By Megan Fitzgerald Dunn, Ph.D

We’re not in Kansas anymore: Actor Christian Thompson reflects on the impact of Wicked as it lands in South Florida

For actor Christian Thompson, a Fort Lauderdale native, there’s really no place like home. And, without so much as the click of a heel, the actor returns to South Florida to take the stage at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts for Wicked’s March 29-April 9, 2023, run. 

Thompson, who has a smile that could melt even the wickedest of witches, joins the cast as Fiyero, Elphaba’s love interest. Calling it a dream role, Thompson did not think he’d get the chance to play the character since only a handful of Black actors have been cast in the role.

“My family has always been a really big Wizard of Oz family. We were the family that packed into the family room and tried to match up the Pink Floyd album to the movie, and that was before it was digital and easy to do so,” he said. “And, I just decided at eight or nine years old that I wanted to be an actor and I was very serious about it.”

When his mother heard they were making a musical about her favorite character, the Wicked Witch of the West, she bought two copies of the book it was based on, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Although his mother only got about halfway through the book, Thompson devoured it.

Wicked, the Tony-award winning show debuted on Broadway in 2003. Towards the end of the show’s first year, Thompson was in NYC with a hip-hop dance company. His mother entered the pair in the lottery for the Saturday matinée performance before their flight home, but they didn’t win.

“We had just enough time to enter for the evening show and my mom was like, ‘I’ll make you a deal, if we win, I’ll push back our flights and, if we don’t win, we’ll run to the airport’,” he said. “We won that evening and we saw a show for the first time in New York.”

Thompson’s mother, who he calls “literally the best mother anyone could ask for,” pushed their flight back until Monday and the pair, who entered the lottery yet again, were able to see Wicked a second time that Sunday.

“I had seen the show before they paid me to see the show, I believe a total of nine times,” he said. “So when I say I’m a fan, I really mean it.”

Growing up, the actor had two posters hanging over his childhood bed – Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.

“If that little guy knew what he would be doing right now, I think he’d freak out. He would probably cry. I was an emotional child,” he said. “I also know that because when I got the call, I cried.”

Even after nearly 20 years, Wicked continues to resonate with audiences.

“The more ingratiated I get in this show, the more I realize why it’s lasted this long. It’s the different universal themes of acceptance, of friendship, of love, and of a deep understanding of the gray area between good and evil,” he said.

From a cultural perspective, Thompson also recognizes the importance of that understanding and for people to be able to reflect on that.

“When we look at activism in our country right now, we look at the way some people choose to be activists. And, some people think that’s wicked and some other people don’t know exactly what that all means,” he said. “But, we’ve been really lucky with how the creatives, the people in charge of the show, talk about making sure it’s real. No matter how fantastical this world is, at the end of the day, it’s about real people, even if they’re green.”

It’s the realness that matters.

 “You can take away all the smoke and mirrors, but it would still be a brilliant show because of the relationships between the characters. It’s a fantastical journey about friendship and love and what it means to be your true authentic self,” he said.

With the original Wizard of Oz released in 1939, some in the audience may never have seen it. It is not lost on Thompson that the older generation’s first exposure to Elphaba is as the Wicked Witch of the West, as the antagonist. But, now this new generation is first seeing her as the protagonist.

“I think there is this beautiful parallel between the older generation’s thinking and the hope I have in the newer generation and the way they see things in a different perspective—the way things don’t have to be so black and white. Even though the Wizard of Oz starts in black and white, we get to color,” he said. “I’m excited that people are going to see a person of color as a prince, as someone that is wanted and adored, that does get to assist in doing the right thing, as someone that is allowed to love and make mistakes and just be a full person.”

The impact of his casting in this role is not lost on Thompson.

“For me, this is just the greatest gift because I didn’t see a lot of that growing up. There weren’t as many examples,” he said.

For kids looking to follow in his footsteps, Thompson reminds them that they are already doing it.

“Just put your heart into it. Don’t think because it’s not on Broadway or just because it’s not a national tour that it’s not as valuable,” he said. “The creation of art is always important. It always has value, and always brings something to a community.”

instagram.com/ChristianThompsonActor

Megan Fitzgerald Dunn, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Writing and Communication, at Nova Southeast University.   Dr. Fitzgerald serves as the faculty advisor for Lambda Pi Eta.  Her research focuses on offensive language and media, journalism education, and media effects.  

Dr. Fitzgerald holds a PhD in Mass Communications from Florida State University, an MA in Journalism from Syracuse University, and a BA in Communication from Stonehill College.   Email: mf821@nova.edu.  Curriculum vitae: works.bepress.com/megan-fitzgerald