I went to see Wicked for the second time a few weeks back. Anyone who’s had the misfortune to be around me when this subject comes up knows that I regard just about everyone involved in the Wicked phenomenon as complete geniuses (though I am disappointed that Gregory Macguire bowed to the temptation to turn a brilliant stand alone book into a trilogy, but that’s a rant for another day).
Anyway, as I walked out of the theatre in post-performance bliss, it occurred to me to wonder why Wicked works. Not why it’s a brilliant commentary on social justice and political power, or why the narrative and characters are flawlessly constructed, but why this single book and musical have resonated so strongly with audiences and readers all over the world. I’ve been chewing over this for several weeks now, and I’m going to toss it out here for feedback. For the purposes of this post, I’m not going to distinguish between the book and the musical.
Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Wicked works because Elphaba is painfully human. Most everyone can identify with having a difference that marked us amongst our peers, and we either understand exactly where her defiance comes from or we admire her courage in defying the expectations of those around her. In many ways, Elphaba is the person we wish we could be – the person with strong convictions and the balls to stand up for them.
Wicked works because the setting is just different enough from our own world to make it easy to relax into the story without constantly drawing parallels. Green girls, talking animals, magic – it’s recognizable, but foreign. All the same, the themes in the book are obvious with even the slightest thought. They tend to stick with you and pop up in your thoughts when you least expect them to. I have absolutely no support for this, but I would wager that something like Wicked does more to change minds than any of the more dramatic, in-your-face methods.
Wicked works because there is a strong plot that pulls you in from the first page or opening scene and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Without a plot, all the food for thought that’s packed into this piece would be as unappetizing as plain paper, with all due respect to Dr. Dillamond.
So, those are my thoughts. I’m sure my circular thinking has missed a few points, which is why I’m opening the floor up to you. Tell me, those who have seen or read Wicked, why does it work?
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