My Wicked Awesome Experience

by Julie Miller

“Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” Wicked is a musical stage show which is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz. It’s about the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, who are better known as the Wicked Witch of the West and The Good Witch. The opening number is a flashback about Elphaba’s birth and how she was born green. It then goes into when they met in college and hated each other but eventually became friends. Elphaba lets her power get to her head and becomes wicked, for lack of a better word. Near the end, they incorporate Dorothy into it, which ties it into The Wizard of Oz movie.

Wicked came out in 2003 with an amazing cast.  Idina Menzel was Elphaba, and Kristin Chenoweth was Glinda. It’s one of the most popular (pun intended) musicals. I say pun intended because in the first act, Glinda tells Elphaba that she’s going to make her “Popular,” which is one of the most well-known songs.

Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda)

Wicked was not my first Broadway musical, but it is one of my favorites because I relate to Elphaba. My first Broadway show was actually Phantom of the Opera. I saw it in 2010 when I was 8 years old and it sparked my interest in musical theatre. I’ve seen a lot of other musicals too. One of my other favorites was Rent. I recently saw Wicked for the second time at the Straz Center in Tampa, but the first time I saw it was in 2010 at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami with one of the tour casts.  

The acting on the new version was amazing, but the singing was like I was listening to the original cast. The girls looked and sounded so much like Idina and Kristin. The music is amazing. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite song because they’re all so good. I can listen to the soundtrack on repeat for weeks.

My Playbill

I would definitely recommend it especially if you’re just starting to get into musical theater. It’s a well- known musical.

My First Poetry Reading

 by Philip Standley

New experiences are always interesting but sometimes fail to meet expectations. My first poetry reading surely felt like it might be one of those experiences. I had no idea what I was getting myself into as I walked in the room where the former Poet Laureate of the United States would be introducing me to poetry. The two other early arriving students, already in their seats, seemed to be just as puzzled as I was. As the room continued to fill with students, questions floated through my mind. How boring would this be? How interesting would this be? Do I even enjoy poetry? I did not know the answers to any of these questions but would very soon.

Billy Collins entered the room after it had filled. He was charming and had not even said a word. He seemed very comfortable as I am sure he has been to many of these events of the years. After he introduced himself he began to read some of his own poetry and I was immediately enthralled. In just a brief reading experience he was able to capture the emotion of every listener in the room. His poetry is short and sweet and seemingly has no direction, but the meaning and humor in his writing was obvious. This is a funny, caring, and introspective man. He could write about anything and make it feel like it is about you. It did not take long for him to turn me into a poetry enthusiast.

After wondering for days how long this hour would feel, it took me minutes to wish he would be there for another hour. He captured sounds, smells, sights, and feelings with ease. He captured minds and hearts just the same. He explained his own thoughts to us and made understanding his writing that much easier. Mr. Collins was inspiring and insightful, he spoke about what moves him and how he moves his readers. He encouraged listeners to find their own passion and chart their own course. After reading a few of his poems he opened for questioning and continued his wonderful performance. He was always open and honest. His sense of humor was dry and at times morbid but was consistently funny.

My experience at my first poetry reading was very interesting and it exceeded expectations. Billy Collins made me laugh, made me think, and inspired me to find passion in life’s little intricacies. He made a poetry fan out of me, and I get the sense that he will make many more before he’s done.