WICKED
The Witches side of The Wizard of Oz
Idina Menzel as Elphaba
Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda
Joel Grey as The Wizard
Wicked in a few words!
Elphaba (The future Wicked Witch of the West) is born green and shunned from society. She meets the ever-popular and pink Glinda (The Good Witch of the North) at college. Elphaba has a knack for magic, so the headmistress of the college sends her and Glinda to the Emerald City to help the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
However, the wizard is not so wonderul and is segregating the talking animals in Oz from the rest of society. Elphaba is enraged because she can identify with the animals--so she speaks out against the wizard and defies him.
Glinda remains "good" because she doesn't have the courage to defy the wizard. Elphaba is "good" just thought of as "wicked" because of propoganda from the wizard.
In the end, Elphaba escapes...she isn't actually melted, but Glinda has been affected and becomes a less shallow and better person.
Things you should know!
*Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
*Book by Winnie Holzman.
*Musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento.
*Directed by Joe Mantello.
*Produced by Universal Pictures in coalition with Marc Platt and David Stone.
AWARDS!
Original Broadway Production won 3 Tony Awards, 6 Drama Desks, and the Cast album received 1 Grammy.
Wonderful Wicked facts!
*Opened on Broadway at Gershwin Theatre October 30, 2003.
*On their 10th anniversary on October 30,2013 the performed over 4,155 times.
*Wicked is the 11th longest running show on Broadway in history.