Wicked bitch-slaps Dorothy.

I just saw Wicked... and I loved it! I saw it at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. Even if we were seated at the back row (boohoo) of the middle section, I still enjoyed the musical very much. It was very funny, entertaining, sad, and touching at the same time. It's interesting how the story tells a different side to L. Frank Baum's, The Wizard of Oz. The story is so intriguing that it amazes anyone as to how the characters came to be in the Wizard of Oz, or rather how Wicked has altered these characters and portrayed them in a much different light.



The story is pretty long and I'll try to tell it the shortest way possible. Elphaba was born green-skinned, probably because her mother (the wife of Munchkinland's governor) was fooling around. She went to school with her normal yet crippled sister named Nessarose. There they meet Glinda. The story then becomes your typical high school American setting. The intelligent outcast clashes with the popular dumb blond. But because they both had a good heart, they became the best of friends. Then they meet handsome Fiyero, whose character seemed to fall in love right away with beautiful Glinda. But eventually his true character is revealed as he falls for Elphaba, despite her hideous appearance. Elphaba meanwhile suppresses her feelings for him as she is convinced he'll never fall for someone like her.



One day, Elphaba was invited to see the Wizard of Oz because of her great skills in sorcery. She was so excited and brought Glinda along to Emerald City. For once she felt like she belonged - because everything was green (hmmm). She also wanted to ask help from the Wizard because the animals, who were once treated as humans, were not allowed to speak anymore. So they finally meet the "fake" wizard (if you know what I mean). If you remember from the other story, the wizard was just an ordinary guy who knew a lot about gadgets. Yet he led the people to believe he was the great wizard who could give them answers to everything. So anyway, when they finally met, Elphaba eventually found out that it was the wizard who wanted the animals not to speak. She saw how he has caged monkeys and given them wings so they can become spies in the city. She became furious and fled Emerald City, while Glinda chose to stay behind. Since then they have called her the Wicked Witch of the West because she disrespected and did not choose to accept the beliefs of the wizard. Glinda on the other hand, chose to stay behind and was called the Good Witch of the North.



This is when their war began. Elphaba returned to the city to ask the wizard to free the poor winged monkeys in return that she would be on his side. But as he freed the animals, she saw that one of them was her favorite teacher, a goat, who was removed from her school because he wasn't allowed to teach nor speak. This made her despise the wizard more and again fled with the monkeys by her side. Glinda remained silent of Elphaba's goodness and the wizard's flaws, yet still very much misses her friend. She was going to marry Fiyero, who became a guard in the city. Although he was told to capture Elphaba, he only wanted to find her and see her again. Their paths cross as Fiyero confesses his true feelings for Elphaba and runs away with her. Glinda was so hurt that she told the wizard that the only way to capture Elphaba was through her sister.



Whatever happened to Nessarose? Well, she became the Wicked Witch of the East. She became the governor after her father died and because she loved a man who never loved her back, she stripped the Munchkins of their rights so he would be forever in her authority. When Elphaba finally visited her, Nessarose cries why she never used her power to cure her. Elphaba then tries to cast a spell on her jeweled shoes making her walk. (These shoes were later on worn by Dorothy.) She was so happy that she called on the man she loved, Boq, who finally confesses that he never loved her. Because of hurt and anger, Nessarose cast whatever spell she found on Elphaba's magic book and caused Boq's heart to shrink. Because one can never reverse a spell that was casted, to save his life, Elphaba turned him into the heartless Tin Man.

Going back to the war, the wizard had a sorceress who did spells for him, like giving the monkeys wings and creating a tornado to kill Nessarose. This is where Dorothy finally comes in. Because of the tornado, Dorothy's house flew and fell on Nessarose. Elphaba came to her rescue but she arrived too late. As soon as she got there, Glinda and the guards were there waiting for her. They had a confrontation until Fiyero came to her rescue. Elphaba escaped but Fiyero was captured and tortured in the cornfields (hmmm)... She tried to cast a spell on him to save his life, not knowing if it worked. Elphaba then captures Dorothy because not only did she kill her sister, but she stole shoes from a dead woman (lol, they weren't ruby though in this story).



Glinda finds Elphaba and persuades her to free the poor child. The people of Oz were coming to kill her and it could still save her life. The two somehow reconcile and regain the great friendship they once lost. Elphaba chooses to face her fate and asks Glinda to promise her not to try to clear her name. It probably wasn't as important to her as regaining truth and justice in Oz, which was what she asked Glinda to do instead. The people then arrive and Dorothy throws a bucket of water on Elphaba, melting her. They rejoice on her death.

Saddened by all that has happened, Glinda came back to the Emerald City. It was too late when they found out that Elphaba was actually the daughter of the Wizard of Oz. He turned out to be the guy fooling around with her mother. Glinda asked him to leave the city for good, and he did so because of all the shameful things he has done especially to his very own daughter. Glinda decides to change Oz, to how Elphaba wanted it to be. She becomes Glinda the Good.



The Scarecrow suddenly appears... opens a trap door on the floor... and out comes Elphaba. She did not melt after all, but instead hid underneath. Elphaba and Fiyero are reunited and leave Oz forever. Interesting, noh?

So where did the Cowardly Lion come from? Well, he wasn't really a person. He was a cub then, when Elphaba was still a student. He was caged because animals weren't supposed to be free and was since then frightened by the people around him. Elphaba freed him by casting a spell... possibly scaring him even more because of all the magic zapping and smoke (lol).

Don't you just love the story? Much better than the original Wizard of Oz, which has lost its limelight after seeing Wicked. Not only was the story great, the music was fantastic as well! I cried in some parts of the show, I admit. And that made it all the more worthwhile. :)

Here's one of the songs I love... "Defying Gravity." This is the part when Elphaba decides to flee the Emerald City and Glinda decides to leave behind. Listen also to the other songs from Wicked (click on Menu).






Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down

I'm through accepting limits
cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love, I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull 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 am
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