And then I saw Wicked…

As a kid, I loved the Wizard of Oz.  Good was good, evil was evil…and good won.  Bright lines, easy decisions and a happy ending for everyone who deserved it.

And then I saw Wicked.

My dad bought us all tickets and we went en masse to watch it this weekend.  First, let me say that if you haven’t seen Wicked…for the love of Pete, go see it.  The musical is truly spectacular.  If you’re a writer…call the box office right now.

Wicked stays true to the Wizard of Oz, but switches the point of view to the Wicked Witch of the West.  How did she become wicked?  How bad was she…really?  The gray area is highlighted, and believe me, there’s no bright line between good and evil. 

Here is the official description from the website:

Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz.  Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz.  One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood.  The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular.  Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

The acting is wonderful, the music beautiful…but it’s the story that will capture you.  The possibilities, the layering and the subtext.  Things are never quite what they seem: not in the beginning, in the middle or even the end.  Especially the end.  🙂