Stage Sounds: Wicked

I remember sitting in my 7th Grade art class listening to the music my teacher had to put on to "prepare" for the upcoming class trip to New York. The music was the soundtrack to some brand new musical inspired by Wizard of Oz, and one song stopped me dead in my tracks. The musical was Wicked, the song was Popular, and the rest is history. I often say Wicked is Part 2 of a three way tie for my favorite musical of all time, and it's definitely the muscial I've seen the most frequently - the current count is three professional performances, one in California and two here in Texas. I cry every time that intro music starts and refuse to be ashamed of it. This musical, by way of my musical hero Idina Menzel, made it cool for a girl to be a mezzo-soprano, and everything about this show is incredibly well detailed and well done, from the song composition to the dance choreography to the intricate costumes.

Wicked, while indeed inspired by The Wizard of Oz, is actually directly based off of the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (which, while admittedly disturbing, is actually quite a good book). With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (who I discussed as being behind the incredible Pocahontas soundtrack as well as many other things back in November) and book by Winnie Holzman, the show premiered on Broadway in 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre on W 51st Street, where it remains in residence to this day. The original run was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 2004 and won three of them: Best Actress in a Musical (Idina Menzel), Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design. 2005 saw another big win for the original cast when Wicked took home the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Apart from Broadway, the show has seen productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Mexico, South Korea, and Brazil, as well as multiple national and international tours. While no movie has been made yet (it's allegedly been in talks since 2004), NBC did put on a 15th Anniversary Special for the show back in 2018, hosted by original stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth and featuring performances by Ariana Grande, Pentatonix, Adam Lambert (himself a Wicked cast alum), Ledisi, and the Broadway cast at that time.

Like last time, I will focus on one song for each main cast member. In the case of this particular show, there is really only one readily available recording from the original Broadway cast, so there won't be a whole lot of comparing and contrasting today. There will be honorable mentions again because it was so difficult to pick just one song per character, and if I talked about every song I wanted to I'd be writing for a week straight. Therefore, here we go! Warning: possible spoilers ahead.

Elphaba (Mezzo-Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Defying Gravity

Honorable Mentions: The Wizard and I, What is This Feeling, I'm Not That Girl, As Long as You're Mine, No Good Deed, For Good

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Idina Menzel

Elphaba, AKA The Wicked Witch of the West, is another absolute dream role for me, and that has everything to do with Menzel's original portrayal of her. Seeing her grow from an angry young adult who's mistreated by her father and misunderstood by everyone else into...well, virtually the same but cares a lot less about it by finding her own self-worth through a cause she believes in is really powerful to watch. You can listen to any song Elphaba is in on the entire soundtrack and they're all amazing and not super easy to sing; tack on the fact that the actress singing those songs with her face, chest, and arms covered in thick green makeup and wearing long sleeved black dresses almost the entire show and you've got yourself a musical superhero. The song that will always be Essential Elphaba for me is of course, the final song of Act 1: Defying Gravity. Glinda and the ensemble pop in from time to time, but this is the defining moment in Elphie's story and the entire musical itself.

Something has changed within me, something is not the same/I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game/Too late for second-guessing, too late to go back to sleep/It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes, and leap/It’s time to try defying gravity/I think I’ll try defying gravity/And you can’t pull me down

Glinda (Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Popular

Honorable Mentions: No One Mourns the Wicked, What is This Feeling, Thank Goodness, I'm Not That Girl (Reprise), For Good

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Kristin Chenoweth

One of the really special things about Wicked, especially for the time it was released, is that it has two female leads - Elphaba and Glinda are treated as true equals in the show, and both Menzel and my other theatre girl crush Kristin Chenoweth were nominated for Best Actress in a Musical Tonys for their roles. Glinda the Good Witch, or Galinda as she is known for most of Act 1, has another really interesting character arc throughout the show, from self-absorbed preening diva to a woman who learns from her past mistakes and judgements to help herself grow and mature. Popular (from Act 1) was, as I stated earlier, the first song I ever heard from this show, sos it will always hold a special place in my heart. It's also so much freaking fun to sing, from the sheer number of lyrics and syllables that have to be sung to the technicality of the vocalization.

Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I/And let’s face it, who isn’t less fortunate than I/My tender heart tends to start to bleed/And when someone needs a makeover, I simply have to take over/I know, I know exactly what they need/And even in your case, though it’s the toughest case I’ve yet to face/Don’t worry, I’m determined to succeed/Follow my lead, and yes indeed/You will be/Popular, you’re gonna be popular/I’ll teach you the proper poise when you talk to boys, little ways to flirt and flounce, ooh/I’ll show you what shoes to wear, how to fix your hair, everything that really counts to be/Popular, I’ll help you be popular/You’ll hang with the right cohorts, you’ll be good at sports, know the slang you’ve got to know/So let’s start, ‘cause you’ve go an awfully long way to go

Fiyero (Tenor)

Spotlight Song: As Long As You're Mine

Honorable Mentions: Dancing Through Life

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Norbert Leo Butz

Our resident heartthrob for Wicked is none other than Prince Fiyero, played by original actor Norbert Leo Butz. Fiyero, who is revealed at the end of the show to be the Scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz side of things, has a reputation for being shallow and empty-headed, an image he's more than happy to maintain as long as he can have a good time until he meets Elphie and she changes his view on the world. Butz's vocals are so good - both of Fiyero's main songs portray a lot of power and emotion and compliment Menzel and Chenoweth both beautifully. Fun fact, Butz is married to Wicked costar Michelle Federer who we'll get to a little later in the post - after meeting in 2003 for the show, the two were married in 2007 and have a ten year old daughter together. As Long As You're Mine from Act 2 is the big romantic number of the show, and the romantic tension and emotion through the vocals and the lyrics is tangible thanks to the incredible actors portraying the characters.

Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise/But you’ve got me seeing through different eyes/Somehow, I’ve fallen under your spell/And somehow, I’m feeling it’s up that I fell/Every moment as long as you’re mine/I’ll wake up my body and make up for lost time/Say there’s no future for us as a pair/And though I may know, I don’t care

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: Wonderful

Honorable Mentions: No One Mourns the Wicked, A Sentimental Man

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Joel Grey

Somehow it really wasn't a big surprise to me that The Wizard, originated by theatre icon Joel Grey, ended up being the bad guy here. His big number in Act 2, Wonderful, is such a great villain song for a lot of reasons: it's catchy, it makes its malice under an upbeat tempo, and the lyrics are genius. He's such a sneaky villain too, because he genuinely doesn't see himself as the bad guy here - he just saw an opportunity to make something of himself and used his charm to get what he wanted in the form of total power. Grey himself was a perfect choice for this role - he's not a very big guy, only standing about 5'5", and he has such a pleasant demeanor that it makes the reveal that much more impactful.

I never asked for this or planned it in advance/I was merely blown here by the winds of chance/I never saw myself as a Solomon or Socrates/I knew who I was, one of your dime a dozen mediocrites/Then, suddenly I’m here, respected, worshipped, even/Just because the folks in Oz needed someone tot believe in/Does it surprise I got hooked, and all too soon/What can I say, I got carried away, and not just by balloon/Wonderful, they called me wonderful/So I said, "Wonderful? If you insist/I will be wonderful," and they said, "Wonderful"/Believe me, it’s hard to resist, ‘cause it feels/Wonderful, they think I’m wonderful/Hey, look who’s wonderful, this corn-fed hick/Who said, "It might be keen to build a town of green/And a wonderful road of yellow brick"

Madame Morrible (Alto)

Spotlight Song: Thank Goodness

Honorable Mentions: The Wizard and I

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Carole Shelley

Our other big bad in the cast is Madame Morrible, original portrayed by Tony winner Carole Shelley. Morrible is a lot easier to peg as a villain from the minute you see her come on stage - she has the true "wicked witch" vibe going on and the late Shelley rocks it in every scene she appears in. I think it's kind of a shame that Morrible doesn't get to sing much in the show, but she makes the most out of the two songs she is featured in. I chose Act 2's opener Thank Goodness for her spotlight due to the nefariousness of her section of the song, spreading propaganda against Elphaba and in favor of The Wizard and Glinda despite Glinda's growing hesitancy about what she's willing to do to gain favor with the Ozians.

From the day you were first summoned to an audience with Oz/Although he would not tell you why initially/When you bowed before his throne, he decreed you’d hence be known/As Glinda the Good officially/Then with a jealous scream, the Wicked Witch burst from concealment/Where she had been lurking surreptitiouly

Nessarose (Alto)

Spotlight Song: Dancing Through Life

Honorable Mentions: The Wicked Witch of the East

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Michelle Federer

Nessarose, AKA The Wicked Witch of the East, is a tragic character who I end up pitying more than feeling empathy for. Elphaba's favored younger sister who was born a paraplegic, people tend to overlook the fact that she's fairly self-absorbed due to her being confined to her wheelchair. Nessarose would much rather blame all of her frustrations and problems on others, seen especially when she angrily states that Elphaba never once tried to use her magic to help her be able to walk when in their early years Elphaba bent over backwards to help her in every other possible way that she knew how. In her quest for love and a normal life, she becomes bitter and cold and to me, it's much more sad to see how much that effects Elphaba than knowing how Nessa's story ends. Michelle Federer, Wicked's longest running original cast member, originated the role and does a really great job of portraying that wistful loneliness that Nessa gives off particularly in Act 1's Dancing Through Life.

Finally for this one night, I’m about to have a fun night/With this Munchkin boy Galinda found for me/And I only wish there were something I could do for her/To repay her, Elphaba, see/We deserve each other, and Galinda helped it come true/We deserve each other, me and Boq/Please, Elphaba, try to understand

Boq (Tenor)

Spotlight Song: March of the Witch Hunters

Honorable Mentions: Dancing Through Life

Original Broadway Cast (2003): Christopher Fitzgerald

Boq is another character that I end up pitying more than feeling empathy for. He's so hung up on Glinda (not that she helps at all) that he lets that feeling of "unrequited love" drive everything he does, including beginning a relationship with Nessarose that he knows is a farce for years and not feeling any remorse when he gets ready to leave her to try and get with Glinda, a woman who has never shown any interest in him at all. By the Act 2 song March of the Witch Hunters, it's become clear to the audience that Boq is The Wizard of Oz's Tin Man, but instead of the hopeless romantic he's portayed as in the film he's a heartless, vengeful man who won't stop until the person he deems responsible for his misery (again, not himself, but Elphaba) is killed. Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald has an incredible voice both in tone and clarity, and hearing him bring this role to life is really great.

It’s due to her I’m made of tin, her spell made this occur/So for once, I’m glad I’m heartless, I’ll be heartless killing her/And the Lion also has a grievance to repay/If she’d let him fight his own battles when he was young, he wouldn’t be a coward today

Doctor Dillamond (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: Something Bad

Original Broadway Cast (2003): William Youmans

While he isn't the largest role in the cast, Doctor Dillamond the Goat is an important catalyst to the story. A college professor of Elphie, Glinda & Co. at Shiz University, he is a talking Animal similar to the Lion in The Wizard of Oz who is concerned about rumors that others like him are being robbed of their sentience. Act 1's Something Bad is the conversation that inspires Elphie to travel to The Emerald City to try and lobby to The Wizard to help the Animals so that they can continue to be rightful citizens of Oz. Long time Broadway regular William Youmans plays this role very well - you can hear in his voice the fact that he's trying to hide how concerned he is for his fellow Animals as well as himself.

I’ve heard of an Ox, a professor from Quox no longer permitted to teach/Who has lost all powers of speech/And an Owl in Munchkin Rock, a vicar with a thriving flock/Forbidden to preach, now he only can screech/Only rumors, but still enough to give pause to anyone with paws/Something bad is happening in Oz/Something bad happening in Oz/Under the surface, behind the scenes/Something baaaaaaad/Sorry, bad

I highly encourage you to see Wicked if you ever get the chance - it's such a wonderful show with truly incredible musical talent no matter which version you get to see. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!