Wicked—the Broadway sensation that imagines events in the fabled land of Oz long before Dorothy, and her little dog, too, blew in—is back in the spotlight, as the second part of its star-studded movie iteration hit theaters on Nov. 21.
In case your social media algorithm somehow dodged the pink-and-green hype—Wicked: For Good features silver-voiced charmer Ariana Grande as the popular queen bee Glinda. Juxtaposed as the huff to Glinda’s fluff is Elphaba, brought to life by Cynthia Erivo’s powerhouse vocals and sympathetic portrayal of a green, misunderstood and magically-inclined young witch-in-training.
Lucky for Baltimoreans who can’t get enough of the show’s “popular” songs, the national touring production of Wicked is coming to the Hippodrome from Dec. 17, 2025-Jan. 11, 2026. The Baltimore run will be a homecoming for cast-member Melissa Victor, who plays ShenShen—Glinda’s gossipy and giggly gal-pal.
Victor’s journey along the yellow brick road to Wicked’s emerald stage had some unexpected twists, but she says it was all worth it.
“I got my start like a lot of young Black kids—singing in church,” shares the energetic 35-year-old, whose family attended East Baltimore’s St. Francis Xavier, which holds the historic distinction of being the first exclusively Black parish in America. “When I tell you my roots are all in the Baltimore arts scene, they really, really are.”
Growing up, Victor took advantage of the city’s many offerings for young performers. The aspiring starlet performed at Northwest Baltimore’s Cahill Center for the Arts, studied dance at Peabody Preparatory, and participated in Baltimore School for the Arts’ free after-school TWIGS (“To Work In Gaining Skills”) program, designed to foster talents in one of the five arts disciplines. She hoped that TWIGS would offer a steppingstone to attend BSA for high school. However, she wasn’t accepted into the competitive arts magnet school.
Undeterred, she looked into Baltimore City College—the nation’s third oldest public high school, known for its rigorous academics and exceptional arts programs—which served Victor well. Her summers, too, were filled with theater through the Y.A.T.T.A.S. (Young Artists Training to Achieve Success) Performing Arts Program—an after-school and summer camp founded by celebrated professional singer and choir director Kenyatta Hardison.
Following high school, Victor auditioned for several collegiate music programs, but was not accepted to her top picks—a lesson she believes was an important part of her journey.
“I am not a stranger to hearing ‘no,’” she says. “You hear a lot of ‘no’s’ in this industry. God prepared me for this career very early.”
She reframed her disappointment into destiny, convinced that Catholic University must be her calling, as it provided a pipeline to opportunities in Washington D.C.’s booming theater scene. Following graduation, she began auditioning for shows locally and in New York, until her yellow brick road took another detour.
“I was in between shows and I did not feel creatively fulfilled,” shares Victor. “So I prayed and the idea to make a podcast came to me.”
In December 2019, Victor paid $60 for a microphone off of Amazon and started recording a storybook podcast that followed seven young Black characters as they went on adventures and faced challenges in their communities.
“Stoopkids Stories was the only podcast at the time that was putting out truthful, honest episodes about Black kids,” Victor says of the show, which became a resource for teachers and parents during COVID-19 lockdowns. “It’s all about Black kids being from Baltimore. I talk about snowballs, corner stores, and use a lot of Baltimore lingo in the show. It’s my version of Hey Arnold, but with Black kids from East Baltimore.”
Still, Victor maintained her theatrical pursuits. She landed roles in an off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors and continued to audition. At the urging of her good friend, Sean Burns, who was performing in the touring production of Wicked, she auditioned and landed the part of ShenShen—Glinda’s vivacious best friend.
“I’m like, ‘Wow.’ And I’m crying,” says Victor, who immediately called Burns to share the news. “He freaks out. I call everybody. They all freak out.”
Within a few weeks, Victor had packed up her life in New York City and hit the road to join the touring production. Since February, she’s been living out the dreams of five-year-old Melissa from Baltimore who sang in the church choir.
Even better, thanks to the movie remake’s popularity, a new generation is under its spell.
“The movie has now brought in a different audience,” she says. “There are so many kids in the audience. At one show recently, there was a young boy in the front row and he had his face painted green like Elphaba. It’s been cool to see the shift and to be a part of it.”
Being a part of it all has long been Victor’s dream. And the joy of performing for family and friends in her native Baltimore this holiday season proves there really is no place like home.
“Growing up down the street from the Hippodrome, I always said one day I was going to perform there,” she shares. “I know every night I’m going to know at least one person in the audience—people from my family, my church, my friends, people that I haven’t seen in years. I get teary just thinking about it, because I never thought this would happen.”