Defying Gravity

Today is Wicked Day.  You can ask New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who declared it such just this morning.  What does this mean?  It's the tenth anniversary of WICKED The Musical.  Admittedly, to the vast majority of the world's population that will not mean much.  But to myself,  and to all the other die-hard "Ozians" out there, it means an awful lot.  WICKED is my favorite musical ever, and I honestly believe it helped to mold me into the person I am today.
Honestly, my love of theatre began rather late in my life,  and it did not start with WICKED.  Phantom was my first real theatre love.  I saw that when I was eighteen.  (The film version anyway.)  As much as I love Phantom, it didn't inspire me to get into theatre like WICKED did.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.
In the spring of 2006, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) did a play called EQUUS in London.  (Yeah, the weird horse one he was naked in.)  So that gave my cousin Danny and I the idea to go to London for Spring Break.  Well, after much begging and the kindness of my grandparents, we managed it. 
What can I say about London?  Okay, let's face it, there's a lot I could say about it.  But this blog isn't about London, it's about WICKED.  For those of you who are curious, yes, I saw the Daniel Radcliffe naked play.  Yes, I met him and got his autograph.  But more of that another time.
When I saw WICKED, I was feeling pretty low.  We had seen a matinee of Phantom that day and our seats were abysmal.  They were so far back that I couldn't see any of the effects that were above and below the stage.  Imagine my elation then, when I was told by the usher at WICKED that I would be seated in the lower balcony and would be able to see everything!  They even had a wheelchair lift to take me to my seat!  Well, the seats were perfect.  They were just high enough so that I could see everything, but low enough that the actors didn't look like ants.  From my first view of the dragon clock, I was hooked.  I remember that there was a very nice lady sitting next to Danny and me that was afraid of heights and to get her seat switched.  I remember thinking that was odd because Danny is afraid of heights too and our seats didn't bother him. 
WICKED enthralled me wholly.  I'll confess that I don't remember who was playing Elphaba or Glinda at the performance, but at that point in my life I wasn't yet obsessed with actors and the roles they played.  What I do remember is seeing myself reflected in Elphaba so much that it brought tears to my eyes.  No, I'm not "unnaturally green" but I do use a wheelchair and that makes me notably different.  When Elphie sang "Defying Gravity" I felt that she was talking to me directly.  At that point in my life, I was really struggling to find myself.  Elphaba's mission in WICKED to do the right thing helped me to realize that sometimes the bright thing isn't always the popular thing.  Also like Elphaba, I've also often wished that someone would "degreenify" me.  What kid with a disability hasn't?  But, like Elphaba was finally comfortable with her greenness in the end, I have also largely accepted my wheelchair.
 Yes, it was WICKED that sparked my desire to act.  After all, one of the characters is in a Wheelchair!  (Yes, I know the actress isn't, but it still gave me hope)
I maynot remember who played Elphaba or Glinda, but Adam Garcia played Fiyero (Elphaba's love interest) because I met him and got his autograph!  He was really nice!  We talked for about 15 minutes.
Yes, there have been some doubters along the way  who said acting is a poor choice for me.  In closing, I'd like to present to them my earlier Facebook Status:

Happy 10th birthday to the most Splendiferous musical ever, WICKED! Ever since I first saw it in London Spring Break 2006 with my favorite cousin Danny McDonald, a love of theatre has overtaken my very soul. I always knew that I'd defy gravity someday, and now, with a children's musical, a lead in a Chekov play, a short film, an eight month internship at Walt Disney World, COMPLETE with a professional modeling... gig for Disney and a new four-legged friend at the end, I'd say I've defied gravity pretty well. Let's see what comes next!
"So if you care to find me, look to the Western sky! As someone told me lately, everyone deserves a chance to fly! And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free. To those who'd ground me, take a message back for me. Tell them how I am DEFYING GRAVITY!"
Happy birthday WICKED!  Thank you for teaching me that even kids in wheelchairs can defy gravity.

 Thanks, WICKED. I owe you my career.
Love, Me