Unnaturally Green

by Felicia Ricci

In January of 2010, a wide-eyed English grad went from peddling software in NYC to understudying the lead role in WICKED the musical -- her first professional theater gig (ever). UNNATURALLY GREEN is the humorous account of the entire journey, from her pit-stain-filled audition to the bittersweet closing night.

Author Felicia Ricci wears her heart on her sleeve as she tackles the role of Elphaba, WICKED's green-skinned heroine. She leaps countless hurdles, both professional and personal: conquering the "Songs of Death," weathering a trans-continental "Week I Didn't Poop," enduring the artistic limbo of understudying, and -- worst of all! -- meeting the man of her dreams. And all the while learning, time and again, what it means to be "green."

Hop into the mind of an over-sharer as she discovers Broadway's Man Behind the Curtain -- and the thrill and terror of personal growth.

Recommended ages: 14 through 99.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Theatre, Biography Memoir, Ebooks, Autobiography, Biography

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2011

About the author

FELICIA RICCI is an artist, performer, music producer, and writer. She received her English degree from Yale University, where she won the J. Edward Meeker award for nonfiction, the Saybrook Master's Award, and the Louis Sudler Prize for the arts.

Felicia makes original music in her own hybrid, inventive genre - eclectic, beat-driven songs grounded in story, character, and emotion. She self-produces her songs, playing and singing all parts. She lives in Los Angeles.

Learn more at FeliciaRicci.com

Reviews

[Britni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unnaturally Green by Felicia Ricci is a memoir about a girl who understudied for Elphaba, one of two main witches in the musical Wicked, in San Franciso's company. Felicia's memoir captures her experiences with Wicked from her very first time seeing it on Broadway as a teenager to her audition to her experience performing four shows in one weekend for huge audiences.

This book was well written, easy to read, insightful, and hilarious. Felicia writes her memoir like she writes on her blog - like she's telling her story to a best friend - and I loved it. I love Broadway shows and learned a ton not only about the inner workings of Wicked but about the audition/show process altogether. Like did you know there's an understudy and a standby for the lead in major productions? The standby is the first person in line to perform when the main performer is out and the understudy is the backup to the standby and also performs in the ensemble. I had no idea.

I'm a lover of Wicked (I've seen it four times now) and devoured this book in about two days, eager to hear where Felicia's story would take her next. This book was overall not only fantastic but fascinating and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the theater, Broadway, and especially Wicked. An easy 5 stars. And if you don't want to take it from me, there are 44 other reviews on Amazon.com that are 5 stars as well.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

ETA 12/10/12: Received all the shinies (ie. this) in the post today! Because like eleven minutes after I finished reading it on my Kindle, I went and bought a paperback copy because I NEED IT ON MY SHELF FOR REAL. AND NOW I HAVE IT. YESSSSSSS. And even better? I used my first payslip from my new job to pay for it! :D (NB. I was paid more than the $13.88 the book cost, don't worry.)




Oh my god you guys, ALL THE STARS EVER!!! I loved this book so much. I loved it to so many itty bitty little bits and pieces and now I have an absolute raging mammoth girlcrush on Felicia Ricci - who, by the way, I never even saw as Elphaba in the first place.

But oh my god, her book was the most fun EVER. There were SO many times when I burst out laughing, and if I typed up all of those instances I'd have a review like four times the character limit. Plus it would take me about eight hours because I'd have to read the entire book again. (Whoa, what a hardship.) I am SO glad I bought this one for my Kindle. I actually want a hard copy too now. IT'S JUST THAT GOOD. Funny, witty, real, and so superbly written. I don't want to time-travel back a few years to see her as Elphaba, I want her to write hundreds more books so I can read them all! And then I'll time-travel and see her as Elphaba.

Okay, I actually used the "notes" feature when reading this, so I'm gonna go through that list and narrow it down to top five Moments of Note. In chronological order since that's easiest.

1. At her dance audition:
"Do you have any experience doing lifts?"
"Not really. But I have been known to lift things."

^ Imagine that kind of humour for 270-odd pages. Tears. TEARS OF LAUGHTER. (Also, "The Cancer Musical", because she is just that classy. I want to stalk her and kidnap her and make her my best friend.)

2. After getting the call from her agent to say she's gotten the part:
At which point I screamed and leapt into a dance break that was part Running Man, part air guitar. Luckily, New York pedestrians were used to this sort of thing; I think some even tossed over a few nickels.

^ She needs to write YA novels for serious. (Also, her fabulous ad-lib when her Cowardly Lion's tail came off in a school production of The Wizard of Oz again had me in tears.)

3. Not so much a funny, but a personal squee.
"Eden Espinosa performed here in San Francisco?"
"She was our Elphaba in the Los Angeles company, which is technically the same company you're now a part of."

^ If you want to get super technical, Eden did perform in Wicked in the Orpheum in San Francisco, when the First National Tour was there back in 2005. She took over from Stephanie J. Block, I believe just for that leg? Either way, I know this because I SAW HER. SHE WAS MY FIRST ELPHABA. THE ORPHEUM WAS MY FIRST WICKED THEATRE. THIS BOOK MADE ME REALLY EXCITED FOR A LOT OF REASONS. ANOTHER OF THEM BEING...

4. Chapter Eight, getting to know San Francisco:
"Everyone who has visited San Francisco must be in on some conspiracy; they all say it's amazing, but no matter where I go, something outrageous happens to me."

^ Hahahaha IT'S SO TRUE. I know the area she's talking about fairly well, from seeing Wicked there in 2005 and then Legally Blonde in 2007 and both times kind of fearing for my life walking back to my hotel/the BART station post-show. Jeepers is it sketchy! It was sketchy at 5pm pre-show, imagine near-midnight after one... But still, I freakin' LOVE San Francisco, and I will rave about it until the cows come home and flail about how much I love it, and how utterly amazing it is, and only right at the end of the conversation will I tell you how after three visits I'm still yet to find a route between my various hotels and the theatres that doesn't make me wish I had some pepper-spray in one pocket and a cute little Miss Fisher pistol in the other. Also, I have totally been to the food court she mentioned and that made me flail as well. Omg I want to go back there!

5. Chapter fifteen, the second-by-second technical run-down of Elphaba's first entrance, through to the end of The Wizard and I... followed by a second-by-second internal monologue of the same.
Running, running... didn't an Elphaba once run off the stage and land in the orchestra pit? Wow, the audience is applauding. I wonder if they think I'm Eden Espinosa...

^ The first, for a fan of the show, was just amazing to read - I could SEE it all, and it brought back so many awesome memories. And the second just had me in tears again. Felicia is the perfect combination of gorgeous and hilarious, down-to-earth and natural and silly :) Also, I got a kick out of her fangirling Deedee because I saw her as Nessarose myself too! Although I honestly can't remember where now, only that the Fiyero at the same show was Clifton Hall, her husband. And then when I mentioned their names, my friend Li Min exclaimed that she had seen them in the Asian tour of Miss Saigon! (Aha - and this is why I keep lists of everything: Providence, Jan 6, 2007.)

Felicia's fangirling of Eden Espinosa is just gorgeous to read as well, especially because hers was one of the (admittedly few) names I really recognised. First Elphaba, yo! I know how absolutely incredible she is. Most of the bios I've read in my life have been of classic film stars, so it was exciting to read one that was not only set in a place I'd been to, at roughly the same time I'd been to it (as opposed to being set in, like, 1948), but also mentioned someone that I'd actually seen on stage myself - in the same role! - and then briefly met. Man, that was just so cool, you know?

This book is seriously a must-read for anyone who's a fan of Wicked, whether you've seen Felicia on stage or not. I'd also say it's a must-read for anyone who's not a fan of Wicked, because it's a brilliant read regardless! But as a fan of the show, I really enjoyed learning all the ins and outs of things I'd seen on stage, learning all about the actual audition process(es), and as well always being able to visualise what scene was being discussed and so on because I have seen the show a ridiculous number of times. That was why the runs-through in #5 were so particularly awesome, because I could totally see it all! (Also, for the Aussies out there, Felicia was in Patrice's track.) (And aahhh, I loved getting all the little off-hand things, like Pink Beret!)

And man, it makes me want to see Wicked again, which kind of sucks because it's no longer playing here :( I'm still a huge fan, but I used to be SO much more into the fandom than I am now... it used to be that I'd seen SO MANY Elphabas, and those I hadn't seen in person I at least knew the names of and had possibly YouTubed, you know? Now it's just been running for so long, in so many various places, that my... *counts* twenty green girls are barely a drop in the ocean. (And, for the record, fourteen Glindas. The enormous discrepancy there is because Kendra Kassebaum just keeps coming back for more, and then the combination of the revolving door of Australian Elphabas and the fact that you've probably got more chance of picking the winning tatts numbers than seeing Lucy Durack's standby/understudy.) Anyway, I miss that. I miss the good old days of, like, 2006 and knowing everyone and everything, the good old days of 2008/9 when the show was here and I had absolutely ridiculous luck with winning lottery tickets. And I miss living in the UK and just being able to flit over to Oberhausen/Scheveningen on like a week's notice to see the show there.

*sigh* Okay, back to Felicia's story! I'm so out of the US-Wicked loop these days that I didn't even know her first standby performance was a mid-show shove-on on her first official day as standby. Whoa! Talk about a 42nd Street moment! At least she had a little bit more time than Patrice Tipoki, whose first performance of Elphaba I was lucky enough to be at. Felicia came on at One Short Day (luckily they got to skip the quick-change!), whereas Patrice was thrust on just in time for Defying Gravity: Jemma grabbed the Grimmerie and ran off... and Patrice ran back on. (I remember that show so well: poor Jemma totally died at the end of TWAI and then during WITF I noticed that Patrice - who had most definitely been on stage earlier - was missing... cue a lot of internal flailing and expecting each exit of Jemma's to be her last.)

Oh man, I do want to read this back again now so I can just quote and reference everything ever! It really was such a fun read, and I simply couldn't put it down. All I did today was walk the dog, then sit down to read, then pause at 80-or-so-percent to walk the dog again because all of Felicia's mentions of work-out videos with her "standby wife" Libby (so! cute!) were making me feel really lazy. Then I got home and finished the book while eating dinner. As well as all of the fun and funniness (the busts of boyfriends past! Genius!), hers was such an incredible journey all up to read about. Seriously, what a girl. Oh god, she even snapped the broom in half!

And yes, I still want to hunt her down and force her to become my bff...


Also, here's the 20/14, just in case there are any other fangirls out there who are curious. Warning, this is both epic and maybe definitely a little embarrassing!

Elphabas, in chronological order: Eden Espinosa, Saycon Sengbloh, Shoshana Bean (x3), Idina Menzel (x3), Dee Roscioli, Ana Gasteyer (x2), Victoria Matlock, Julia Murney (x3), Amanda Harrison (x14.5), Jemma Rix (14 - well, technically 13 and two different halves), Patrice Tipoki (x1.5), Willemijn Verkaik (x6), Kerry Ellis, Nicole Parker, Vicki Noon, Carmen Cusack (x3), Zoe Gertz (x2), Roberta Valentini, Pippa Grandison, Melanie Gebhard (x2).

Glindas, in chronological order: Kendra Kassebaum (x5), Megan Hilty (x4), Helen Dallimore (x3), Erin Mackey, Kate Reinders (x2), Christina DeCicco, Lucy Durack (x32.5) (see?!), Erin Hasan (x3.5), Lucy Scherer (x2), Dianne Pilkington, Alli Mauzey, Valerie Link, Joana Fee Würz (x4), Chantal Janzen, Céline Purcell.

First Wicked: Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, September 11 2005 (Eden and Kendra)
Last/most recent Wicked: AFAS Circustheater, Scheveningen, November 25 2011 (Willemijn en Céline)

[Nicci · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me in the real world, it should not surprise you that I was dying to read this book. I am just a little bit obsessed with Wicked. I’m pretty sure my sister sometimes wishes that my copy of the soundtrack would disappear, but, back on track, I was determined to read this. Unsurprisingly then, I was super excited when my parents gave me this for Christmas (they know me too well)!

The first thing you need to know about this book is that Felicia’s writing is hilarious! She describes her journey into the world of Wicked with humor and raw honesty. It was an eye-opening experience reading about the strain of auditions, rehearsals, and back-to-back performances. I have always known that acting is much harder than what many people assume, but I am especially in awe of Broadway-esque performers after reading this.

Unnaturally Green follows Felicia as she moves to San Francisco to serve as an understudy for the role of Elphaba (also known as the Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz lore). Shortly after beginning her work as an understudy, Felicia receives the opportunity to serve as the Elphaba stand-by (there is a difference between the two! You learn something new every day). It was absolutely fascinating to learn how she prepared for the role, what it was like serving as a stand-by (boring, mostly), and how even after a terrible first show (I was back-and-forth between feeling bad for her and cracking up) the producers will let you perform again. Felicia also gives readers a glimpse into her personal life as well. Her love life, family life, and personal successes and failures are all described with a brutal honesty that she is able to convey with a natural sense of humor.

Overall, words cannot do justice to how much I enjoyed reading this book. I may have set out to read this simply for the chance to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of my favorite musicals, but I found myself coming to admire this woman who I could relate to so much. Plus, if nothing else, you will have trouble keeping a straight face while reading this. I would highly recommend this book, especially to fans of Wicked, but really to everyone.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, by far, is the best autobiography I've ever read. It's gripping, hilarious, and easy to read and connect with. You laugh, cry, and groan with Felicia as she reveals everything. (Literally ;) )

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious and yet honest account of theatre life, specifically playing the role of Elphaba. A joy to read and I gobbled it up in one sitting late last night.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate reviewing books that I only have lukewarm feelings for; I especially hate when those books are memoirs. I mean here is this person who has obviously done something more than I've ever done and, yet, I can't bring myself to anything more than 'like' for their book.

The reasons for the disconnect are myriad, but usually fall under the umbrella of I couldn't relate to the author as a person (and, one must for a memoir to work at it most basic level), or the writing needed a little more polish (this one I feel especially guilty about...as, again, the author has accomplished something that I've yet to do).

This book falls under both categories.

I assumed that, since this book was about a girl having trouble figuring out if what she was doing was really the right answer, I would be able to relate to her plight--no such luck. She actually reminded of a handful of girls that I had the unfortunate pleasure of having to be around for a semester in London. She seems to NEVER...and, I mean NEVER suffer. She seems to always have more than enough money, her apartment seems to be messy, only because she has so much stuff, she seems to have free time upon large copious amounts of free time, and, yet, she always has the right dress for the party, the right outfit for the audition and nothing ever goes wrong. And...and, every time something that truly resembles life happens she breezes through it--almost like she doesn't know how to write about real things. We get a large amount of the book devoted to her nervousness as an actress, her banana regime, her lack of bowel movements, but not so much is given to her relationship with her grandmother, a woman who passes away while she is in SF, a woman who she obviously loves and still misses...I would have liked more about her and her parents and family. Heck, I would have liked more about the cohabitation with her man friend. I would have like more about rehearsals, the game nights, the practices...I would have liked more about being 'unnaturally green'. We only get surface.

This brings me, of course, to the writing...I think the wrong parts were beefed up (I've already talked about that), but, without meaning to, I hope, Miss Ricci kind of paints herself as a bit of a brat who wants to be Elphaba, but not really...who graduates from Yale (Yale...people) and can't seem to figure out what to do with her degree or her life, which is fine, but what needed to be portrayed as the wanderlust yearning that everyone in their 20s hopefully has, just sounds like whining most of the time--maybe that's because we get into her head with sidebar comments and conversations a wee much.

I did enjoy the all the bits about San Francisco...as I've never been. I would have liked to have read about it more.

I'm sure that Felicia Ricci is a lovely lady. I think that she has written a book, much like any 20-something writing a book about their first adult adventure. I'm glad that she had the stick-to-it-ness to write about her adventures in CA, there is a bravery there that I can't explain and I am glad that she had the follow-through to turn her blog to a book, but all I can think about is (except I'm 36):

I hope she writes another book about her time in San Francisco after age and time have given her some perspective, and she's not afraid to get a little personal about people and events that matter to her heart and to her story.

[Taylor Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a huge fan of Wicked ever since I birthed my inner musical theatre lover when I was around 12 years old. I’d listen to the original Broadway cast recording on my old iPod to and from school, and I quickly memorized every note, every inflection, every lyric from the beautiful score.

In fact, I recently saw the touring production of Wicked when it came to Toronto in July. Mary Kate Morrissey, Ginna Claire Mason, and the rest of the company put on an incredible show—I got to appreciate the show in a whole new way, and my mother didn’t fall asleep in the middle of the show! (She fell asleep during Chicago. Twice. I know, how did I even come from her??)

With all this background, I knew how tough it was to perform the role of Elphaba at all, let alone eight shows a week. Yet I never really understood what it was like to put yourself through that kind of special hell.

That is, until I read Unnaturally Green by Felicia Ricci.

I was browsing the BroadwayWorld forums the other day and saw a poster mention that a former Elphaba standby wrote a memoir about her experiences. So I hopped onto Amazon, purchased the ebook, and began to read immediately.

The world of a standby has always intrigued me—do they just sit backstage all green and costumed every night just in case they’re called on mid-show? I mean, it does seem like a waste of green paint . . .

Felicia detailed her entire Wicked journey, from her first audition as an ensemble member/understudy to the San Francisco company’s closing performance several months later. She gave an inside look at how Wicked functions as a worldwide phenomenon, and how it operated at the company level. Ever wanted a backstage tour of a Wicked theatre? She gave you a hilarious one in this book.

But this memoir wasn’t just a fascinating look at the life of an Elphaba standby—it was a deeply personal look at the post-grad existence, something I know all too well.

Just like Felicia didn’t know what she was going to do post-grad (and post-Wicked), I had no idea what I was gonna do after school. I knew I didn’t want to be a beat reporter like so many of my friends were—I love journalism, but traditional reporting just wasn’t for me.

But now—also like Felicia—I’m carving out an amazing career while still doing a lot of what I learned in journalism school. It may not be traditional, but it works for me and I’m happy. And really, that’s all that matters.

Felicia’s memoir gives you an inside look in one of the biggest musical phenomena to hit Broadway, and it gives you a lot of life lessons along the way. Any theatre lover or post-grad will get something out of this.

[TM · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, may I say how amazingly wonderful Felicia Ricci is as an actress, singer, and writer! She responds promptly to fan questions and messages through her twitter @FeliciaRicci. Yes i'm going to plug for her because she deserves it :) And she was so kind enough to send me an autographed copy of her book! xo

Alright, on with the review.

This is a memoir about Felicia Ricci's experience of playing and becoming our favourite green witch Elphaba in the Broadway Musical Wicked, San Francisco Production. It is probably the most realistic and honest experience that any broadway actor must go through. Ricci explains the harsh reality of everything from auditions, nerves, moving, stress, family, starstruck, performances, friends, confidence, fans, and more!

There were many moments where I caught myself laughing out loud. I love the 'Felicia Flair' and humour in this book. There are times when some may feel there is TMI (too much information) but she has stated that this is her memoir and she can write whatever she wants. You go girl! I didn't mind it at all. This just proves that everyone is human and we all go through physical and mental hi's and low's.

Here is only a small sample of the many parts that were very memorable to me:
-Imagining Elphaba doing a John Travolta impersonation in Saturday Night Fever. Disco it up baby!
-Broom snapping in two during live performance! Thx for sharing Felicia!
-Climbing Mount Everest Elphaba. Love the metaphor
-Greek like boyfriends. Marshall is too good to be true!
-Mentions of Teal Wicks, Etai BenShlomo, Nicolas Dromard! I've seen them in the San Fran production and New York!
-Descriptions of being on stage and the amount of detail and precision involved!

Overall, I loved every part of this book. I literally felt like i was walking down this yellow brick road with Felicia and I can't wait to see what the future has instore for her! This is a must read for any broadway fan. At times it may read like a chicklit, so I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys that genre as well!

[Makayla Osipenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely hilarious. Being a huge fan of Wicked (and theatre in general) I had the best time reading this book. I was barely able to put it down. Felicia has an amazing way of getting through to any age group, and I think this book is good for anyone who wants their day brightened.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

funny and informative!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnaturally Green is the memoir of Felicia Ricci, an understudy for the role of Elphaba in the San Francisco-based production of Wicked. Detailing her audition for the role, her experiences on the stage, and the mixed emotions she felt at the conclusion of the show’s San Francisco run, the book offers a unique look at life Over the Rainbow in San Francisco.

As a big Broadway fan, I was expecting to LOVE this book. While I appreciated all the Wicked trivia (which, okay, to be honest, there wasn’t very much of), I really really couldn’t stand Felicia’s personality. I feel bad saying that, but I have a pretty low tolerance for bragging, and it felt like the whole book consisted of her talking about how amazing she was.

Her parents are wealthy surgeons! She went to Princeton! Her boyfriend is so romantic and so attractive that even Eden Espinosa was jealous of her! She could afford her own apartment in Hell’s Kitchen on a part-time theatre performer’s salary! She has her own fan pages! And all of this success at the tender age of 23!

I mean, what she accomplished at such a young age is amazing, but I felt like she could use a slice of humble pie. When she was talking about all of her dedicated fans who stayed after the play just to see her, it was as though she completely discounted the real star of the stage, Eden Espinosa, and thought that her understudy role was more important. She just came off as full of herself, and I found it very hard to relate to her. The few times when she tried to make herself more relatable were very awkward; namely, she talked about her bowel movements.

It was also kind of a bummer to see Felicia complaining so much about her time in Wicked. The downtime, when all she had to do was paint, hang out with friends, and learn French! How unbearable it was having to perform two days in a row! Moving in with her amazing, thoughtful, super hot boyfriend - so difficult! To add to these complaints were odd self-doubting rants, where she wondered if her casting was a conspiracy and the directors were setting her up to fail. To quote my friend Sarah at The Nomad’s Land, I wanted to “eye roll myself into a coma.”

Having read the amazing Kristin Chenoweth’s A Little Bit Wicked, I was really disappointed. Kristin is so down-to-earth, fun, and charming that comparing her memoir to Ricci’s was really no comparison at all. Granted, Ricci’s book has a few positives: she describes the nitty-gritty of the auditioning process, and she shares some behind-the-scenes info about the Wicked production. I just wish there was more information about the theatre and less about her, which is pretty sad to say about a memoir.

To be honest, at $3, the book’s cheap enough for you to give it a shot (hopefully you have a higher tolerance for Ricci than I do). But for any Broadway or Wicked fan, I would definitely recommend A Little Bit Wicked over this.

[Lizabobyza · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a musical theater lover and former obsessed fan (okay, maybe not SO former), I devoured this book in only a few sittings. Because I had never heard of Felicia Ricci before this book, I had set low expectations. I was actually almost AFRAID to read it and to ruin the Wicked memory I hold very close to my heart. The Yale English major turned Elphaba standby did NOT disappoint.

Her story begins with the unexpected mid show illness of the star of the show, Eden Espinosa. As a standby, these situations are common, but for Felicia, this was her first night. With very little preparation she stepped into the role and, as she refers to it, climbed Mount Elphaba. She would go on to play the misunderstood, green girl over 40 times before the San Francisco production closed for good.

Her charming, herculean boyfriend Marshall never leaves her side as she navigates through the WICKED journey, from the intense auditions to moving to San Francisco to the death of her beloved grandmother.

If you enjoy learning the inner workings of theater, including the almost prison-like job of a standby or if you just enjoy reading fun, truly honest writing, then this book is a MUST READ!

*Final Grade: 5 out of 5 stars*

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to applaud Felicia. She is a hard worker. She practiced like crazy and is dedicated to her craft. Thus, it showed as Felicia was very good as Elphaba. I saw a video clip of Felicia performing. I wished I could have seen her live. I liked the behind the scenes detail of a musical. Felicia gave very good details. She did not leave much behind. Which in turn you may find some TMI (too much information) moments. Hey, this is Felicia’s memoir and she can say what she wants and she does.

While, I liked reading about what it takes to put together a musical, as I am a fan of musicals. They always have great songs to sing to. For myself, I was not laughing as much as the rest of the readers seemed to be when reading this book. Though, when I did laugh, I had a good chuckle. What I liked most about this book was Felicia’s writing style. She brought her fun, bubbly, personality to this book and made it interesting. Plus, I did not know there where that many different descriptions for the color “green”.

[Sarah Mullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and witty

If you are a fan of theater and entertainedthe theatrics of life and the struggles that one meets, you should read this. A delightful romcom that goes beneath the surface, delving into topics that we all face- fear, newness, death, love, and being unsure of what the future will hold

[Laura VanZandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Wicked, you’ll enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the life of an Elphaba understudy. And if you aren’t sure where your life is headed, you’ll enjoy Felicia’s humor in her uncertainty about the direction of her own life.
It jumps around a bit, making it tough to distinguish the timeline but I sped through this book and laughed a lot.

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so bad. It was so bad and it just kept getting worse.

[Kim (gtkim) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick easy read. Great for anyone who is a musical fan, especially anyone who likes the green girl as much as I do.

[Brian Bakofen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insight into the tornado of professional theater - definitely understand the process better, and it was a fun read, too!

[Maddy Lanslots · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really does feel like I've travelled along a Yellow Brick Road with Felicia Ricci. As a huge fan of Wicked, of course I knew her name, but I only recently found out about this book and I absolutely loved it - not just because it provides some behind-the-scenes insights into this show I love more than anything, but because I could relate to Felicia so much. It's kind of a relief to know that being in Wicked and playing her dream role didn't solve all her problems and questions for her. Let's face it - we all think that way sometimes; if only I could do this-and-that, then everything would be perfect... but it doesn't work that way.

I love Felicia's writing style. It's light in general, serious at times, often hilarious, and flows smoothly, making me want to finish this entire book in one go (alas, work and other life-related things got in the way of that). I've learnt things I never knew about the show and the people in it, but at times it also felt like beind handed a mirror. The wide-eyed, somewhat shy, pit-stained girl who constantly doubts herself, doesn't poop for a week when she's stressed, shares too much, and tries to find her way in the world - that's me. Which is somewhat ironic, since the reason I find Wicked so wonderful is mainly because I so strongly relate to Elphaba as a character, though mostly her more vulnerable side (being bullied and ostracised, feeling different, trying to make her way). The part of her that Felicia struggled with, the brave and uncompromising part, is one I would struggle with, too.

Anyway, I digress. Let's just say I'm so happy I found this book, because I absolutely loved it. Last, Felicia, if you ever read this - I greatly admire you (and yes, I am a bit jealous of you) for having started to play Elphaba at age 23 (!) and for doing it so incredibly well (because, yes, I'll admit it, I looked up some of those YouTube video's from very efficient bootleggers and you are AMAZING).

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first paragraph I felt a similar kinship with Felicia to what I feel with Elphaba. Here we are, with a tendency to judge too harshly in our quests to make the world and ourselves into better versions, but growing and learning how to overcome that too. Or maybe I was just reading way too much into the first paragraph...

The point is, I enjoyed getting to know Felicia through this book, and especially the insights into what it's like to be a in high level professional stage production, and specifically into what it's like to play the role of Elphaba. I don't know if this book changed my life for good, but I am glad I read it.

There are some humorous references to homosexuality in this book (the number of ex-boyfriends she has who turned out to be gay, and some phrases jokingly applied to platonic relationships).

There are very few content issues: She does discuss boyfriends, moving in with one of them and even sleeping (in a literal sense) together, but I appreciate that she leaves out the private details. There are a few comments bordering on crude, or biologically blunt. (Actually there's a lot that's biologically blunt here, in a broad sense--be prepared to hear about phlegm and bowel movements.) Fine for older teens for sure, and any readers who are mature enough to know the plot of Wicked and want to read this book in the first place are probably just fine with it.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Wicked like I've never loved anything or anyone else, and I love funny, ironic and witty styles, so I found this book simply awesome.
First of all, it offers many insights and behind-the-scenes infos that every girl aspiring to play eElphaba will love (and write down on her own Elphaba block notes). It really gives you the chance to peek behind the courtan and know what it's like to be in such a great show as Wicked.
Second, I fudging love Felicia. She's so blunt, funny, ironic and...human. She's got a lot in common with Elphaba, in my opinion. I love her.
So yes, this book was great.
Totally loved it.

[Madeline Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a huge fan of Wicked like myself, this was a real treat. It was fascinating to hear about the different facets and details of the show. Felicia’s perspectives on theatre, being a standby, and working all of this in with your personal/social life was interesting as well. You could totally tell she was a writer by reading this. I hope that one day she writes another memoir, because even outside of Wicked her personality and outlook on life is engaging.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the look at Wicked behind the scenes, including the glimpse at an actress’ life as an understudy. I hope to see the play again on Broadway someday and will definitely look at it differently (as well as any musical, really). This memoir could definitely have benefited from the author including some photos, though. It would have added a lot to see rather than just read about things like the costumes and some of her friends.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been going down a bit of a non-fiction autobiography hole it seems, even for people I know nothing about. I forget what book website algorithm showed this to me but I'm glad they did. It's a breath of fresh air.

Very personal and fun to read. It's very light and when I had time to read I was flying though it. Not laught-out-loud funny but I found a very amusing. Certainly worth it for the ebook price.

Any theatre or Wicked fan should give it a read.

[Samantha Dickenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a wicked fan, this book acts almost like a tell-all tale behind the scenes of the show. Felicia takes us through how audition processes work, throw ins, traveling, makeup, illnesses...everything. It's quirky and hilarious at times. You feel her exhaustion playing elphaba, and your heart races during audition time to pray she makes the cut. Excellent read!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Funny and charming. Wicked is my favorite musical, so I was predisposed to like this book. It turns out Felicia is also very relatable and hilarious. Also, as a Bay Area native, I was highly amused by her impressions of San Francisco. (I'm definitely going to use her line about SF weather having a "daily identity crisis.")

[Jordana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I am a huge theatre nerd and I really enjoyed getting to learn about the audition process and backstage life. I was recommend this by a student in my theatre class, bought and read it immediately. I would highly recommend this to anyone who like theatre and or loves Wicked.

[Cat Scapps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual style. This is an account of her time being on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked. It was interesting seeing how the behind the scenes aspect plays out into the spectacular show. Loved reading it

[Terah ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.75 stars) gorgeous!!

[Iwona · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and honest account of what it is like to understudy the much coveted role of Elphaba. Told by the very talented and very endearing Felicia Ricci. A really fun read.