Wicked Stage Manager Saori Yokoo Explains the Ins and Outs of Oz

Wicked celebrates its 20th Broadway birthday on Monday, October 30—and as part of The Broadway Show’s all-green episode, correspondent Perry Sook went backstage to hear from the person who keeps Oz running.

Stage manager Saori “Cel” Yokoo first came to the Gershwin Theatre 10 years ago as a fresh-faced intern straight from Ohio Northern University’s theater program. She went on to spend most of her 20s traveling the country with different touring productions, but post-pandemic, was presented with the opportunity to return to the Gershwin Theatre as a seasoned professional. Now as the person in charge, she calls nearly 300 light cues, keeps tabs on every bit of stage magic, and along with her backstage team, makes quick decisions when the unpredictability of live theater inevitably rears its head.

“My head gets red—it just gets hot,” says Yokoo, describing the experience of handling a technical snafu on the spot with nearly 2,000 people watching from the audience. “But I love it,” she adds. “This is why I was given a brain. That's how I feel.”