“Wicked” in Broadway, Lencia Kebede, is the first full -time black pioneer

New York — Green tears flowed when Lencia Kebed made this week in Broadway, becoming the first black actor to take over the role of ELPHABA full -time in Broadway for “Wickked”.

“It is difficult to determine one feelings because I feel that it changes like every five minutes,” she told Associated Press. “I woke up and still felt in the world of Oz.”

Kebidi, a first generation of Ethiopian America from Los Angeles, spent five years in a tour with “Hamilton”, the last of which was the role of Angelika Schoiler. The “bad guys” entered on Tuesday for the first time in Broadway.

Kebede had already passed with emotional care with the time when the curtain finally fell. It sings Act 1 Showstopper “Challenge of gravity”, photography in the air and the strength of the moment through which it exploded.

“When the lights were extinguished at the end of the song, I started crying. Not just like a nice tear. She says:” I had to release. “

“I really felt that I was flying, she was the simplest way to put it. I felt I was doing it myself, despite my own strength – my vocal strength, my emotional and power of all my African lineage.”

“If I fly alone/at least, I fly a galaxy/for those who commit me, giving a message from me/tell them how to challenge gravity,” she sang.

“Everyone deserves a chance to fly,” says Kebidi. “I expect this message that regardless of your identity, and what you seem to, where did you come from, you deserve to be liberated and deserve to be able to enable the way the character feels at that moment. It seems as if I took the entire audience in my arms.”

Thank God it was the rest. “I needed to reassemble its ranks,” she says laughs. “My makeup artist was like,” just leave it, just cry, then we can clean it. “

In the audience, there were about 60 families and friends – my mother, aunts, uncles, children of her general, friend, and friends from other offers, her agent and managers, and even director of the college choir.

She says: “My entire family was in the audience – only everyone who loved him at all, with everyone who loved me and supported me during my life is like me, lifting me and holding me.”

“It was very important for me to be people that I could share this moment, so I can say their faces,” I couldn’t be here without a piece of your heart you gave me. “

The popularity of the Sinvio Sinvio’s appetite for the Broadway version, which opened in 2003 with songs by Stephen Schwartz and a book written by Winnie Holsman. During Christmas, it took an amazing $ 5 million on nine offers, which represents the highest weekly total in date for any Broadway offer.

Kebede joins the sisters of green black women who played the role of ELPHABA, a list that includes Saycon Sengbloh and Lilli Cooper, both Broadway Standbys; Brande Shavon Massi, Broadway and Alaliya Khatam, and Acend End full -time Evaba.

Among the others who played the role over the years, Choshna Ben, Stephanie C. Block, Jessica Fossic, Aden Espinoza, Anna Gastir, and of course, Edina Menzel, who won the Tony Award in the role in 2004.

Kipid graduated from Oxidental College in 2016 with a double diplomacy specialization & Global affairs and politics, which intends a profession in law or public policy. By her first year, she had a itch that needed scratching.

“I had this creative desire in terms of telling the stories in the theatrical way I was missing,” she says. So I sat my mother and I was like, “look, I think I need only a few years to explore this creative endeavor. “

Its first professional function was the production of “Memphis” in Musical Theatre West, then a long time in Tokyo Disney and toured “Rent”. In addition to years on the road with “Hamilton”, Kebidi also sang a backup to Beyonce during the rehearsals of Kochilla.

“The strict nature of the tour, I think, has prepared a lot on this,” she says. “I feel very prepared – physically, voice and emotionally. I feel I know how to take care of my body and mind, and how I need to calm emotionally after this intense experience for three hours.”

At night, Kebede tried to keep a set of mental screen shots, face ball and feelings. When she turned to get behind the scenes, she felt love.

“My grandmother and my father passed when I was in high school and took a moment to communicate with my angels,” she says. “It was, my God, was electric.”

The family came behind the scenes after the display of the photos and a tour, and it was inaster in a bar close to friends, and finally she ate something and then returned home to try to sleep.

My battery was dead. I mean, I couldn’t even move. I couldn’t move my face. I was just drinking tea, and playing quiet jazz. She says: “I had to turn it off.”

Then she had to do it again the next night.