"Are people born Wicked?"

 

Wicked

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was published in 1995 by Gregory Maguire. It takes place prior to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but borrows elements from other of the Oz series books. Maguire's book rarely, if ever, contradicts the original writings of L. Frank Baum, but instead sheds new light on the characters of Oz, specifically the Wicked Witch of the West, now known as Elphaba. Son of a Witch follows Elphaba's son. Maguire is writing a third novel in the series called The Cowardly War. What makes Maguire's take on the Wicked Witch of the West fascinating is that he's taken the stories to an adult level, which has clearly enticed a large number of adult Wizard of Oz fans. Maguire said in interviews and in the Grimmerie that he was disturbed as a child by the fact that the Wizard would just decide to order the Wicked Witch of the West dead. So, as an adult, he wanted to explore why the Wicked Witch was so misunderstood.

Wicked: The Musical

Once Wicked hit the shelves and became a best seller, the logical transition to movies seemed inevitable. But, the book caught the eye of Steven Schwartz, a musical theatre and film composer who had a handful of Tony nominations for Pippin and Godspell, and had written the music to several Disney films. The book took on a new life, and several changes were made from Maguire's book to appeal to a wider audience. A larger focus was placed on the relationship between Glinda, the good witch of the North, and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Much of the inspiration for the sets and costumes came from the original Denslow and Neil illustrations, with little inspiration being pulled from the 1939 film.

Wicked's cast included a mix of Broadway newcomers and established stars. Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were cast as Glinda and Elphaba. Although they are both now huge names on Broadway, Wicked was a large stepping stone in both of their careers. Chenoweth had won a Tony for the role of Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and was one of the hottest young voices on Broadway. And, Idina Menzel's success as Maureen in Rent had started to earn her a reputation of her own. Joel Gray accepted the role of the Wizard of Oz.

Wicked Synopsis

As the show opens, Ozians rejoice the death of The Wicked Witch of the West, but, was she really born Wicked? Glinda tells of how she met Elphaba at Shiz. While Glinda hopes to be recognized at Shiz University, Madame Morrible sees that Elphaba is the one with talent, and says that she might even be able to see the Wizard. Unfortunately for both Glinda and Elphaba, they've become roommates. Elphaba is concerned that the Animal professors are losing their ability to speak and think. Fyiero, however, seems to think that the best answer is to dance through life, and he and Glinda head off to the Oz Dust ballroom. Glinda tries to be nice to Elphaba, and eventually they become close friends. Elphaba, though, is envious of Glinda's relationship with Fyiero. Elphaba takes Glinda with her to see the Wizard, but when Elphaba discovers that the Wizard isn't who she thinks, Elphaba and Glinda part ways.

Elphaba's efforts to rescue the animals have made her an outcast, and she's now been dubbed by Madame Morrible and the Wizard as the Wicked Witch of the West. Ozians have turned against her, believing her powers be evil. They've teamed up to hunt her down. Glinda is now head of Munchkinland and has announced her engagement to Fyiero, but how happy is she really? And then, in the middle of everything, a cyclone dropped a house on Elphaba's sister.