Why I Couldn't Be Happier With Wicked

Let me start off by making what some will consider a shocking statement- I hate The Wizard of Oz. I saw it the first time when I was seven years old, and whatever magic spell it is supposed to weave did not affect me in the slightest even then. I want to slap Dorothy and tell her to stop being such a Pollyana (mixed metaphor, I know) and to just suck it up and deal with being in Oz. I mean, really, who wants to go back to black-and-white Kansas once they've hung out in technicolor Oz? Really, Dorothy?

Still, my good friend Liz told me to listen to Wicked- "it's totally different" she promised. She wanted to sing one of the songs with me as a duet, so I gave it a brief listen. The moment I heard the first gloriously typical of Stephen Schwartz chords of the Wicked overture, I knew this story was something special. I procured myself a copy of the soundtrack the week I was to have my wisdom teeth removed- I guessed that if I was going to be spending a good deal of time incapacitated, I may as well learn some new music and profit from it. Even through my anesthetized stupor, I was moved and intrigued. I wanted to know more- the actors, the songs, the story, photos, sheet music!

I found myself a copy of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, the source material for the show. While I was too young to appreciate all the sarcastic and satiric political points that the novel had to make, I found it a refreshing change from the typical "there's no place like home" tale that I was used to. I was ready to see the show- and I got the opportunity the summer after I finished high school.

So, a few years later, I've seen the show twice on Broadway and once in Chicago. Considering how few opportunities for travel there are for a full-time college student, that's saying a lot about how much I enjoy the show. Here's some reasons why.

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the work of Stephen Schwartz, whether you know it or not. He is an accomplished lyricist as well as composer (yes, he does his own music and lyrics, which I love in a man). He has a very successful music/lyrics partnership with Alan Menken, working on the film soundtracks for Enchanted, The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Pocahontas (that's right, he can paint with all the colors of the wind). He has several successful and widely-known Broadway shows as well, including Godspell and Pippin.

His music is very complex and has a certain undeniable musicality to it (a trend in my preferences you may have noticed). This show has a very grand spectrum, with the mood of the pieces ranging from wonder and happiness to urgent rebellion to regretful sadness to mindless mob mentality. And, with my musician's input, the music is not exactly easy to perform- he demands range and control from everyone in the show, orchestra and actors alike. Despite this, the music does not come across as a technical challenge that is over the heads of the audience. Rather, the music takes you in and astonishes you. With each new introduced concept and each musical variation on the main theme, the viewer is more engrossed in the action and themes of the story. Schwartz is a genius at making the form fit the function.

His lyrics are always easy to identify as his. He has a very witty, often sarcastic, verbally-complex way with words. He loves his puns and he loves to show off his vocabulary. His lyrics can be poetic, funny, clever, and very poignant. An example from Wicked, if you please:

"I couldn't be happier

Simply couldn't be happier

Well, not simply

'Cause getting your dreams

It's strange, but it seems

A little, well, complicated."

A beautiful combination of words and music, being both artistic and just plain fun, Wicked has appeal to both musician and layman alike. Several of the songs have great appeal and are being performed by show choirs and talent show competitors everywhere (I should know). Fun songs like "Dancing Through Life" and "What Is This Feeling" charm the audience, while "Defying Gravity" and "For Good" move us and amaze us. I'll be honest, I've had this recording since 2004, and I still listen to it frequently.

• Idina Menzel- In her Tony award-winning performance, she plays Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west. Her powerful vocal chords (which you may have heard in Rent) match the power and the passion of Elphaba, fighting against the Wizard and those who fear what is "different." She shows great enthusiasm early in the show, vulnerability as events progress, strength and decision to do the right thing and fight the system, and finally, a resignation and that same passion through the ending. She handles the acting range of the show well, demonstrating at every turn how she is not wicked, just...at the risk of sounding cliche, misunderstood. Also, her beautiful voice handles the difficulty of the role well, going very low and soft and very high and belted.
• Kristin Chenoweth- As Glinda the good, Chenoweth earned a Tony nomination for her bubbly yet substantial portrayal of the witch's best friend. Glinda has no power (unlike Elphaba), but what she does have is popularity. Chenoweth carries off the wide smiles of the adored popular schoolgirl as well as the confused and hurt girl left behind. In the end, Glinda outgrows the girl craving approval and sets out to do the right thing-who knew the character who floats in on a bubble could have a character arc? Chenoweth's beautiful soprano soars through the songs, light and lovely, yet clear and powerful.
• Joel Grey- The role of the Wizard seems to be a role that attracts famous Broadway males of days gone by. In addition to Broadway legend Joel Grey, other favorites such as George Hearn and Ben Vereen have played the role. There isn't much dialogue or music written for the Wizard, but Grey's quirky stage presence adds so much to the show. His one song, "Wonderful," really embodies the political subtext of the film- he tries to persuade Elphaba to give up her struggle against him and join him because he'll be the one writing the history. He could make her, or himself, out to be the hero or the villain depending on his whim. It's just so fun listening to Grey sing, I can't quite despise the Wizard as much as Elphaba does. (When another man is in the role, it's a different story!)
• Norbert Leo Butz- See my review of The Last Five Years if you doubt me, but I'm a HUGE fan of this man. He plays Fiyero, the man caught in a love triangle between Glinda and Elphaba. He enters the scene as an empty-headed, self-absorbed princeling, so it's only natural that he went after Glinda. Once Elphaba shows him that he has some depth, his feelings begin to grow in another direction. Butz brings the fun, flirty levity to the first act that makes his transition and his passionate actions in the second act so important. We have to love him as Elphaba does, and Butz is entirely lovable. Just listen to "As Long As You're Mine" and tell me you don't want some of that!

The Tony award-winning costumes and scenic designs just add to the spectacle that is Wicked the musical. The watching the enthusiastic Elphaba and the perky and not-so-good Glinda before the events of The Wizard of Oz take place adds a new perspective on the story we all know (whether we love it or not). The thematic changes they make regarding some of the characters is very interesting and well-done (it's Oz, and Glinda the Good and The Witch aren't the only ones getting a backstory). We get to see the friendship between the diametrically opposed Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West blossom and grow and survive even a fatal bucket of water. And the best part? No Dorothy! Oh sure, they allude to her, but there's no child actor portraying the famous pig-tailed farm girl, and I couldn't be happier. Add to the story the stage spectacle of the witch triumphantly flying for the first time in defiance of the system or the flying monkeys swinging over the audience or the intense minor harmonies of Schwartz's music or the political overtones and the other themes, and you have a satisfying Broadway musical.

To me, a large part of its unique charm is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Elphaba's fight against the tyranny of the Wizard (who fights her in the cheap sleezy politician way- with slanderous lies) could easily turn the show into a preachy political drama instead of a fun child-friendly musical. The odd morality that was extremely relative that pervaded Maguire's novel is missing from the play, as well as his dark philosophical questions. While I'm all for existential exploration, I found that it bogged down the story and that the play is better off without it (since Maguire never answers his questions anyway). Some changes made to the story when they adapted it to the stage are certainly an improvement. I don't want to give anything away, but while I enjoyed the novel, a certain plot device made me so angry that I actually threw the book across the room; needless to say, I was glad that it wasn't included in the show. My point is this- Maguire's book is certainly dark and broody, and while the musical isn't too happy (especially in act two), it doesn't delve into the depths of despair that it could have. It maintains the fun spirit of Oz and still has deeper themes.