Unnaturally Green: One Girl's Journey Along a Yellow Brick Road Less Traveled

Felicia Ricci’s memoir chronicles the vertiginous leap from a mundane software sales job in New York to the soaring rafters of San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre, where she served as the Elphaba standby in the mega-musical *Wicked*. With no prior professional credits, Ricci is thrust into a world of intense vocal rehearsals, intricate quick-change choreography, and the peculiar purgatory of understudy life—always prepared, rarely called. The narrative captures the surreal dichotomy of her existence: one moment she is a nervous newcomer fretting over "Songs of Death," the next she is greenified and flying above a sold-out crowd, embodying one of Broadway’s most iconic roles. The core of the journey is Ricci’s internal climb—what she dubs "Mount Elphaba." This ascent is less about mastering the technical demands of Stephen Schwartz’s score and more about conquering a crippling self-doubt that mirrors the witch’s own outsider status. The account is punctuated by vividly recounted backstage rituals, the camaraderies and tensions of the company, and the logistical absurdities of life on tour, all filtered through a relentlessly analytical and humorous mind. Parallel to her theatrical odyssey runs a personal narrative, detailing a burgeoning romance and the poignant loss of her grandmother, grounding the theatrical spectacle in emotional reality. Ultimately, *Unnaturally Green* transcends a simple behind-the-scenes tell-all. It is a coming-of-age story set against the high-stakes backdrop of commercial theatre. Ricci’s English major sensibility provides a literary framework for examining the metaphors of "greenness"—simultaneously denoting novice status, envy, and the unique hue of her character. The book dissects what it means to step into a pre-existing legend, to wear another’s skin, and to discover one’s own voice in the process. The memoir serves as an essential document for aspiring performers, offering an unvarnished look at the psychological and physical toll of the business. More broadly, it resonates with anyone who has ever felt unprepared for a dream role, professional or personal. Ricci’s story is a testament to the transformative, often terrifying, process of personal growth that occurs when one is willing to be gloriously, unnaturally green.