This past weekend, my girlfriend and I saw Wicked, at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theater.
In an episode of the short-lived (but brilliant) series Sports Night, Dana (Felicity Huffman), the high-strung producer of a sports show, takes her niece to see the Broadway production of The Lion King. Prior to the show, she comments that she doesn’t have time for it and expresses her disinterest in the theater. However, after seeing the show, she returns with a new-found sense of discovery. She, excitedly, tries to tell her co-workers about her experience:
Dana: “It was really quite something. The music began and I just started to cry. I don’t know where it came from. It was like (pause) church. I didn’t know we could do that. Did you know we could do that?”
Casey: “Well, when I forget, something usually reminds me.”
Dana: “I didn’t know we could do that.”
Following the show, I shared Dana’s sentiments. Wicked is amazing. It is captivating and entertaining. I was raptured and in awe of the power of music and theater - the power of human emotion and the depths of artistic expression.
All I can really say after seeing it is, “I didn’t know we could do that.”
