Beware of prequels. They can never weave a perfect storyline into an already existing classic. The play, “Wicked,” falls into this category. “The untold story of the witches of Oz” has characters, costumes and sets enough to entertain, but a packed story line that crushes childhood memories.
This musical attempts to tell the backstory to the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” On the outside Oz prospers; however, the people in power – the wizard of Oz and a witch school, Shiz, plot to do away with all magical creatures that aren’t human. Those in power can’t eliminate these animals themselves; they need a witch prodigy. A prodigy they find in a green girl, Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West. While at school, Elphaba befriends Galinda, the blonde who turns into Glinda, the Good Witch. These two then find themselves on a journey that takes place before and during the film.
The choreography is seamless and natural. Ozians roam the stage like they don’t have set marks. All lyrics are sung with a mix of musical quality and emphasis on the individual word’s syllables as they move the plot forward. Meanwhile, the orchestra plays big, generic show tunes from the pit.
This musical attempts to achieve too many themes simultaneously and it fails at most of them. The most visual and well done is discrimination against Elphaba because of the color of her skin. She is painted green with makeup and her spotlight always shines green. Her father and all the other witches treat her differently because of her appearance. They snicker in their merry singing voices – rejoicing in their similarities while dispersing from her every time she steps on stage. No matter how good and original this theme is, all the other themes detract from it.
Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship annoys the audience. The growth of this friendship consists of superficial elements making it unbelievable. The pair is unlikely because Glinda’s blond nature and annoying “valley girl” voice overtakes Elphaba’s more serious problems of discrimination. Glinda wears sparkly baby blue and Pepto Bismol pink dresses while Elphaba wears the same drab black robe and hat. Glinda always succumbs to popularity never comprehending or appreciating all that Elphaba goes through. Yet, at the end the audience is supposed to believe these two witches were secret best friends during the original film.
All these themes add to the climax of the play, but they mock the importance more than they educate the audience. The musical’s writers develop the theme of animal rights to explain why the monkeys have wings. The sincerity of these themes is questioned – are they only there to make the musical match with the original? Or to make it different from the original?
These forced themes suffocate Elphaba’s character played by Kerry Ellis. Her performance of “Defying Gravity,” the only song that sticks in your head after the show, brings the first act to a triumphant close. Her powerful performance and conviction make audiences second guess how she truly befriends such a shallow ditz like Glinda. With the headstrong words behind this ballad and the sheer belting of it while flying solo above a darkened stage in a whirlwind of strobing lights, the Wicked Witch steals the first act. All her feelings of being tricked and her magical powers abused by the wizard, stand out in this song.
The musical, like many others, tries to make people laugh, but the humor downplays the importance of the heavy themes it chooses. At the end of the play nothing gets solved, it coincides with the end of the movie and the merry old land of Oz is left hanging. At the conclusion, Elphaba runs away with the scarecrow abandoning Oz and leaving socialite Glinda to reform it and all its downfalls – doubtful after she is portrayed as a ditz.
Overall, this play’s effective points lie in entertaining its audience, but it lacks in imagining a realistic back story to the beloved classic 1939 movie. It blasphemes the movie by trying too hard with too many original themes and explanations to make it fit with the movie. This play just doesn’t fill those big red ruby slippers.
Don’t forget me, I’ll write to you soon!
Stacey
Distance never separates people that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But, whenever I start feeling sad because I miss people I remind myself how lucky I am to have people so special to miss.
