I knew more what to expect as i listen to the music frequently, had borrowed my friends grimmerie which has photos from the musica. The performance, which originally featured idina menzel, kristin chenoweth, and joel gray, tells the tale of the wicked witch of the west and glinda the good witch before and after dorothy arrives in oz. The fact that wicked has been on broadway for more than 15 years already shows its remarkable popularity even today. Frank baum and the 1939 metrogoldwyn mayer film the wizard of oz. The broadway musical wicked is based on a book of the same name that tells the story of elphaba nee the wicked witch of the west and her early history in the land of oz. The musicals plot is completely different, but more appealing. Feb 18, 2020 wicked is one of the standardbearers of broadway it is the fifth longestrunning, surpassing les miserables on october 28, 2019, with its 6,681st performance.
Oct 30, 2020 the untold story of the witches of the wizard of oz, wicked opened on broadway october 30, 2003. The official database for broadway theatre information. Discover the untold true story of the witches of oz at broadway s biggest blockbuster wicked. I only read the book because i loved the musical so much, but i was disappointed.
About wicked original broadway cast recording wicked is a tony and grammy awardwinning musical based on gregory maguires novel, wicked. Right now i will be analyzing how the book, wicked. Instead of being a meandering, slowmoving plot about a despicable character, it tells us about an elphaba that i can. In my opinion, the musical is a thousand times better than the book. Playwright winnie holzman my socalled life has adapted gregory maguires bestselling novel of the same title and paired it with new music and lyrics by stephen schwartz godspell, pippin, to create a show about the untold story of glinda, the good witch, and elphaba, the wicked witch of the west.
The musical isnt a staging of the book not to mention wed have a 6 hour musical if they had kept the depth and subplots of the novel. Why i hope the wicked movie is more like the book than the. Long before dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emeraldgreen skinsmart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. One of the main sources of the book is elphaba throughout the last two thirds of the novel. Frank baum, its sequels, and the 1939 film adaption the wizard of oz. Wicked synopsis broadway musical good witch glinda of oz country reported that the wicked witch elphaba is dead. Follow me on the onlines for inane ramblings and food or cat photos. Act one track numbers refer to the original broadway cast cd.
Maguire the new release with the broadway cover and pictures and im. To the audience, neither is truly evil, further blurring the lines between good vs. In wicked the musical, elphaba is misunderstood, intelligent, but basically good. Born an unnatural shade of green due to the dalliances of her mother, elphaba is misunderstood and ostracized, particularly when. Wicked on broadway has been casting a spell over its audience since 2003. Oct 30, 2003 filichia runs through a wicked list of the wicked traits of wicked, broadway s wicked new musical. Wicked is the untold musical story of the wizard of ozs wicked witch of the west and glinda the good. If youre doing it so youll be happy, book of mormon for sure.
Also many other broadway shows, including shrek the musical, cats, elf, and the worldrenowned dance of the vampires. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about wicked broadway. I am writing my senior thesis paper on the book and a. May 11, 2011 in fact, william youmans, who performed the role of doctor dillamond on broadway, asserts in the shows coffee table book, david cotes wicked. The broadway show wicked is an adaptation of the best selling novel by gregory maguire, wicked. The musical version of wicked, based on gregory maguires book, tells the story much more from the point of view of glinda the good witch of. Tickets for wicked on broadway can be very affordable. The story is very different than the musical adaptation of it, as the book is much darker and more evil and the musical is well obviously very happy. We saw the musical in 2015 and were both blown away. Wicked, the broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the land of ozbut from a different angle. Wicked years by gregory maguire, john mcdonough, et.
I can enjoy the movie the wizard of oz even though its drastically different from the book the. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same loveinterest, their reactions to the wizards corrupt government, and, ultimately, elphabas public fall from grace. The lion king does have more large group musical numbers and dances. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west by gregory maguire. Aug 30, 2009 the musical wicked is mostly told from the perspective of glinda the good witch, while the novel is told from several different perspectives. Wicked, the broadway musical, is a spectacular and colorful yet at the same time dark show that will amaze and mesmerize you for two and a half hours. I believe everything is basically the same for traveling vs. S production overview e t o a field guide for teachers a. Look back at the original broadway cast of wicked playbill. No one mourns the wicked from the opening moments of wicked, we hear a vital structural ligament of the scorewhat might be called the wicked witch theme. Jan 08, 2012 a book musical strives for realism and integration. For those of you who arent familiar with the premise of the book, its a retelling of the wonderful wizard of oz from a new point of view the wicked witch of the west.
In the musical, glinda is scorned by madame morrible, who believes she is a unworthy sorceress. The untold story of the witches of oz debuted on broadway. When it opened on october 30, 2003, wicked was unique among broadway shows. A traditional book musical will be thoroughly integrated, in that every song grows out of the plot as do the dance numbers, and they are part of the narrative as opposed to breaking up the action. Many of my friends ask how i can love wicked, yet hate the musical it was. If youre going so the woman can have a good time and youre treating her to a musical, wicked is the way to go. The broadway sensation wicked focuses on the origin story of the wicked witch of the west, while sam raimis new movie oz the great and powerful explores how the wizard came to oz. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west is an american novel published in 1995, and written by gregory maguire with illustrations by douglas smith. Based on the 1995 novel by gregory maguire, the musical tells a magical story about friendship. Running time for the show is 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a. Jul 11, 2017 ten years ago, wicked opened on broadway. Oct 30, 2003 current broadway credits include the book of mormon, wicked, mamma mia, and the phantom of the opera. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west, itself a retelling of the classic 1900 novel, the wonderful wizard of oz by l. S production overview e t o a field guide for teachers a n m n.
Wicked new york city 2021 all you need to know before. I feel very qualified to answer this as ive worked on both productions as a keyboardist and rehearsal pianist. The great thing about seeing wicked on broadway and not in a travelling tour is that the staging and production is so much more. Spoilers fiyero is purple, lol elphaba and fiyero have a kid together in the musical fiyeros driver is named avaric who is an actual part in the novel along with more friends. It is a revisionist exploration of the characters and land of oz from the 1900 novel the wonderful wizard of oz by l. Wicked years by gregory maguire, john mcdonough, et al. Wicked new york city 2021 all you need to know before you. A book musical strives for realism and integration.
Sandpiper, i have seen traveling productions of both the lion king and wicked. It is based on the 1995 gregory maguire novel wicked. Just finished wicked by gregory macguire and i need to talk about it. West end wilma how does wicked the musical differ from. Witch of the north, indstead of the south as in the original wizard of oz book. I did my best not to be biased, but i may be a bit biased. I actually havent read the book but my partner did years ago. Wicked original, musical, broadway will open in new york city oct 30, 2003. The book was so long and boring, not to mention rrated. Certain engagements and performances of this tour may be canceled or postponed due to the evolving coronavirus situation. Those are just two of the many lessons to be learned from this big, murky new broadway musical. Based on the imaginative gregory maguire novel, the visuallystunning musical wicked takes a fantasy journey through the unseen side of oz, sharing a tale of unexpected friendship and love. Wicked tells the story of elphaba, the future wicked witch of the west and her relationship with glinda, the good witch of the north.
It also presents events, characters and situations from baums books and the film. Wicked is a broadway musical, with music and lyrics by stephen schwartz and book by winnie holzman. Most people were appalled by the bright green coloring of her skin, so much so that her own mother and father were ashamed of her. Elphaba from the very childhood was a rogue child, being born with green skin color, as her mother had used the green elixir. The basis for the smash hit tony awardwinning broadway musical, gregory maguires breathtaking new york times bestseller wicked views the land of oz. Though book of mormon is an excellent musical as well. Lion king vs wicked new york city forum tripadvisor. Luckily that all changed in 2003 when wicked came to broadway, as a brand new musical about the witches of oz.
The life and times of the wicked witch of the west is an american novel published in. Which is better, wicked the musical or wicked the book. The book has almost nothing at all to do with the play, other than sharing the same characters and a couple settings. After finishing the book wicked i decided to listen to the musical. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the wicked witch of the west and glinda the good. Wicked is such an amazing show and it never disappoints. How many gallons of green elixir have been swirled. The book and musical were basically completely differentthe characterization and story lines were only generally the same. Idina menzel and kristin chenoweth played elphaba and glinda, with veteran joel grey as the. In the book, elphie and glinda were barely even friends, and their final goodbye fell flat compared to that in the musical. Its probably my second favourite musical ever and i listen to its songs all the time. When wicked opened on broadway in the fall of 2003, it almost instantly became a soldout phenomenon and a mustseeevent for young girls, along with avid theater fans of all ages.
Biography, outlines the creation of the musical, including its adaptation from maguires novel and its. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west, and takes place some. In the book however, morrible notes that she weilds great power. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west, and takes place some years before that tornado brought dorothy from kansas to the great land of oz. Since its debut, the broadway show has won three tony awards and is now the secondhighestgrossing show behind the lion king. The broadway leagues official online headquarters for broadway information in nyc and across north america. Oct 29, 2018 lists wicked on broadway by the numbers. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west. The storyline is brilliant, the singing is out of this world and the underlying messages of friendship and standing up for the greater good are. Few broadway shows have soared to as great of heights as wicked, and nows your chance to step behind the emerald curtain and learn all about life in oz. To learn about wicked the musical, you need to first know that wicked was translated from page to stage through gregory maguires novel wicked. Wicked tickets nyc cheapest broadway tickets for wicked. They used to be friends, and the memories of their life story in shiz university started. Everyone went crazy for this inspired take on glinda and elphaba and the actresses that played them thats idina menzel and kristin chenoweth, for the record.
The book gears towards readers that enjoy much darker stories, whereas the musical is much more light hearted and happy which aims at. The book was written by gregory maguire and published in 1996. The musical, in all american fashion, tries to explain, answer and gloss over somewhat many of the indepth parts of the maguire novel. Original broadway cast of wicked wicked original broadway. Life and times of the wicked witch of the west and the musical wicked are extremely different.
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