It's not easy being green....
"So if you care to find me, look to the western sky
As someone told me lately, everyone deserves the chance to fly
And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me, take a message back from me
Tell them how I'm defying gravity
I'm flying high, defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down"
"So if you care to find me, look to the western sky As someone told me lately, everyone deserves the chance to fly
And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me, take a message back from me
Tell them how I'm defying gravity
I'm flying high, defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down"
~ Elphaba, the "Wicked" Witch of the West
Finally caught "Wicked" in London. Yes the critics are right - this is a very dumbed down version of the book and much of the serious, sinister and scary parts of the plot have been watered down. BUT the medium is different, and this version works beautifully as a musical.
*** spoilers ***
The most emotional scene for me was watching Elphaba discard her initial ambition to work for the Wizard of Oz after learning how she was lied to in "Defying Gravity". The scene made me break out in goose pimples and tears standing in my eyes. From a young idealistic girl, Elphaba transformed into the fearsome and powerful "Wicked" Witch of the West right before your eyes, shedding all that she has worked for to stick to her beliefs - for the sake of the Animals.
Such admirable strength and fortitude! Such an inspiration!
Compared to dizzy Galinda, or Glinda, which she called herself, thinking that a small name change is such a noble sacrifice. She stayed on for the public adoration, the promotion and being aligned to the most powerful in Oz. Yes, the offer is tempting but what is she giving up in return?
I like that you don't end up siding either character but view them with empathy, since they are both as close as sisters and genuinely care for each other even though they are rivals.
The happy ending for Elphaba and Fiyero I felt was inappropriate but then again, you cannot end a musical with a tragic sense of loss and depressing hopelessness. People leaving the theatre cannot be ruing the cruelty of Fate or they might ask for their money back. But it's a very different feeling when reading the book. When I got to the part where Dorothy killed Elphaba, I regretted that I had felt triumphant during the same incident when reading the Wonderful Wizard of Oz long ago. In Wicked, Elphaba's inevitable doom made me feel downright heartsick.
***end of spoiler ***
Why do I like Wicked so much? I think it deals with one of my favourite themes - being misunderstood. And of course the clever way it turns your whole perspective of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz upside down. For those who grew up reading the Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a delightful fantasy tale for children, Wicked hitches up the skirt of that world and shows you its filthy nether regions.
*** spoilers ***
The most emotional scene for me was watching Elphaba discard her initial ambition to work for the Wizard of Oz after learning how she was lied to in "Defying Gravity". The scene made me break out in goose pimples and tears standing in my eyes. From a young idealistic girl, Elphaba transformed into the fearsome and powerful "Wicked" Witch of the West right before your eyes, shedding all that she has worked for to stick to her beliefs - for the sake of the Animals.
Such admirable strength and fortitude! Such an inspiration!
Compared to dizzy Galinda, or Glinda, which she called herself, thinking that a small name change is such a noble sacrifice. She stayed on for the public adoration, the promotion and being aligned to the most powerful in Oz. Yes, the offer is tempting but what is she giving up in return?
I like that you don't end up siding either character but view them with empathy, since they are both as close as sisters and genuinely care for each other even though they are rivals.
The happy ending for Elphaba and Fiyero I felt was inappropriate but then again, you cannot end a musical with a tragic sense of loss and depressing hopelessness. People leaving the theatre cannot be ruing the cruelty of Fate or they might ask for their money back. But it's a very different feeling when reading the book. When I got to the part where Dorothy killed Elphaba, I regretted that I had felt triumphant during the same incident when reading the Wonderful Wizard of Oz long ago. In Wicked, Elphaba's inevitable doom made me feel downright heartsick.
***end of spoiler ***
Why do I like Wicked so much? I think it deals with one of my favourite themes - being misunderstood. And of course the clever way it turns your whole perspective of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz upside down. For those who grew up reading the Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a delightful fantasy tale for children, Wicked hitches up the skirt of that world and shows you its filthy nether regions.
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