Why Wicked is a great gateway to musicals Table of Contents

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Why Wicked is a great gateway to musicals
Table of Contents
Why Wicked is a great gateway to musicals
General Background: The untold story of the witches of Oz
Summary
Act I
Act II
Characters
Songs
Wicked in Pop Culture
The beloved story of the Wizard of Oz is a great hook. Children and adults come to enjoy this plot
line. Since this isn't the same story, people walk away mind-blown and with a different
perspective of Oz.
The music and lyrics are brilliant. These songs will make you laugh, cry, hopeful, and evoke many
emotions without being ridiculous and too "show-tuney".
The costumes and set are so detailed that it takes you into the Land of Oz.
Everyone can learn lessons from the musical, such as celebrating individualism, the importance of
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friendship, the deception of labels, and much more.
General Background: The untold story of the witches of Oz
Many have seen the film, The Wizard of Oz, but this musical goes beyond Dorothy and Toto's tale. The
musical is somewhat like a prequel to the famous story, and it is told in the point of view of the Wicked
Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North. Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz has
music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. The musical is based on Gregory
MacGuire's novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was also based on
Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Prior to Dorothy's arrival, these two witches became best friends prior to
a rocky introducti
on at Shiz Academy. So what in Oz's name made these two best friends become wicked and good?
On the left: The Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy, and Glinda the Good Witch of the North from the
movie the Wizard of Oz. On the right: Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked
Summary
Act I
The musical takes place in the Land of Oz, and the story starts years before Dorothy arrives to when the
Kansas girl makes her appearance. The musical opens with a mob celebrating the death of the Wicked
Witch. Glinda the Good Witch tells the mob the Wicked Witch’s back-story. The Wicked Witch’s real
name is Elphaba, and she was born green because her mother fooled around with a mysterious man
wearing green. She has a sister named Nessarose, who is wheelchair bound, and their father sends them to
Shiz Academy.
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At Shiz Academy, Elphaba and Galinda start the year off on the wrong foot
Elphaba is assigned to be roommates with Galinda (The Good Witch). They start out hating each other
because they are so different. All the munchkins, including Galinda, make fun of Elphaba because she is
green. Elphaba has magical powers that she cannot control, so at times she gets upset and her powers go
wild. Shiz’s headmistress, Madame Morrible, is impressed by Elphaba’s powers, so she tells Elphaba she
may meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Galinda and Fiyero in "Dancing through Life"
A new student arrives to Shiz, and his name is Fiyero. He becomes the love interest of Galinda, and they
end up going to a dance together. Galinda convinces Elphaba to wear an ugly pointed hat to the dance, so
when she arrives, everyone laughs at her. Galinda feels bad, so she hangs out with Elphaba at the dance to
stop the taunting. The two girls become best friends.
Elphaba and Galinda become best friends
One day in class, Elphaba tries to save a lion cub trapped in a cage and brings Fiyero with her. Fiyero and
Elphaba start to develop feelings for each other during this adventure even though Fiyero is with Galinda.
Next, Elphaba is invited to meet the Wizard, so she brings Galinda with her to the Emerald City.
The girls learn that the Wizard is a phony, and he wants to use Elphaba for her powers. Elphaba decides
to run away, so the Wizard convinces all of Oz that she is a wicked witch. Galinda tries to stop Elphaba
from running away because she will be famous if she stays with the Wizard, but her efforts fail.
Elphaba confronts the Wizard of Oz after discovering he is a phony
Act II
A few years passed, and the characters are no longer students. Fiyero becomes Captain of the Guard,
Galinda becomes Glinda the Good, Nessarose becomes the Governor of Munchkinland, Madame
Morrible is the press secretary for the wizard, and Elphaba is on the run as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Elphaba meets her sister after many years of running. Nessarose tries to keep Boq, a munckin whom she
loves, by her side forever, so she casts a spell on him. Elphaba tries to save Boq’s life, but it results in him
turning into the Tin man.
Nessarose (the Wicked Witch of the East) and Boq
Fiyero still has feelings for Elphaba, so when he finds her, Glinda learns of these feelings and gets hurt.
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Glinda unintentionally gives Madame Morrible the idea to cause a twister that brings Dorothy’s house to
fall on Nessarose, who is also known as the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda gives Dorothy the sparkly
shoes that belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East, and Elphaba gets upset. The guard captures
Elphaba, and Fiyero sets her free. As a result, he gets sentenced to death.
Elphaba and Fiyero reunite as a couple
Elphaba is tired of running, so she comes up with a plan. She captured Dorothy to try to make her take off
her sister’s shoes. She then tells Glinda she’s sorry for everything wrong that has happened in the past,
and the two girls have a last moment. Elphaba tells Glinda that Glinda has to be the one to reveal the truth
of the wizard because she cannot do it. Dorothy throws a bucket of water on Elphaba, and Elphaba melts.
Glinda the Good watches Dorothy throw a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch of the West
Glinda realizes her best friend is gone, and she banishes the Wizard from Oz. She also sends Madame
Morrible to jail. She tells all of Oz that she will truly try to be Glinda the Good. At the end of the musical,
the scarecrow knocks on a trapdoor, and Elphaba pops out. The audience learns that Elphaba cast a spell
on Fiyero, so he wouldn’t die. As a result, he was turned into a scarecrow. Elphaba and Fiyero decide to
move out of Oz, so no one would realize the Wicked Witch is still alive. Elphaba is devastated to leave
without telling Glinda she’s okay,
but to ensure their safety, they can’t tell her. Both witches are forced to live on with their lives without
their best friend.
Elphaba and Glinda's last moment together in the musical
Characters
Elphaba- Wicked Witch of the West
Galinda- Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba's best friend
Fiyero- love interest for both Elphaba and Galinda, Captain of the Guard, and also the scarecrow
Nessarose- Wicked Witch of the East, Governor of Munchkinland, and Elphaba's sister
Wizard of Oz- the mystery man wearing green and Elphaba's biological father
Madame Morrible- Headmistress at Shiz and Press Secretary
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Boq- Munchkin who has a crush on Galinda, but goes on a date with Nessarose and becomes her
servant, also the tin man
Doctor Dillamond- Goat who was as history teacher at Shiz
Songs
1. "No One Mourns the Wicked"
2. "Dear Old Shiz"
3. "The Wizard and I"
4. "What is this Feeling?"
5. "Something Bad"
6. "Dancing Through Life"
7. "Popular"
8. "I'm Not That Girl"
9. "One Short Day"
10. "Sentimental Man"
11. "Defying Gravity"
12. "Thank Goodness"
13. "Wonderful"
14. "I'm Not That Girl (Reprise)"
15. "As Long as You're Mine"
16. "No Good Deed"
17. "March of the Witch Hunters"
18. "For Good"
Wicked in Pop Culture
Wicked has been around for over 10 years, so it's popularity as a musical inspired others to use it as a
reference. For example:
Mika and Ariana Grande's "Popular Song" is based off of "Popular" from Wicked
"Popular" from Wicked
"Defying Gravity" in an episode of New Girl "For Good" on Glee
Have I convinced you yet?
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