follow The Yellow Brick Road
Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked series dives into the social underpinnings within the Land of Oz, a prequel to the childhood book The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and even the 1939 film by MGM Studios while shedding light on themes and pressures of feminism, patriarchy, and marginalization of a person of color. At its core, Wicked is a liberated story about outsiders.
From the adapted 2003 Broadway musical and 2024 film, these themes of empowerment and self-discovery are more important than ever in terms of how broader audiences; allowing both new viewers and longtime fans to explore Maguire’s mindwhirling adventures.
ARE YOU A GOOD WITCH OR A BAD WITCH?
Maguire’s depiction of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the South shows the classic duo loathing one another’s existence but falling in love with the idea of being best friends, who challenge each other and redefines the concept of being morally “good.” This has been seen through the novels, the hit musical, and now a film.
Elphaba Thropp, one of the iconic protagonists of Wicked, is a complex character who faces marginalization due to her skin color, prejudice, and rigid patriarchal norms in the world of Oz. Born with green skin and magical powers, Elphaba struggles to find her place in a world that rejects her differences. However, she matures into a strong woman who defies gravity and challenges the status quo. Her journey resonates with many women, reflecting the struggles of fighting for their rights in a male-dominated society.
Glinda Arduenna Upland, the other iconic protagonist of Wicked, is portrayed as a bubbly and superficial beauty wannabe queen who later undergoes a significant transformation throughout the story of the friendship between the two witches. Her rocky friendship with Elphaba forces her to confront her privilege and ignorance. As the narrative unfolds, Glinda emerges to be the opposite of her public view and learns to embrace her true self and use her influence to teach society that good is important.
The unlikely friendship between Glinda and Elphaba is a point of view of the power of the blurred lines between what is a hero and what is a villain.
Sweet oz! its gregory maguire!
Maguire, an American author, wrote this novel series in 1995. It offers a far darker exploration of the Wicked themes and even the characters themselves. This is not a rewrite of the classical book of “The Wizard Of Oz.” However, he dives deeper into the political and social climate of the land of Oz in providing a fictional yet historical context to why the story takes place before Dorothy Gale shows up. Maguire’s first novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is about the roles of femininity and identity while living in a patriarchal society that feels threatened by the powers of women’s knowledge. Even though this novel does depict the witchy friendship between Glinda and Elphaba, it systematically symbolizes the agency for women to understand real-life themes that women experience daily.
Magurie’s most important quote from his first novel highlights that “People who claim they’re evil are usually no worse than the rest of us… It’s people who claim they’re good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.”
This novel came together in the early 1990s when Maguire was living in London with his family. Where one evening, he read the Times of London, which illustrated “Sadaam Hussein: The New Hitler?”. Maguire felt his blood begin to boil, and his political ideals about the Gulf War began to shift in terms of the significance of the comparison between Hitler and Hussein. A few months after reading the Times of London and a tragedy occurs in England, Maguire begins to have an interest in evil and in what makes a person wicked. He wanted to write about the unique concepts of Hitler and use his knowledge from the sources he kept reading. Instead, he thought it would be better to incorporate fiction into these thoughts and to write about the universal witch that people viewed as “wicked.” Since 1939, the Wicked Witch of the West (originally played by Margret Hamilton) was just a mean old lady who was tired of Dorothy’s dog: Toto; but in Maguire’s eyes, she had a unique persona that was ready to be written about that would fit the aesthetic of the early 1990s.
“Dancing Through Life” : Wicked on broadway
Since Wicked: The Musical debuted on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater on October 30th, 2003, this story has captivated audiences worldwide. This musical, in particular, would not have its success on Broadway if it were not for Idina Menzel (who played Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (who played Glinda). Their powerful performances and making the songs so meaningful to many people turned this musical into a cultural phenomenon in the early 2000s.
This Tony Award-winning musical dives into a deeper and more emotional relationship between the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and the Good Witch of the South (Glinda) on a grand stage that is full of amazing visual effects and lots of belting in songs. The beautiful score by Stephen Schwartz allows for this new story about the land of Oz to blur the lines of good and evil but the importance of why finding your identity is so important, especially as a young adult woman living in a politically corrupt world.
Twenty-one years later and beyond the musical’s entrainment value, this musical is not only bringing talents from all over the world to sing “Defying Gravity” (famously sung by Idina Menzel) but has been a spark of important conversations that include oppression, the power of love and friendship, prejudice, and discrimination. This musical involves the audience’s critical thinking because that is how Gregory Maguire wrote his novel in hopes that people would learn through fairytales even through Broadway music.
So, Ariana Grande Manifested This Role As the good witch?
The upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, coming out this year on November 22nd, has promised a new point of view about the beloved story. This Wicked film is full of Hollywood stars like Ariana Grande, Johnathan Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Their new narrative will help introduce Wicked to a wider audience far from the Maguire novels and Broadway musicals.
The Wicked narrative is way more than just Ariana Grande being cast as the Good Witch who arrives in a bubble. While the film prioritizes the singing, who is staring in it, and the controversies that follow along, the book and musical offer different strengths. The book provides a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda and, later, what came out of that narrative. While in the musical, both the songs and the stagecraft explain the identity of both witches. By the appreciation of both of these, the film has qualities of each medium in which the audience can understand the universe of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz.
Finale “Wicked”
Over the last 85 years, this fairytale has ventured into the minds of readers and has inspired women around the world inner channeling the spirit of Elphaba, a character full of love, resilience, and independence.
See Wicked! Coming soon to a theater near you on November 22nd, 2024.
Would you look good in pink or green? Or perhaps even both? Hop over to Enjanae Taylor’s article about Merch so that you too can defy gravity later this month!