‘Wicked’ star: It’s not easy being green

Emily Koch is aware of what an iconic role Elphaba is in modern theater, and is grateful for the opportunity to join “The Green Girls Club” on the current national tour of “Wicked.”

“Wicked” opens Wednesday at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis and will run through Jan. 3. The four-week engagement is indicative of the show’s popularity in St. Louis. It is the most popular show in Fox history, having broken box office records in its four previous engagements.

“We have so much respect for and look up to the actresses who played the parts before. We have each other’s backs. We like to honor them,” Koch said.

Ages from 8 to 80 can enjoy the show, and she knows many come back to see it multiple times.

“It’s such a treasured show, it brings other generations together, and that’s really cool to be a part of,” she said while in Louisville, Ky.

For the past six months, she was the understudy for Elphaba on Broadway. She previously ​was the standby on the second national tour. Now that she has joined this tour for at least the next 10 months, she can’t contain her excitement about playing the fiery, smart and misunderstood future Wicked Witch of the West again.

“It’s so much fun! It really is a dream-come-true role,” Koch said. “I dressed up as Elphaba and sang ‘The Wizard and I’ in a talent show in seventh grade.”

“I’m so grateful to perform before audiences who feel the same way I do about the show. Making people happy is the best part,” she said.

The musical is a bona fide phenomenon, recently celebrating its 5,000th performance and 12th year on Broadway, the 11th longest-running show in history. It opened Oct. 30, 2003, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (“Pippin,” “Godspell”) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So-Called Life” and “thirtysomething.”)

Adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, it provides an alternative story of the witches from the 1939 film and Frank L. Baum’s 1900 book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” The story focuses on Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good, who become unlikely friends and go on a remarkable odyssey.

“The role is challenging because it’s so physical,” she said. “It’s a full-time job making sure I take care of myself because it is so demanding.”

However, thanks to a stellar makeup artist, applying the emerald-green makeup isn’t that taxing before the show, because she creates a calming, soothing environment. Afterward is a different story.

“Getting it off — that’s the hard part. I have red hair and fair skin, so it definitely shows,” she said.

Koch grew up in Los Angeles. Her father is a talent agent, and her mother was an actress but now is a kindergarten through eighth grade music teacher.

“We always had tons of music in the house, we were always going to see shows. I got hooked on it at an early age,” she said.

“I don’t think they wanted me to be an actor, at first, because they knew it’s a very hard life, but once they knew there was no stopping me, they were very supportive,” she said.

She attended Carnegie-Mellon University, the alma mater of composer Stephen Schwartz, and the actress currently playing Glinda. “I knew beforehand. She had actually called to welcome me to Carnegie-Mellon when I was a freshman.”

The most well-known song, “Defying Gravity,” ends the first act, and it’s a real show-stopper. What is it like to sing it?

“It’s just as fun as you think it is going to be, flying up in the air and singing this amazing song,” she said.

“The show is so relatable in many ways. We all have these different experiences, but we can try to make the characters unique,” she said.

“The Fox is huge and such a famous theater. I am very excited to come to St. Louis. “I feel this tour is one giant dream —how is this happening?”

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held for “Wicked.” Two hours prior to each performance, people who present themselves at the Fabulous Fox Box Office will have their names placed in a lottery drum; 30 minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Lottery participants must have a valid photo ID when submitting their entry form and, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 11:05 AM with the headline "‘Wicked’ star: It’s not easy being green."