Ginna Claire Mason has seemingly been on a collision course with playing the iconic role of “Glinda the Good Witch” in “Wicked” (now through August 27th in Philadelphia, PA at The Academy of Music). I chatted with Ginna about her Broadway roots, how her family has supported her dream throughout her life, and how a childhood dream of playing Glinda has become a reality; and even how a certain famous “Glinda” has given her her blessing.
You are in “Wicked The Musical” playing Glinda. It is surreal to say that accomplishment is officially yours after such a dazzling career? It is! It’s definitely surreal, even after doing it a number of times each week, it still feels that way.
Is the actual experience what you thought it would be? Honestly it is better. It’s totally so much better than I thought it would be. There are definitely challenges that I did not expect to have, but definitely more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.
What was the road to “Wicked” like for you? “Wicked” came out October 30th, 2003 A few months later, I was on a business trip with my father in New York City and we were at a hotel. The front desk staff mentioned the new musical called “Wicked” and said we should try to see it. We did the lottery a couple times and did not win, but then we just went to the box office and grabbed a pair of tickets. We sat in the fourth row at The Gershwin Theatre in New York City with the original cast. I was thirteen years old and the show had only been out a few months. At intermission, I looked at my father and said “I’m gonna play Glinda one day”!
I remember so much about that show. I remember Kristin Chenoweth making me laugh a lot, and I remember feeling so envious of all of the gorgeous costumes that she got to wear. I also have a very vivid memory of how Idina Menzel’s cheekbones looked and how defined they were; you catch those details when you are in the fourth row (laughs)! My dad was so kind and bought me a t-shirt and a the soundtrack at intermission and that was the soundtrack that was on repeat the entire flight home and probably for the next two years at my house. A few years before that, I had gone to see “Les Miserables” with my mother and a similar intermission conversation happened; I was shocked that people sing and dance and act for a living, I was like “count me in, this is what I want to do”! While I had the interest in already musical theatre already, I think “Wicked” really sealed the deal in terms of me wanting to pursue it professionally.
Have you gotten to hear from the original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth at all? Actually...yes! One of my friends, Lela Rothenberg met her backstage at one of her concerts, as one of our mutual friends was performing with Kristin. Lela asked Kristin if she would film a quick little video telling me good luck or “break a leg” in actor lingo. I have a little cherished video of Kristin Chenoweth telling me to “make the people laugh, sorry the crown is heavy, have the time of your life”! I have not gotten to speak with her directly since I took over the role, but I did meet her backstage in college and I have a picture of us; she is a foot shorter than me (laughs). She is absolutely everything that I wanted her to be.
As an actress, you really seem to have a thing for the musicals it seems. What do you think it is that really makes them your sweet spot? You know, I always say that musical theatre has always been in my bones. My parents raised us on the classics like “The Sound Of Music” and the first cd’s I owned were the “Annie” and “My Fair Lady” soundtracks. I always loved musicals and grew up seeing my older brothers do school plays, which lead me to get involved in musical theatre, which lead me to taking dance lessons and voice lessons. I felt really passionate about it and it was just something I really loved doing. In each of those schools there is a little community and I liked the theatre community, and signed up for any drama camp that I could. I don’t really have “stage parents”, I just have parents that really encouraged me and supported me every step of the way. More importantly, they drove me from class to class to class (laughs); I am forever grateful for that.
Now that you are in a huge production like “Wicked” do you feel a certain responsibility to the role and to honor those that came before you, but at the same time, are you able to put your own stamp on it? Of course. That is something that pleasantly surprised me joining the company. You pay homage to the original and respect what is written and what is on the page. Especially with “Popular”, they give you a little freedom with that one. What is really fun though, is in the rehearsal room you can try things one hundred different times and the stage manager or dance captains will encourage you to try things a hundred different ways. They encourage you to not experiment on the stage though, the rehearsal room is the place to try different things. As far as respecting how “Popular” again for example, is written you don’t want it to be gimmicky, you want it to stay true to the storytelling and focused on the task at hand, which is about helping your new friend Elphaba. If it becomes too gimmicky, it strays from the storytelling.
Do you think that with everything going on in the world being so polarizing at times, that performers like you have somewhat of a responsibility to take people away from their troubles for a couple of hours? I will say that it is so gratifying to look out into the Academy of Music and see every single seat filled and hearing laughter and applause and gasps, knowing that you have twenty six hundred people in the palm of your hand and going on this wild ride with you every night. It is exhilarating, satisfying and very fulfilling.
What has been your response from the Philadelphia crowd? They have a great eye for Broadway! They are so smart! They are with you from the very first joke of the show and are right there with you. The Academy of Music is my very favorite theatre in the country actually. This is my third time touring through there and I was previously there with both “Flashdance” and “Newsies” the musical. This is my third time and the last time was almost three years ago. I have also heard that it is the longest operating opera house in the United States, I think it was built in or around 1855-1857. It is just so grandiose and magnificent from the stage looking out into the house from the way the sound carries it is so beautifully. I also appreciate how close the audience actually is to the stage seating-wise. You can catch a glimpse of people’s faces and the reaction is instantaneous.
What really inspires you as a performer? People. In every sense of the world. The audiences has the power to inspire the performer every time they are on stage. The people I am on stage with inspire me. I have heard people ask if I get bored doing the same thing every night, and the truth is, that I am on stage with real life people every night and people are different every day, giving something different every day. I am surrounded my so many talented and passionate people, that is definitely a huge source of inspiration. The audience, the people I am on stage with, and the people you love and do it for; my parents that drove me to those dance classes, and my sweet husband who supports me in all that I do. The people in your life, the relationships, those are my inspiration.
See “Wicked” through August 27th. Tickets available at:
https://www.kimmelcenter.org/events-and-tickets/201617/broadway.../wicked