The production of “Wicked” coming to the Kennedy Center Opera House for a long summer run boasts a married couple with local ties. From their first meeting, Shanna VanDerwerker of Fort Washington and Justin Brill of Annapolis knew that fate brought them together. They are the only married couple touring with the hit musical, an engagement that allows them to host a reunion for area family members unable to attend their wedding last October on Long Beach Island, N.J.
“My parents were married there and I was christened there, so I wanted to share that very special place on the beach with Justin,” VanDerwerker said.
| Onstage |
| ‘Wicked’ |
| Where: Kennedy Center Opera House |
| When: Through Aug. 21 |
| Info: $37 to $250; 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324; kennedy-center.org |
“Since then, our car has been our home base,” Brill added. “We’ve been on the road so many weeks that staying with family while the show is at the Kennedy Center will be the longest we’ve stopped anywhere.”
Brill plays Boq, the optimistic Munchkin who lives with his heart on his sleeve, while VanDerwerker is the dance captain, a position she earned after dancing in several incarnations of “Wicked” since 2005.
“I love this show because it’s very technical, but it permits a personal style that’s true to your vision and allows free movement,” she said. “My responsibilities are to maintain the show, teach the show and know what every performer does. I can go on for any dancer at any time, so I watch carefully every night and make notes.”
When the couple first shared their pasts, they learned that they had lived parallel lives a few miles apart. VanDerwerker began dancing at the age of 3 when her mother enrolled her in ballet class. By 12, she had seen all the MGM musicals and knew that dance would be her career. For the next few years, she was a competitive dancer, traveling to competitions nationwide to compete with girls who would end up working together in major musicals.
While enrolled at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, she and Brill attended many of same auditions, passing like ships in the night. Brill was then attending Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. Upon graduating and receiving the Charles Willard Memorial Award for excellence in music theater, he performed in several regional shows before winning his first big job playing Puck, the only spoken role in Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Metropolitan Opera.
“Right now, I love playing Boq and hope I can stay on after my term contract ends in October. Shanna’s situation is different; she can stay indefinitely. No matter what the future holds, we both agree it will include creative projects we can pursue together.”
