Why "Wicked" is Awesome

"So Much Happened Before Dorothy Dropped In."

Indeed. By now, we all know the story of The Wizard of Oz, as well as the numerous adaptations to the tale. What we've also seen alot of, is the speculation of what necessarily happened before Dorothy got sucked into that nasty tornado and stumbled upon this magical world. There was "Oz The Great and Powerful" back in March 2013, but the only storyline that remains the most captivating, as well as the most enriching, is Stephen Schwartz's musical "Wicked".

It premiered on October 30, 2003 in the George Gershwin Theater to rave reviews and a massive fan following soon after. With the help of Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, "Wicked" transcended upon its release and now, exactly 10 years later, it's still a front-runner in the Broadway community. There's no question that "Wicked" is bad-ass, but the question here is, why? What elements about it drew in so many people? What exactly resonated with them?

Since this is MaestroBlog, of course I will be focusing mainly on the music, which is epic in about every sense of the word. From window-shattering power chords to poignant and subtle melodies, the score to "Wicked" is in prime form. Not only is the music at once pleasing to the ear and deep with lush sonic detail, but the text gives it en extra bite. That's one awesome part of any musical, being able to quote it endlessly without care or abandon. How many of you have been awfully inspired by "Defying Gravity", with its stance on individuality and Idina Menzel's loud and proud performance of it? Or how about "Popular", where Glinda sneers about appearances being more important than brains? Surely that must have resonated with you, either positively or negatively. Then there's the moments of deep introspection and philiosophical questions. For example, doesn't "I'm Not That Girl" get you every time? Its message of feeling not good enough for love is so simple yet understandably universal. And in "No Good Deed", Elphaba asks, "are good deeds just a plea for attention?" and then screams "no good deed shall go unpunished!". That's some deep stuff right there, because it not only forces you to examine Elphaba's character more carefully, but also the world around you. There's merit to her question, are all good deeds done for the greater good of society, or for the greater good of our egos? Now let's go back to the beginning, where Glinda asks us, "Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?". That's also another excellent obversation of human nature, was Elphaba born to be bad? Or was the constant bullying she endured the catalyst for her wickedness? Both options are feasible, because as "Wicked" points out right away, the Wizard isn't the great guy we thought he was.

That's the next reason why "Wicked" is so amazing, it shows that not only was Elphaba a victim of evil herself, but the Wizard is indeed not the good guy after all! He had an affair with Elphaba's mother, and if he didn't feed her green elixir, Elphaba wouldn't have been born green, and maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have turned into the wicked witch of the west. I mean once you think about it, the wizard is kind of a douche. And this just isn't proved in this particular musical, basically every backstory of the wizard told paints him as a manipulative man that lies to get what he wants. This means that the initial perception that "The Wizard of Oz" gave us was wrong, and the question of who's evil and who's not has become more complicated, because as "Wicked" so adeptly points out, there's never any surefire answer. We all go through hard times, and some people get hardened by those experiences, but that doesn't mean that they were destined to be a certain way. Fate certainly wasn't on Elphaba's side, and by the end of the musical, you find yourself rooting for her instead of the Wizard or Dorothy. And that's what makes the music stick, the extremely emotional plotline that grabs your heart and squeezes sadness, pity, joy, and sorrow throughout its two acts and 19 musical numbers. It really makes you think of the characters of "The Wizard of Oz" differently, that's true, but "Wicked" is so much more than that. Also to its genius, this musical is enjoyable on just the surface with its hooky songs and deft production set-up courtesy of Mr. Schwartz, that it's great to enjoy just at that level. But there's more for wider and older audiences too, like questioning human motive, bad versus good, popularity, love, self-importance, morals, and overall life in general. All characters are developed in some territory, and by the last time we hear "No one mourns the wicked", we now see them all in a different eye.

"Wicked" would've been one of the best broadway musicals ever if it just focused on creating great music or adding rich detail to the story, but since it does both, it's just stunning. Both musically and visually, this is a musical that sucks you in the moment the curtains rise, and once they fall, "Wicked" has accomplished its task of offering solid entertainment while changing your world view. Other musicals have approached this depth, but they haven't quite fulfilled it like this one has. All in all, it's simply full of life; raw, hard, beautiful life, life that has twists and turns, but no matter what the outcome, you have been changed. For good.

"Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good"