From church choir to curtain call for Borders School graduate Melissa Victor

As a cast member in the touring production of “Wicked,” Baltimore native Melissa Victor wears costumes with exaggerated bustles and outlandish hats. She also wore the biggest smile of all during her curtain calls in Baltimore, blowing kisses to loved ones in the audience. 

Friends and family come to every show, an excited Victor said the day before the record-breaking musical opened at the Hippodrome Theater Dec. 17. 

“There is no place like home,” she said, a nod to Dorothy’s famous line in the original “Wizard of Oz” movie. 

The 2003 musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” and gives the background story of the witches featured in L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and its sequels. With the release of two movie adaptations – “Wicked” in November 2024 and “Wicked: For Good” this past November – the musical has seen a surge in popularity. It ran in Baltimore through Jan. 11, allowing Victor to be home for the holidays. 

“I have seen a lot of shows here,” said Victor, as she sat in the theater’s cafe. “Traveling to Baltimore, to be back … I am very, very grateful. It has been a long journey, but well worth it.” 

Victor plays ShenShen, Glinda’s best friend, in the production’s ensemble. She has multiple costume changes as she transforms from student to citizen of Oz and performs a short solo at the beginning of the second act. 

The 35-year-old performer credits much of her success to her Catholic faith. She was a member of the second graduating class at Archbishop Borders Catholic School in Highlandtown and considers herself an honorary member of Cardinal Shehan School in Baltimore, where her sister attended. A graduate of Baltimore City College, she studied musical theater at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Sean Burns, another Catholic University alumnus, is in the same “Wicked” production. 

Her love for theater was solidified when she performed with the Cahill Center for the Arts in Baltimore. Her first professional job was in “Hairspray” at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia. 

Rooted in faith 

Though she now lives in New York City, Victor remains a faithful parishioner of St. Francis Xavier in Baltimore – the nation’s first Black Catholic parish. 

“St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, if they know I am home and I am not in church, they are calling my mom,” Victor said. “There is no hiding from the church mothers.” 

While in town for “Wicked,” Victor sang with St. Francis Xavier’s choir every Sunday and on Christmas Eve. Singing solo during Mass Dec. 28, her rich, passionate voice had parishioners on their feet and clapping. 

“Singing in church is very special,” Victor said. “I exalt and glorify God with my voice.” 

Cecelia Hargrove, a parishioner of St. Francis Xavier, said it was “such a joy” to watch Victor grow up. 

“She was singing in the choir,” she said, “and you couldn’t even see her head over the choir loft, she was so short.” 

Kenyatta Hardison’s mother directed the youth choir when Victor joined. Hardison, now the minister of music for St. Francis Xavier, remembered that Victor had “that burning fire under her” from a young age. 

“She just loved performing. She loved doing anything to do with the ministry,” Hardison said. “Dance ministry – she was on it. If it was doing a skit – she was on it. And then she started writing. She started all that writing early here at St. Francis.” 

In January 2020, Victor created the podcast “Stoopkid Stories,” a series geared for youths ages 5 and older about seven young Black characters and their adventures. 

“My sister and I grew up on these streets and sat on a stoop to braid hair,” Victor said. “It’s about growing up. Adults love it, too.” 

She records the podcast from various cities while on the road with “Wicked.” In Baltimore, she hosted her first “Stoopkid Stories” meet and greet Jan. 3 with support from the Hippodrome Foundation. Victor also voices CeCe Centipede in the Emmy-nominated “Count On June Bug!,” a PBS Learning Media cartoon series about simple math for children ages 3 to 5. 

“A lot of creative people are over at St. Francis,” Victor said, crediting her church family for their support during her youth. “They give you the opportunity to just try.” 

Broadway dreams and beyond 

Victor joined the traveling production of “Wicked” in February 2025. Before that, she performed the lead role of Audrey in an off-Broadway production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” While auditioning for a role in a Broadway revival of “Dreamgirls,” she plans to continue with “Wicked,” hoping for more opportunities to perform as Madame Morrible, a major character for whom she is an understudy. 

Her sister, Shaneka Victor, has seen her in “Wicked” four times outside of Baltimore – including once as Madame Morrible. 

“I’m a big fan of my sister,” Shaneka, who lives in Kentucky, said after Mass. “There’s no day I can’t hear my sister singing, even with the distance. She is always singing.” 

Hardison noted that Victor didn’t always receive yeses, but stuck to it. “She really wants to be on Broadway,” she said. “This is not it for her.” 

Since joining the production, Victor has traveled to Wisconsin, Illinois and New York. From Baltimore, she will travel to Pittsburgh and Rhode Island. Being home for the holidays and returning to St. Francis Xavier, however, was special. 

“I walk up the steps and I walk through the doors and I am greeted by the elders of the church and they hug me,” Victor said. “I say ‘OK.’ It is time to be back with my family. It’s time to be back with my people. It’s time to just be in the presence of God with people who I love and I know love God.”  

Students connect: Visit the Catholic Review’s social media channels to watch video of Melissa Victor answering questions from students at Archbishop Borders School in Highlandtown, her alma mater. 

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

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