Wicked

=Wicked: The Musical=

Introduction
//Wicked// the Musical is a popular Broadway play that is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire titled, //Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West//. The story begins before “The Wizard of Oz” takes place and explains the story behind The Wicked Witch of the West and why she became so evil. Wicked the Musical opened on Broadway since 2003 and has brought millions of dollars in success.

I. Major Characters

 * Elphaba**: The Wicked Witch of the West, before she became wicked. Also known as the green girl.




 * Galinda/Glinda**: The extremely popular blonde bombshell before becoming Glinda the Good witch. Elphaba’s forced roommate and eventual best friend.




 * Nessarose**: Elphaba’s handicapped sister and reasoning behind many of her decisions.




 * Madame Morrible**: Head teacher at Shiz University.




 * Dr. Dillamond**: A talking goat and professor at Shiz university that faces many injustices’.


 * The Wizard of Oz**: Supposedly a great and powerful wizard but really just an average man.


 * Boq**: a very tall munchkin who is infatuated with Glinda.


 * Fiyero**: The extremely handsome love interest of both Elphaba and Glinda, a prince always ready to defend the honor of his beloved.

Act One
Elphaba, the eventual wicked witch of the West, has always been green. She blames herself for her sister’s handicap and does anything she can for her sister. The sisters go off to Shiz University for school but are given separate room assignments. Elphaba and Glinda are assigned to be roommates, and do not get along from the start. Glinda becomes jealous of Elphaba when Madame Morrible decides to teach Elphaba and only Elphaba. Eventually, Glinda takes Elphaba under her wing and vows to make her more beautiful and popular like herself. The two finally become best friends. Fiyero arrives to Shiz and both Elphaba and Glinda become infatuated with him. Elphaba feels she has no chance with him. A love triangle eventually forms between the three.

Madame Morrible decides that Dr. Dillamond is no longer able to teach because he is an animal and should not be able to speak. Elphaba stands up to her but she is alone in her argument. Fiyero is impressed by Elphaba’s passion when she stands up for the injustices of Dr. Dillamond. Elphaba decides to travel to the Wizard of Oz to tell him about the horrible fate of the professor, in hopes he can help.

Elphaba and Glinda travel to the Emerald City in search of the Wizard of Oz. The duo finds him and uncovers the truth that the Wizard is actually powerless. Elphaba also discovers that Madame Morrible is behind the idea that animals should not have a voice and vows to spread the truth. Madame Morrible decides to ruin Elphaba’s reputation by spreading the rumor that she is wicked and is the one who created the movement for no voice for animals. Elphaba decides to run away so that she will not bring anyone else down with her.

Act Two
Elphaba is now considered the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda is now Glinda the good, both titles given by Madame Morrible. Fiyero is now Captain of the Guard and actively searching for Elphaba. Elphaba visits Nessarose and asks her to help fight against the Wizard with her, however she refuses. Elphaba gives Nessarose a gift before she leaves, ruby slippers which give her the power to walk again. Elphaba and Fiyero are reunited and their mutual love for each other is revealed. Nessarose is crushed by a house that flew in, it is later discovered that Madame Morrible killed her because she created the storm that brought the house. Fiyero is punished for protection Elphaba. Elphaba vows to live up to her evil reputation after all. She captures Dorothy to get revenge for Nessarose. It is discovered that the Wizard is actually Elphaba’s biological father and the reason for her greenness. An angry mob of the citizens of Oz arrive to defend Dorothy who pours a bucket of water on Elphaba. Elphaba apparently melts from the water and Oz is saved from the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda is shocked by the death of her best friend and vows to live up to her title as good. She sends Madame Morrible to jail for the murder of Nessarose and mourns the death of Elphaba.

Fiyero comes back to the spot where Elphaba has melted and opens a trap door. Elphaba comes out and it is revealed that her death was staged. Elphaba and Fiyero can be together but Glinda must never know that she is alive. Elphaba and Fiyero leave Oz and Glinda the Good stays to protect the people of Oz.



III. Musical Numbers
(From Soundtrack)

Act One

 * [|“No One Mourns the Wicked”]
 * [|“Dear Old Shiz”]
 * [|“The Wizard and I”]
 * [|“What is This Feeling?”]
 * [|“Something Bad”]
 * [|“Dancing Through Life”]
 * [|“Popular”]
 * [|“I’m Not That Girl”]
 * [|“One Short Day”]
 * [|“A Sentimental Man”]
 * [|“Defying Gravity”]

Act Two

 * [|“Thank Goodness”]
 * [|“Wonderful”]
 * [|“I’m Not That Girl” (Reprise)]
 * [|“As Long as You’re Mine”]
 * [|“No Good Deed”]
 * [|“March of the Witch Hunters”]
 * [|“For Good”]
 * [|“Finale”]

IV. Critical Response
Wicked was not always popular among the critics, especially in the first few years of the play. In 2003 when Wicked came to Broadway, Ben Brantley wrote a review “There’s Trouble in Emerald City” published in the New York Times. Brantley wasn’t impressed by the musical writing, “But more often than not, the humor brings to mind a slightly sweaty young college professor with a social conscience, hoping to win over his students by acting funky and cracking wise.” Aside from not finding the show funny, Brantley’s issues with Wicked do not end there. He continues addressing Mr. Schwartz musical numbers, “Though the talk is festooned with cutely mangled words (‘swankified, ‘thrillified,’ gratitution’) that bring to mind the language of Smurfs, there’s a rock-hard lecture beneath the preciousness.” Brantley concludes with one final jab at the musical, “’Wicked’ does not, alas, speak hopefully of the future of the Broadway musical.”

In 2005, just two years after the initial start of Wicked on Broadway, Jason Zinoman wrote a review of the performance which appeared in the New York Times titled, “A Pair of Witches Still in Search of the Right Spell.” He was not a fan of the cast, “The current cast is a patchwork of wildly uneven talents...” Zinoman goes on, “The mostly new cast is also very attractive, but what’s missing is the one element that won over even the musical’s detractors: personality.”

Eventually, Wicked’s popularity rose and the Broadway musical experienced overwhelming success which allowed it to become one of the longest running Broadway shows to date. Charles Isherwood wrote an article in 2014 in the New York Times, “It’s Still Popular Being Green.” The original cast included the star-studded performers, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel which brought many fans to see the show. Isherwood stated, “What would happen when these two magnetic performers left the show? A decade later, the answer is clear: Nothing Much. ‘Wicked’ passed the 10-year mark last fall, and evinces little sign of box office fatigue.” Ten years after the show opened with a completely new cast, the show continues to be successful.



V. The Iconic "Face" of Wicked
//Wicked// has a famous poster that hasn’t changed much over the years. The design is simple, yet perfect for the musical. It features a green witch dressed in black smirking (Elphaba) and another witch dressed all in white whispering in her ear (Glinda). The top of the 2003 poster explains, “So much happened before Dorothy dropped in.” This line has since been dropped but the picture remains the same. The poster was ranked #8 on Mark Robinson’s, “Broadway Poster Art- The Top-Ten Most Successful Designs.” Robinson writes, “Its simple and striking poster art is certainly a factor for that success.”



VI. A Wicked Success


Works Cited

Brantley, Ben. "There's Trouble In Emerald City." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2003. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

"Broadway Grosses Year Over Year - WICKED." BroadwayWorld. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

"Broadway Poster Art - The Top-Ten Most Successful Designs." Mark Robinson Writes. N.p., 20 Jan. 1970. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

Isherwood, Charles. "It’s Still Popular Being Green." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 21 Aug. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

Maguire, Gregory. //Wicked: The Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West//. New York: HarperCollins World, 2002. Print.

"WICKED The Musical | Official Site | Broadway Tickets." //WICKED The Musical | Official Site |// //Broadway Tickets//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

"Wicked" Script - Broadway Musical." //Wicked Broadway Musical//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

Zinoman, Jason. "A Pair of New Witches, Still in Search of the Right Spell." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 14 July 2005. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.