I get it all mixed up,
but I don't remember if it wasthe time of the year for
Broadway Cares, equity fights,aides or what the charity
(09:36):
Situation was.
I think that was happening inDecember, but not 100% sure.
Again, I've seen so many timesI lost count.
But there was one time that wewent and we actually made a
donation.
It was like 500 bucks and weall got to go backstage.
I don't remember if that was myfirst time or not, but let me
(09:57):
tell you about some of the othertimes that I saw the show.
So the first time I saw the show, adina Menzel was in it and we
went to the stage door because,again, I wasn't familiar.
I was a Broadway Virgin and wewere.
I was not familiar with thestage door stalking situation,
so that kind of opened my eyesto meeting celebrities on
Broadway.
So after the show we went tothe stage door to get our
(10:20):
playbills autographed and AdinaMenzel didn't come out and we
were all very disappointed.
Well, it turns out this wasback in the day when she was
married to Tay Diggs and she wasreceiving some threats and was
not comfortable with coming tothe stage door.
So anyway, I'm cursed.
When it comes to Adina Menzeland Kristen Chenoweth, I can
(10:41):
talk to you a little bit moreabout that.
Basically, anytime I try tomeet them or anytime I've gone
to a show that they are in,either they don't come to the
stage door or there's somethinggoing on, or I get a meet and
greet and it gets canceled.
So anyway, I've given up hopeof meeting Adina Menzel and
Kristen Chenoweth, because thatnever happens for me.
(11:02):
All right, any who.
So, going back to the severaltimes that I've seen Wicked.
So once I saw the show for thefirst time I was like destroyed
for good in a good way, ruined.
It's my show, I love it, I lovethe music.
And then, of course, the bestthing about a Broadway show is
then you go home and then youput the CD in your car because,
(11:24):
again, we weren't streamingApple Music then and then you
just have the visual of thewhole show playing in your mind
when you're listening to themusic and it was just so
powerful so that soundtrackagain definitely worth every
Grammy.
So we go back home to Floridaand I'm like, oh my God, I've
had a taste of New York.
I've had a taste of a littleItaly, I've had a taste of the
(11:45):
city.
I'm like, now I'm addicted, Iwant to go back.
So the next time I went backI've actually seen Wicked, the
musical, five times on Broadway.
Some were purchased on purpose,some were lottery.
So let me tell you about mylottery experience.
So another time we were goingback and I was like kind of
(12:06):
tight budget and I told myfriends I'm like, because they
were getting tickets to go seethe Saturday Night Show, and I
said I really can't afford to dothat this trip.
But you guys go to the show andI'll go walk around the city or
do something else.
So it was four of us and ourfriend Charlie was with us and
he didn't have tickets either.
(12:28):
And we found out that Wickedthey kind of pioneered this they
had a lottery.
So if you go to the theater twoand a half hours before the
show, you can put your name inthe hat and they will call.
I think they called like 12names and then you had an
opportunity to purchase one ortwo seats and, based on how many
seats you chose, they wouldcall more names.
(12:49):
So basically, what Wicked doesis they auction off, they
lottery, they raffle the firstrow, so you can't purchase the
first row.
It is the first row of thetheater, so you are basically
first row, you are seeing theshow up close and personal and
it's $25.
So if they draw your name, thenit's $25 and you can buy one or
(13:13):
two tickets for $25 each.
So these are tickets peoplewere paying $5, $6, $700 for and
they are $25.
So we go to the matinee it was aSaturday and none of us had
tickets and I said, well, let'sjust try.
And they didn't call any of ournames.
So we're like no big deal.
So my two friends that had thetickets for the APM show, the
(13:34):
four of us went back at sixo'clock for the 630 lottery and
we were like you know what.
What's the worst case scenario?
The four of us will put in ournames and if one of us gets it
then we get two tickets and weall can go together.
So they start calling names andthey call my name and I swear
to you there was about six or700 people in that parking
(13:57):
garage at the Gershwin waitingfor the lottery and they call my
name and my name was LydiaMartino at the time because I
was married to my first husbandand I screamed to the top of my
lungs in excitement and I got tobuy two tickets for $25 each.
So let me tell you about thebest part.
We get our tickets because thenyou have to go to the ticket
(14:20):
office and they give them to you.
The tickets we got were the twofront row center, so we were
the two most center seats in thefront row for Wiccan.
So talk about being ruinedseeing it one time.
Then I was ruined seeing it inthe orchestra from the very
front row and I was just besidesmyself.
(14:41):
I mean, we had the best timeever.
And of course, the very firsttime I saw this show I didn't
realize what happened at the end.
So when the witch disappeared Ithought she was gone forever.
I was crying my eyes out, youknow.
And then the beauty of seeingthe show many, many times is you
catch different things eachtime you see it.
(15:02):
You notice different thingsevery time you see it.
You have favorite numbers thatyou know and look forward to.
But it really is truly magical.
So if you have not seen Wiccan,you must, you must, you must,
you must see it.
So I know a lot of people willbe upset and disagree that it's
the best show ever, but in myopinion it's the best show on
(15:24):
Broadway and it's now having its20th anniversary.
So I've seen it five times inNew York.
Twice they called my name and Iwent in the lottery and got to
see it from the front row andthen on the tour.
So when they first, you know,started having a national tour,
I was so excited because I livein Fort Lauderdale and we have
(15:47):
Broadway across America, youknow, fort Lauderdale at the
Broward Theater for thePerforming Arts at Broward
Center and I became a seasonticket holder because Wiccan is
what sparked my love of Broadwayand going to see shows.
My issue is that I love thenewer shows and I love the
Razzle Dazzle, so some of theolder classic shows I get bored,
(16:09):
but nevertheless, theexperience of seeing theater is
just so amazing and I'm alwaysin awe of the talent.
Okay, so let me tell you, I'mstanding at the stage door and
then you start seeing peoplefrom the ensemble and people
from the orchestra and they comeout of the stage door like oh,
no big deal, I was just in aBroadway show and I'm gonna ride
(16:31):
my bike home or I'm gonna gojump on the subway and you're
like how many people get to saythat they just performed in a
Broadway show, like that's whatthey do for a living.
And how many artists and howmany aspiring actresses and
singers and how many dancers andhow many musicians get to live
their dream.
(16:51):
So for somebody from Floridawho didn't have exposure to
growing up in New York, it seemsso glamorous and fabulous.
Right, for them, it's justthat's their job, that's their
craft, that's their gift, and toget to do what you love for a
living, it is just reallyincredible.
So I was always amazed by that.
So, after Jennifer LauraThompson, my next favorite
(17:15):
Glinda was Megan Hiltsey.
So Megan Hiltsey was anunderstudy and we love, love,
loved her so much she was one ofthe best glindas of all time.
So one time when we went to gosee her, we were in New York.
We were walking down the streetand all of a sudden I see this
(17:36):
blonde, this bouncy blonde withhigh energy, walking on the
sidewalk.
We're just a few steps behindher and we stopped at a
crosswalk because we didn't havethe walk sign and I noticed she
had this beautiful emeraldgreen bag and I was like, oh my
gosh, I'm like I absolutely loveyour handbag, it is gorgeous.
And she turned around and I waslike, oh my God.
(17:58):
I said, are you in Wicked?
And she's like, yeah, I'mwalking to work right now.
And I'm like, oh my God, I loveyour bag.
We're going to the show tonight.
We're so excited, it's so greatto meet you.
We took a picture and then Iwas like I have to know more
about your bag.
And she's like, oh, it's a MarkJacobs.
I treated myself, I bought itfor myself when I first booked
the show and I was like it isjust absolutely gorgeous and
we're so excited to see you inthe show tonight.
(18:19):
And she was super sweet and ofcourse we followed her career.
We went to go see her in 9 to 5the Musical.
We saw her in Opening NightAgain.
It just fueled the fire for myNew York City addiction, my
theater addiction, and it's justbecome one of my favorite
things to do.
So fast forward 20 years.
I've been to New York a bunch.
(18:40):
I used to try to go three tofour times a year and
pre-pandemic the last coupleshows I saw.
I saw Chicago with Erica Janeon Broadway and A2 Proud.
A2 Proud is actually the verylast Broadway show I have seen.
I haven't been to New York inthree years.
It's time to get back.
I would love to go again.
Maybe next year I'll take atrip up there.
(19:01):
But so now getting back toWicked, I have a lot of
memorabilia.
I've got tons of sign playbillsfrom the stage door but the
touring cast.
So the reason I've seen theshow 14 times I think it's 14 or
15.
But the reason I've seen theshow 14 times is because I have
(19:24):
been changed for good, becausethe show is life-changing.
I just can't stop seeing it.
And when people tell me they'venever seen it, then I have to
take them.
I'm like, oh my god, if youhave not seen this show, I have
to take you.
I want to witness you enjoyingthis for the very first time and
it's so special and it's such agift.
But the greatest thing is thatthe national tour they do the
(19:46):
lottery also, so you could alsoshow up at the theater on the
local stops and you can show uptwo and a half hours before the
show and you can get into thelottery and you can win tickets
there as well.
Now, normally they raffle offorchestra seats and it's not
necessarily the front row, butif you don't win the lottery,
then they give you a secondchance, cheapy seat that you can
(20:06):
buy for like 45 bucks.
So I love this show that haspioneered the Broadway lottery.
Now, I could be wrong.
Maybe it wasn't the first showto ever do it, but they were a
show that did it and it just hasgiven so many people the
opportunity to see a show ofthat caliber at an affordable
price.
And for me They've gotten thereturn on their investment,
(20:28):
because I've seen it 14 or 15times since then and bought
tickets for me and my friendsand my daughter and you know my
daughter loves theater.
So it has really just been alife-changing experience and the
best thing is like withdifferent people and celebrities
are in the show.
So let me tell you about thetime Joey McIntyre played Fiero
(20:50):
and if you're not familiar withwho Joey McIntyre is, he is from
a one boy band called New Kidson the Block.
So we went to see him when heplayed Fiero on Broadway and we
got to meet him after the show.
It was unbelievable.
It was so amazing.
So some of the famous alphabasthat I've seen, we've seen Dina
Menzel, we've seen Shoshana Bean, we've seen Stephanie J Block,
(21:14):
we have seen a lot of differentpeople play alphaba.
But I have to tell you, some ofthe best performers I've seen
are actually on the nationaltour and they're not even from
here, they're from London orthey're from Australia and they
do just such an incredible job.
They're so gifted, they're sotalented and if anything from
this episode comes through today, I hope it is that you will
(21:36):
give Wicked the musical a chance.
So lots of merchandise.
I'm an Emerald Green person.
Anyway, I am just alwaysattracted to Green and I love
Emerald Green.
So to tell me that I ampositively Emerald is the
biggest compliment.
It's just so fun.
I have the hoodie, I have theGrimary book.
(21:56):
I had so much merchandise fromthe show and most recently my
husband gifted me a braceletfrom the Little Words Project to
find gravity.
So I just feel like those wordsdefy gravity.
When you think about and Ialways say this to my students
because I work in education Isay you're limitless and I
(22:20):
always think of Wicked.
So I'm like you're limitless,don't ever think that you can't
do something you can.
You can totally do it.
You are unlimited in yourpotential and what gifts you can
develop and talents you cannurture and share with this
world.
So anyway, wicked changed mylife for good.
I bought like a baby every timeI see it and I always cry at
(22:42):
the end of Broadway showsbecause I'm sad they're over,
but I'm always crying becauseI'm in awe of their talent, like
the people on stage are sotalented and they're studying
their craft and they are livingtheir dreams.
I don't know, it's just it's sospecial, it is so, so special.
So, anyway, that's my story.
But since then I have seen many, many, many, many, many
Broadway shows and too many totalk about today.
(23:05):
But it is National Wicked Dayand if you have not seen Wicked
the Musical, please, the nexttime it's on tour in your town,
go see it.
And then I'm going to wrap up.
But the bucket list.
So I always talk about thebucket list and I'm kind of a
Halloween hater because I don'treally love Halloween.
I don't love horror movies andI know I'm a weird person.
(23:28):
Halloween is not my favoriteholiday, but released around the
time of Halloween.
It's always this time of yearthat we get excited about Wicked
, but on the bucket list now isto see it in one.
I want to see Wicked in Londonand I want to see Mamma Mia in
London.
So London is on the bucket listas a trip in the next few years
(23:48):
and it's just so fun.
So if you ever have the chance,or the show tours near you or a
local regional theaterproduction puts a version of it
on, please go.
Support the arts, please gosupport the theater, please
(24:08):
support Broadway.
Cares, equity, fights, aids.
It's a great charity and I justwant to dedicate this episode
today to all the people in mylife, my friends Carl and Brian,
who exposed me to the love oftheater and Broadway and gifted
me such a beautiful experienceseeing it for the first time.
I want to dedicate this episodeto all the people in my life
(24:31):
who have ever supported me,loved me and helped me have a
beautiful theater experience.
So have a great day, everybody.
I'm going to hope to see youreal soon.
Thank you so much for listening.
I truly appreciate you have themost magical, wicked day ever.
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