somehow i've fallen under your spell
Hey everybody, what’s happenin’?
Yeah, so I’ve been in another one of my Wicked moods lately. I don’t know what it is about this musical, but it has really just won my heart completely. I even went so far as to order myself the Grimmerie. I’m a recent fan, so there is a lot that I don’t know, and this book seems like the perfect way to fill me in.
For those of you who are curious, it includes:
-Various interviews, from both cast, crew, and creators
-A handwritten excerpt from Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”
-Character profiles
-A “Are You More Glinda or More Elphaba?” Quiz
-Brief notes from Schwartz on all the songs
-A handwritten excerpt from an early draft of “Defying Gravity” by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics).
-Set and props design from Eugene Lee
-Costume designs by Susan Hilferty
-A section on Elphaba’s greenifying process.
-Lyrics from all the songs, as well as some information on the general plot.
-Beautiful pictures, from photo shoots and performances, as well as a couple of candid shots (mostly of the OBC)
Sounds amazing, am I right? Anyway, it arrived much sooner than I had anticipated. I was expecting to have to wait until the end of the week, but it actually came in the mail the day after I had placed my order. And that’s really exciting, especially since I just finished re-reading Wicked (the novel).
And you know, it’s funny, but reading the book this time around, I found myself getting kind of pissed off at more or less everyone who acts unnecessarily mean towards Elphaba (which, anyone who has also read it will know, is a hell of a lot of people, at least in the first half of the book). I was surprised to have caught myself actually cursing them out in my head. I mean, honestly, it’s not HER fault she’s green. She didn’t ask for it, so I just think it’s terribly harsh when many characters shun her because of it. It’s really interesting though, to be able note how different the musical is from the book. I like the book well enough, but not in the way I love the musical.
See, a large part of the reason I enjoy the book so much is because it introduces a new perspective from which you could view the Wicked Witch of the West. I mean, the Wizard of Oz merely presents her as an adversary for Dorothy. But Gregory Maguire offers an alternate scenario, one that I find is much more appealing. Instead of rooting against the Witch, you sympathize with her. She wasn’t always evil, not even close. It was just…circumstance. And really, the poor woman led such a dreadful existence that all you want is for her to find some peace in her life. The first time I read the novel, even though I knew exactly how it was going to end, I kept hoping that somehow, it would all turn out okay.
I guess that might be one of the reasons I love the musical so much too. Not only do we get the retelling of the Wizard of Oz from the Witch’s standpoint, but Schwartz also provided a situation in which it was plausible that Elphie managed to stay alive. Even more than that though, he created a production that focuses on the friendship between her and Glinda. I don’t think there’s nearly enough of that in the book, which may be another reason I like the musical better. I find their relationship incredibly relatable, so I’m really quite pleased that they changed so much the book (seriously, it’s very, very different) in order to incorporate their story. It's truly lovely, and this way, there’s more to appreciate, which I think is great. I’m also glad that the musical has less of an emphasis on the religious/political, and more on the characters (did anyone else notice how almost everyone’s tale is tragic? Boq, Nessarose, and most of all Glinda?), even if they did have to alter some personalities. As an added bonus, the songs are fantastic.
As a matter of fact, I originally started this post with the intention of sharing my three favorite songs from the musical. Heh, I guess I got a little off track. Anyway, without further ado…
-For Good: I heard this song before any of the others, and I must give credit where credit is due. Its lyrics are what got me into the musical in the first place. I mean, I get it, you know? I think everyone has (or had) a friend like that, someone who enters our world, and just changes it completely. And yeah, maybe you won’t stay in touch forever, but sometimes that’s okay. ‘Cause you’ll remember them, both the good and the bad, and you’ll remember how they affected you. I think this song speaks to that.
-Defying Gravity: I could probably listen to this song a thousand times on repeat, and not get tired of it. It’s hard to explain why I like this one so much. It’s just so…alive, I guess is the word. Full of energy, and ambition, you know? I love to turn up the volume, and just belt it out, loud as can be. It makes cleaning so much more fun :) And holy hell, does Idina Menzel have a voice or what? I only ever listen to the original cast recording, so hers is the only version I know, but damn. Girl’s got a set of pipes. I’m in awe.
-Popular: this song is pure fun. There isn’t one version that doesn’t crack me up (yeah ok, I admit it: I’ve checked out several on Youtube. Sue me). Once I got my roommate into Wicked too, this song kind of became our little inside joke. We would sing it all. the. time. I even wrote my favorite line (“Don’t be offended by my frank analysis/Think of it as personality dialysis”) on our whiteboard, so whenever one of us would enter our room, we’d have no choice but to say (sing) it aloud, which would cause the other person to fill in the next line, and that resulted in us playing the whole song. On our last night at university, in the middle of packing, we ended up re-enacting the entire song with a mutual friend. Poor guy had no clue what was going on, but he was a good sport, and actually really got into it. I miss my roommate.
Right, so I think I’ve exhausted my Wicked thoughts for now, so I’m gonna go. Peace, yo.
Yeah, so I’ve been in another one of my Wicked moods lately. I don’t know what it is about this musical, but it has really just won my heart completely. I even went so far as to order myself the Grimmerie. I’m a recent fan, so there is a lot that I don’t know, and this book seems like the perfect way to fill me in.
For those of you who are curious, it includes:
-Various interviews, from both cast, crew, and creators
-A handwritten excerpt from Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”
-Character profiles
-A “Are You More Glinda or More Elphaba?” Quiz
-Brief notes from Schwartz on all the songs
-A handwritten excerpt from an early draft of “Defying Gravity” by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics).
-Set and props design from Eugene Lee
-Costume designs by Susan Hilferty
-A section on Elphaba’s greenifying process.
-Lyrics from all the songs, as well as some information on the general plot.
-Beautiful pictures, from photo shoots and performances, as well as a couple of candid shots (mostly of the OBC)
Sounds amazing, am I right? Anyway, it arrived much sooner than I had anticipated. I was expecting to have to wait until the end of the week, but it actually came in the mail the day after I had placed my order. And that’s really exciting, especially since I just finished re-reading Wicked (the novel).
And you know, it’s funny, but reading the book this time around, I found myself getting kind of pissed off at more or less everyone who acts unnecessarily mean towards Elphaba (which, anyone who has also read it will know, is a hell of a lot of people, at least in the first half of the book). I was surprised to have caught myself actually cursing them out in my head. I mean, honestly, it’s not HER fault she’s green. She didn’t ask for it, so I just think it’s terribly harsh when many characters shun her because of it. It’s really interesting though, to be able note how different the musical is from the book. I like the book well enough, but not in the way I love the musical.
See, a large part of the reason I enjoy the book so much is because it introduces a new perspective from which you could view the Wicked Witch of the West. I mean, the Wizard of Oz merely presents her as an adversary for Dorothy. But Gregory Maguire offers an alternate scenario, one that I find is much more appealing. Instead of rooting against the Witch, you sympathize with her. She wasn’t always evil, not even close. It was just…circumstance. And really, the poor woman led such a dreadful existence that all you want is for her to find some peace in her life. The first time I read the novel, even though I knew exactly how it was going to end, I kept hoping that somehow, it would all turn out okay.
I guess that might be one of the reasons I love the musical so much too. Not only do we get the retelling of the Wizard of Oz from the Witch’s standpoint, but Schwartz also provided a situation in which it was plausible that Elphie managed to stay alive. Even more than that though, he created a production that focuses on the friendship between her and Glinda. I don’t think there’s nearly enough of that in the book, which may be another reason I like the musical better. I find their relationship incredibly relatable, so I’m really quite pleased that they changed so much the book (seriously, it’s very, very different) in order to incorporate their story. It's truly lovely, and this way, there’s more to appreciate, which I think is great. I’m also glad that the musical has less of an emphasis on the religious/political, and more on the characters (did anyone else notice how almost everyone’s tale is tragic? Boq, Nessarose, and most of all Glinda?), even if they did have to alter some personalities. As an added bonus, the songs are fantastic.
As a matter of fact, I originally started this post with the intention of sharing my three favorite songs from the musical. Heh, I guess I got a little off track. Anyway, without further ado…
-For Good: I heard this song before any of the others, and I must give credit where credit is due. Its lyrics are what got me into the musical in the first place. I mean, I get it, you know? I think everyone has (or had) a friend like that, someone who enters our world, and just changes it completely. And yeah, maybe you won’t stay in touch forever, but sometimes that’s okay. ‘Cause you’ll remember them, both the good and the bad, and you’ll remember how they affected you. I think this song speaks to that.
-Defying Gravity: I could probably listen to this song a thousand times on repeat, and not get tired of it. It’s hard to explain why I like this one so much. It’s just so…alive, I guess is the word. Full of energy, and ambition, you know? I love to turn up the volume, and just belt it out, loud as can be. It makes cleaning so much more fun :) And holy hell, does Idina Menzel have a voice or what? I only ever listen to the original cast recording, so hers is the only version I know, but damn. Girl’s got a set of pipes. I’m in awe.
-Popular: this song is pure fun. There isn’t one version that doesn’t crack me up (yeah ok, I admit it: I’ve checked out several on Youtube. Sue me). Once I got my roommate into Wicked too, this song kind of became our little inside joke. We would sing it all. the. time. I even wrote my favorite line (“Don’t be offended by my frank analysis/Think of it as personality dialysis”) on our whiteboard, so whenever one of us would enter our room, we’d have no choice but to say (sing) it aloud, which would cause the other person to fill in the next line, and that resulted in us playing the whole song. On our last night at university, in the middle of packing, we ended up re-enacting the entire song with a mutual friend. Poor guy had no clue what was going on, but he was a good sport, and actually really got into it. I miss my roommate.
Right, so I think I’ve exhausted my Wicked thoughts for now, so I’m gonna go. Peace, yo.