So You Lied to Them.
Spoiler alert! If you have not seen Wicked but intend to, do not read on!
Two weeks ago today, I saw Wicked at the Detroit Opera House (which was great except for the seating fiasco). Two weeks later, I’m still listening to it — and thinking about it. I already knew the music, but the Original Broadway Cast recording is brilliantly done so as to not reveal the plot; therefore, I had constructed my own version of the plot in my head, one based on traditional character interpretations. I was in for quite a surprise, and two weeks later, I’m still analyzing the story, analyzing the characters, and generally thinking about what made it so compelling.
First, a note on the production. As a theater tech guy, that’s usually what I watch for. It was a very good production: the sets were minimal but great, the lighting during the last scene of Act I was absolutely brilliant (pun intended), the pit was really good (as was the pit mix), and I could hear everyone without straining, although the mix between Elphaba and Glinda was a bit uneven sometimes. And although outside my area of expertise, the costumes and wigs, especially those of the Ozians, were at once over the top and perfectly fitting. But more than the tech, it was the story and characters that drew me in (a highly unusual occurrence), so that’s what I’m going to talk about.
The Oz of the musical (I’m only a few pages into the Gregory Maguire novel on which it is based right now) is based more on that of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz than the Oz of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is actually highly consistent (though not perfectly so — the Scarecrow at the end comes to mind) with the film, which is impressive considering the unexpected interpretations of the characters.
In trying to figure out why I personally found the story of Wicked, and the character of Elphaba in particular, so compelling, I first came up with the obvious answer about how everyone has the desire to be accepted rather than being the outsider, but I think it goes deeper. For me I think it has to do with two things: one is that she does what she knows is right, not what society tells her is right; the other is that I really love how she holds people accountable for their failings, like when she finds out that the Wizard is a fraud. I don’t know; I just think she’s a really cool character. Plus the fact that the story turns something familiar on its head and makes you think about the effect on the social psyche of which labels are able to persist (i.e. history is written by the victors).
This is achieved by adding a tremendous amount of depth to one one of the modern literature’s flattest, and most flatly evil, characters, the Wicked Witch of the West, named Elphaba by Maguire (apparently in honor of L. Frank Baum, whose initials, L.F.B., when pronounced phonetically, are “el fa ba”). G(a)linda, the Good Witch of the North, is still a two-dimentional character, but rather than seeking good, she is really just seeking attention in the form of popularity. The Wizard of Oz himself, we find out, is a fascist ruler intent on keeping the Ozians (an ethnic majority) happy by scapegoating and persecuting the animals (an allegorical ethnic minority). This is the stroke of genius that makes the entire show so compelling: Glinda is willing to sacrifice morals and grovel in submission to the Wizard in order to feed her own ambition, her political career, whereas Elphaba stays true to her sense of right and wrong when she is confronted with the fact that not everything is as she believed, that the Wizard lied to the people of Oz about his power and intentions, and is willing to abandon her lifelong dream of working with the Wizard, becoming more cynical all the while.
In this sense, Elphaba really is a fascinating character, and, I think, the best character in the story. Best in the sense that she (and Fiyero) were the only uncorrupted characters.
In one of the most important scenes of the second act (Wonderful), the Wizard tells Elphaba how the world is and about how he got hooked on power and glory and being “wonderful”, but she knows that it’s wrong and refuses to accept it (”So you lied to them.” — a line brilliantly delivered by Idina Menzel on the OBC recording). He goes on to explain how you’re “a liberator or ruthless invader” depending on “which label is able to persist,” powerful commentary on the power of history. It sort of reminds me of how the world is a much nicer place when you’re young because you’re naïve, then you find out all the nasty stuff that goes on behind the scenes (i.e., behind the curtain).
(At this point I have to step out of the story for a moment to comment on how incredible Idina Menzel’s performance is on the OBC recording; specifically, the way her tone changes from light, airy, and optimistic to dark and cynical. (I only mention this performance because it’s the one I’ve heard the most.) Compare The Wizard and I to No Good Deed. Or the contrast between “I can’t want it anymore” (wistful) and “Something has changed within me” in Defying Gravity. You can hear the growth and transformation of the character in her voice. Wow.)
Everyone else submitted to the Wizard’s very fascist agenda (all-powerful leader, discrimination against an innocent segment of the population as a scapegoat, a literal witch hunt, etc.). Elphaba saw through it all, and made it about the truth and common good rather than about herself. As she says to Glinda, “I hope you’re proud how you would grovel in submission to feed your own ambition.” That’s not what “Elphie” was about.
Glinda, of course, was all about pleasing others; that made her happy. Even at the beginning of Act II, when it becomes clear that Fiyero doesn’t love her, by the end of Thank Goodness she is apparently happy again because she is basking in the praise of the Ozians.
Elphaba does have two lines that have me stumped, though: at the very end of As Long As You’re Mine when she says, “…for the first time, I feel wicked”; and during No Good Deed, when she asks, “Was I really seeking good, or just seeking attention?”
Personally, I think the latter question was a moment of self-doubt brought on by her awareness of her friend Glinda’s personality, but I’m not sure. “If I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying free” would seem to corroborate that.
The wickedness referred to at the end of As Long as You’re Mine, I wonder, may just be a stand-in for “naughty”, which is a wonderfully humanizing interpretation. This is in contrast with the wickedness referred to at the end of No Good Deed (”Let all Oz be agreed: I’m wicked through and through”), which I think is only a little bit about how she sees herself (I’m not convinced she really believes the “no good deed goes unpunished” creed; it’s a heat-of-the-moment passion thing) and more about angrily coming to terms with how she is viewed.
Before I wrap it up, I also have to quickly comment on Stephen Schwartz’s use of leitmotifs. The way the songs reference one another to represent certain characters and ideas is incredible. (I noticed a lot of the subtitles of the score before reading this, but it’s a great discussion of the themes and leitmotifs, as well as the creative process.)
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2 Responses to “So You Lied to Them.”
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Noah….got your post in my googlealert for Idina. Usually, I speed through these alerts. I feel uncomfortable, as though I am invading someone’s privacy, but something caught my eye, and I read your words.
I’m glad I did. I have been a fan of Gregory Maguire’s book and subsequently a follower of the Schwartz musical, since both were presented. It makes me very glad that after all these years, thoughtful and well written pieces, such as yours, are still appearing. I think you have hit upon the essential and poignant points of the show and Elphaba’s character. I applaud your insight.
I am glad the efficiency of the googlealert brought your article to my attention. All the best in 2009 and let’s hope for more Elphabas in our world.
Bettie
Thank you for your kind words, Bettie. Happy new year to you, as well!
A couple more points I forgot to mention in the main post:
- I think it’s a really nice device that when Glinda and Elphaba sing about being friends (One Short Day, Defying Gravity, For Good), they sing in unison.
- It’s a relief to know that Glinda does grow a little bit: when she questions her assumption that “happiness is what happens when all your dreams come true” by asking “Isn’t it?”
More as I think of them.