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Fellow Ozians
We catch up with the original supporting cast of
Wicked to uncover the hidden success stories
of San Francisco's biggest musical hit.
Adam L. Brinklow | Photo: Courtesy SHN; courtesy
Melissa Fahn; courtesy Ben Cameron; Brad
Buckman; courtesy Andrew Palermo; courtesy Lorna
Ventura; courtesy Roundabout Theatre Company |
February 8, 2013

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Timeline Photos

Wicked dropped anchor in San Francisco

(https://www.shnsf.com/online/wicked) again Jan. 23, almost
ten years after its original, pre-Broadway run at the
Curran Theatre. After so long as America's most
inescapable Broadway phenomenon, what could
possibly be left to say about it?

(http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?
fbid=10151565018948757&set=a.84387008756.80
Tuesday,
Jul 9 at 5:14pm
700.55156203756&type=1)

Check out some amazing shots from our

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2013 From
Party,New
courtesy
10 Gorgeous
Food
Kiwi
Gamma Waiheke
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Dominic
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Jul 9 at 3:55pm
francisco/story/10-gorgeous-food-shots-new-kiwi-popwaiheke-island-yacht-club)

For the ensemble of the original San Francisco

production, quite a lot. What happens when
struggling extras land a prized spot in what turns out
to be the musical of the decade? And more
importantly, what happens to them after?

Amazing
fromGoofy
the New
Zealand
Why
Has food
SFO shots
Got Such
Runways?
restaurant popping up just in time for
(http://www.modernluxury.com/sanAmerica's
Cup.
francisco/story/why-has-sfo-got-such-goofy-runways)
http://www.modernluxury.com/sanTuesday,
9 at
12:09pm
Why hasJul
SFO
got
such poorly-designed

Scene In
Melissa Fahn.
SFMAG: How did you come onto Wicked?
Melissa Fahn: In the fall of 2000 I was contacted by
[composer] Stephen Schwartz to do an initial reading
of his new musical, and then three reads after that.
There's only one other cast member besides [me
and Kristin Chenoweth] who saw all those reads.
Kristoffer Cusick: I got offers for three shows on the
same day: Aida, Mama Mia, and Wicked. But I
thought, one of these is a new show, I want to be in
on the ground floor.

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Menlo Charity Horse Show Sponsors Party

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Ben Cameron: I left Aida to go straight into Wicked.

Andrew Palermo: The show I did right before that was
Annie Get Your Gun. Part of me didn't want to go
back to the chorus, but it was already high profile
from the beginning. There was a buzz about it.

See All Photos >> (/san-f rancisco/scene/menlo-charity -horseshow-sponsors-party )

Ben Cameron.

Now Playing

Lorna Ventura: I was already working with George C.

Wolfe as an associate choreographer, but I wanted
to work with Wayne [Cilento] and Stephen, so that
attracted me.
Kristen Gorski-Wergeles: I had been in the original
cast of Footloose on Broadway. I came onto
[Wicked] by an invited dance audition
SFMAG: When did you realize that the show
would be a hit?
Cameron: The table read the first day. I remember
calling my mother and saying, "I just got into
something huge."
Ventura: In San Francisco I remember coming out

www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/fellow-ozians

Kristoffer Cusick.

(/san-f rancisco/v ideos/best-of -the-bay -area-2012-party )

(http://media.modernluxury .com/digital.php?e=SANF)

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7/10/13

Modern Luxury | San Francisco magazine | Fellow Ozians

the stage door and seeing people dressed up as
witches. I thought, this thing is going to land. Im glad
we opened there. It might not have been such a hit
anywhere else.
Gorski: I think the first sign was the line people
around the corner from the Curran.
Palermo: We didnt get rave reviews; they were very
mixed. Whats amazing is what everybody did to rise
above that and make it the juggernaut it is. It bucked
tradition that way.
SFMAG: What was that pre-Broadway San
Francisco production like?
Fahn: We had twelve hours days. We'd have
rehearsal in the afternoon and by the evening we
would have all new lines. We would have new songs!
There was one song, "Which Way is the Party," that
changed almost every night. Now it's a completely
different song ["Dancing Through Life"].

Andrew Palermo.

(http://media.modernluxury .com/digital.php?e=SANF)

Cusick: Every day was a big experiment.

Cameron: It was four hours long the first time. It used
to be darker. The show is pretty Disneyfied now.
Fahn: The very first script reading they had me play
Dorothy. Dorothy's part got smaller and smaller until
she was just a silhouette onstage. I played the
Dorothy silhouette.
SFMAG: What made you eventually leave the
Broadway production?

Lorna Ventura.

Cameron: You've got to leave sometime. It was gutwrenching. A show that successful is a permanent
job, which is something you just don't get in show
business.
Cusick: I moved up to play Fiyero on Broadway, and
then I opened the Chicago company, then opened
LA. After six years I felt like there's lots of
understudies who deserved to move up, and I had
my chance already.
Ventura: Wicked was my last hurrah. It was a hit and
I thought that could be a good one to end on.

Kristen Gorski-Wergeles.

SFMAG: Wicked was a huge boost to your

careers, so what are you doing now?
Palermo: Taye [Diggs] and I founded dre.Dance in
2005. Im in pre production choreographing a new
musical called Allegiance.
Cameron: When I left Wicked I went on tour with
Sweet Charity. I got to make out with Molly Ringwald,
so cross that off the bucket list.
Cusick: I did RENT and finally got to play Roger, then
I booked Tales of the City in San Francisco. I'm doing
this new show, Hands on a Hardbody. It sounds
seedier than what it is.
Fahn: I just did a movie, Tick Tock Boom Clap, in the
Bay Area. And Ive done voice work; I was Gaz on
Invader Zim and Edward on Cowboy Bebop.
Ventura: Im working on Frog Kiss at the Wells
Theatre. Its a new musical and I got to choreograph
that.
And Kristen Gorski-Wergeles is the only original cast
member still doing Wicked on Broadway. The daily
challenges keep my performance fresh, she says.
But she's taking time off now to play a brand new
role: mom. She had her first child last June.

Have feedback? Email us at

letterssf@modernluxury.com
(mailto:letterssf@modernluxury.com)

www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/fellow-ozians

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