mould

REVIEW: Wicked
Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you...I have been changed for good...

This is my first musical review. However I know very well the dangers involved in this: musicals are not like anime or RPGs - they're high-class shit so you can't just go around spouting rubbish and expect people not to laugh. Anyway if you want good, proper reviews there are both positive and negative ones on the Internet. So I won't be talking so much about it as my feelings about it.

First off, I went to watch this on my own. I sat at A36, the left-most seat of the front row. So it was a bit cui as some parts of the left stage were blocked off. Despite this it was the best musical experience I ever had. As I was telling people later, it was the most wonderful night for me in a few months. And I'm sure many in the audience felt the same way - the standing ovation was itself nothing short of dramatic. Ok, so it's clear now that I have only good things to say about this musical.

The plot is taken directly from Gregory Maguire's Wicked, the untold story of the Witches of Oz - in particular how the West Witch and the Good Witch got their titles and whatever-nots. At first it seemed a pretty stale, lame concept - I have never been very impressed by untold stories of villains in various fairy-tales, so the idea of telling the story of the Wicked Witch of the West seemed to be employing a hackneyed formula which wasn't even very interesting to begin with.

But something drew me to the musical - when I saw the posters all over the London Underground during Sep, I somehow got it into my head that I had to watch it. I think it was the pretty sexy character design for the Wicked Witch, the red lips, black hat and green skin. Or maybe not. Whatever it is, it led me to leap at the chance to watch it by myself on 23 Dec. Timing was perfect - there were no shows on 24 and 25, and I would be leaving on 26 for Amsterdam to come back on 29. I found out later that Idina Menzel aka Elphaba, the WWW, would not be performing after New Year, so imagine how destined I was to watch her performance! Tickets were 25 pounds, and I say this now - I'm quite prepared to pay the same price to watch it again. Maybe even by myself.

The story traces Elphaba's ascent/descent: from a schoolgirl in a Harry Potter type magic school to a talented magician who gets to meet the Wizard of Oz (Woz) to the feared and hated WWW. Juxtaposed against this in Wu Jian Dao style is Glinda's rise to becoming the Good Witch. Unlike Elphaba the outcast, she is superficial, popular, "blonde" as Elphaba says, and that kinda thing. RJ-style I suppose. They start off hating each other but it later becomes a strong friendship despite them going separate paths, one standing up for what she believes in and generally doing very action things while the other remains the favorite of the people. I would like to mention in particular that the Glinda role was a very interesting one. It was central, and perhaps more important even than the Elphaba one, yet the cleverness of the script is such that Glinda is forever in the shadow of the green girl. There is the danger that a strong Glinda actress might overshadow the Elphaba, but with Idina Menzel around there wasn't that chance - Glinda hogged the limelight most of the time, but when Elphaba came on, she was clearly the star of the show. To me, anyway. References to the original Woz abound, most prominently seen in the depiction of how the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow came to be.

The production is typically splendid. The props and stuff are quite nice, though I think they can't beat Phantom's Chandelier scene. The Emerald City part was ok too, though the sheer splendour is probably edged out by Phantom's Masquerade scene. It's pretty obvious I haven't watched that many, so I have few to compare with. The script was quite funny, but most of all it was really engaging. There was political commentary too but that part, to me, was merely a prop, a backdrop for Elphaba's story.

I realise I have said little about what was so good about the performance, and now I'll damage my case further by admitting that the songs were NOT memorable - not the same way Think of Me, All I Ask, The Phantom of the Opera, Castle on a Cloud, Do You Hear the People Sing and Any Dream Will Do were. Those songs stick in your head and are really quite powerful. For Wicked, after the performance I struggled to remember the tunes, desperately wanting to recall them in my head because I felt them to be nice, but I could not. Yixian was right though: after I bought the soundtrack and listened to it like a million times, I feel that they do grow on you.

So now I'll talk about the songs. Like I said, not too memorable. But there are a few which stand out. Xela apparently likes Popular, the second duet, but I prefer Loathing, the first song which both E and G perform together. It's quite witty and the tune is catchy and it's humorous just the way I like it too. The love song, As Long As You're Mine, is not bad, but the love story between Elphaba and Fiyero seemed a bit forced at times, and was clearly once again a prop for E's story. This is shown in No Good Deed, which has E being pissed off with herself. There's a bit of self-reflection, triggered by an incident involving Fiyero and she gets angsty while casting a spell. Quite cool. This song captures the theme of "what constitutes wickedness and how do people become or come to be seen as wicked", as it marks the moment when E willingly takes on the title of Wicked.

And while the name of the musical is Wicked, I feel that that is in fact one of the less interesting themes. For me, the two songs that really seared this musical into me were Defying Gravity and For Good. The first one hints at an shonen-anime-ish motif, that of a "genius-type" witch. E, of course, has super magical powers, a talent that is not discovered until she activates it in rage that kinda thing. On the basis of her talent, she defies social conventions and what people say about her, choosing to go her own path rather than follow well-trodden ones. Thus defying gravity, which pulls people back to reality. This one struck a chord with me because it's one of Bink's themes as well - gaining wings and pulling free from physical reality, that humans cannot fly. It was very very exciting to see her gaining all her equipment and accessories, slowly decking herself out in black and becoming the WWW that everyone is familiar with. At the end of Act 1 and the song, she flies into the sky in all her black and green glory (hey thinking about it when I was younger black and green were my favorite colours! Maybe that's why!) and it's a really cool moment. The best part of this song, I think, is when she says "So if you care to find me look to the western sky." Damn action.

But the second song is the one that sealed it. And this is the song that made me wish I watched it with a certain group of people - that group known as "friends". The post was supposed to revolve around this theme, but having arrived here I realise I have not much to say. In the musical, it's slightly tragic because the friendship is doomed, but even without the context, I think the song is really beautiful. (n00b opinion but whatever.) I guess it just gets to the heart of what I want to say to all my closest friends, and I'm not ashamed to admit that when the two actresses did this song I was moved to tears (slightly). I guess there's really nothing I have to say now. So I'll just end with the lyrics.

Glinda: I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return
Well I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you I have been changed for good...

Elphaba: It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine by being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you...

Glinda: Because I knew you...

Both: I have been changed for good...

Elphaba: And just to clear the air I ask forgiveness for the things I've done you blame me for

Glinda: But then, I guess we know there's blame to share

Both: And none of it seems to matter anymore

Glinda and Elphaba: Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun/Like a ship blown off its mooring by a wind off the sea
Like a stream that meets a boulder half-way through the wood/Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

Both: Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better

Glinda: And because I knew you...

Elphaba: Because I knew you...

Both Because I knew you...I have been changed for good.