NEWPORT NEWS — To help celebrate the upcoming sequel to “Wicked,” two former Broadway witches will bring a piece of Oz to the stage at the Ferguson Center for the Arts.
Tiffany Haas, who played Glinda, and Laurel Harris, who played Elphaba — both on Broadway — are coming together on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate all things “Wicked” during their performance of “Witches Night Out”.
Haas, a native of Yorktown, recently sat down with WYDaily to talk about the upcoming show and all the excitement around both the Broadway show and the upcoming sequel to 2024’s movie version of “Wicked.”
Haas believes that a lot of the excitement stems from the idea that anyone who sees the show can find a character they relate to.
“The show is literally the universal story of friendship. It’s also the universal story of being accepted for who you are, finding your way, having people along the yellow brick road to help assist you, guide you, challenge you, make you into who you are. It’s the universal story of acceptance, not judging a book by its cover,” Haas explained.
During their upcoming performance, the duo will sing songs from “Wicked” and share stories of funny moments from both on and off stage. They will also perform other Broadway show tunes that resonate with their story of making it onto the Great White Way.
After auditioning for the Broadway show seven times, Haas was ultimately given a chance to perform in the show during her eighth audition. Harris, who played the role of Elphaba, was the first witch to play opposite her in the show.
After doing both the Broadway and touring versions of the show, Haas moved back to the Hampton Roads area and is excited to bring a little bit of “Wicked” magic to her hometown. The performance is also special to Haas because of her relationship with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
“Broadway is the dream. Playing the role on Broadway is incredible, but there was something really special about touring, because my favorite cities to visit were when I came through Richmond and Norfolk, because that was home. Now, you add in that years have passed and the film is coming out, and I get to do a symphony concert in my hometown with the Virginia Symphony and my first witch. It’s such a full circle moment,” Haas said.
Tickets for the performance are still on sale through the Ferguson Center box office.