Warning: this article contains spoilers for Wicked.
With the release of Wicked: Part I, actor Marissa Bode is making history as the first authentic casting of the character of Nessarose Thropp in any production of the musical.
Nessarose is the sister of Wicked’s green-skinned protagonist, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). She was born with a disability because her mother ate milk flowers while pregnant to avoid having another child with green skin. But since Wicked’s earliest productions in 2003, the character has not been well-received among the disabled community.
This is because her disability is presented as something in need of a cure, and the inability to find one has made Nessarose bitter. She is given limited agency and the primary purpose of her character seems to be to emphasise features of other characters. She is used as a pawn in a love triangle and is vengeful and callous.
Bode is the first actor to play Nessarose who uses a wheelchair in real life. As a fan of the musical, and a researcher in disability studies, I was interested to see if this casting represented a change in attitude towards the character.
Comments