“No one mourns the wicked!” Many people know the story of The Wizard of Oz and, of course, that the Wicked Witch of the West, the evil character, tries to kidnap Dorothy. Yet many people don’t look deeper into the story. Why was the wicked witch evil? Why was she trying to take the ruby red slippers that Dorothy was wearing? Was the good witch Glinda really good? Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz, the author and composer of Wicked, looked deeper into the story of The Wizard of Oz and wrote a musical from a completely different angle. Because of the outstanding soundtrack and superb vocal performances, the musical Wicked has been performed almost non-stop on Broadway since its debut and has since been featured in fifteen different countries and translated into six different languages.
The whole musical starts out right after the Wicked Witch of the West has been melted by water. Everyone is happy that she has died until the “good” witch Glinda tells everyone their backstory. After a life of being rejected and bullied by her father and sister because of her skin tone, the Wicked Witch, also known as Elphaba, goes to college with her little sister. There she meets her roommate, Glinda, whom she despises, and Elphaba wants to major in magic. In contrast to Elphaba’s introspective and moody personality, Glinda’s bubbly personality makes her exceptionally popular amongst their classmates. Even though Glinda and Elphaba are polar opposites, they become best friends. Instead of looking deeper into Elphaba’s background and personality, the world still decides to call her “evil” and Glinda “good.” Despite all of her self doubts, Elphaba’s unnatural magical talent catches her professor’s attention, and she spreads the word with the Wizard. Throughout the musical, Elphaba is repeatedly let down, and in the end, she finds her own path and flies solo.
The musical Wicked not only has catchy music but also portrays deep meaning behind every message. Many people have once felt rejected, judged, or betrayed in their life, and Elphaba shows onlookers how to be strong and overcome mistreatment. The good character in the Wizard of Oz, Glinda, ends up vilifying Elphaba and selfishly puts her own well-being before Elphaba’s life. Even though the Wizard of Oz seems like a shallow children’s story, each character has a background story and a reason for their behavior. The Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man also have their background stories. The Scarecrow, a prince, although exceptionally smart, tries to meet the world’s expectations of being a shallow and mischievous college student, and he develops a romantic relationship with Elphaba towards the end of the show. The Tin Man spends his life being repressed by Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, also known as the Wicked Witch of the East. Boq, the Tin Man, eventually cursed, turns into tin.
This musical is a must-see and completely changes the viewers’ stereotypical opinions on each character. As one reviewer says, Wicked is “the most complete, and completely satisfying, musical I’ve come across in a long time.” As each inspiring scene and song passes, the urge to continue watching increases. This magnetic musical clearly portrays the true difference between good and evil.
Works Cited
Fordham, Natalie. “Wicked Is the West End’s Most Divisive Musical.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 7 May 2015, theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/wicked-the-west-end-s-most-divisive-musical/.
Schaefer, Sandy, and Sandy Schaefer (1033 Articles Published) Sandy Schaefer is a Movie/TV Feature and News Writer at Comic Book Resources. They joined the site in 2020 but have written profe. “Wicked: Wizard of OZ MUSICAL TAPS Jon M. Chu to Direct.” CBR, 2 Feb. 2021, www.cbr.com/wicked-wizard-of-oz-movie-jon-m-chu-director/.
“Wicked.” Broadway.com, www.broadway.com/shows/wicked/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkbuKBhDRARIsAALysV79_-xurlzBxB7e-myxoJ3dv4cPzPiNa5qALB7aBXPBk4wR30Xsc84aAlslEALw_wcB.