List of Characters

 

Elphaba - the green girl who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West

 

Glinda/Galinda - the beautiful blond who becomes "Glinda the Good" Witch

 

Madame Morrible - the headmistress at Shiz University.

 

Fiyero - a handsome prince, fellow student, and love interest.

 

Dr. Dillamond - a professor at Shiz University who is a talking Goat, and someone Elphaba befriends.

 

The Wizard of Oz - an old carnival huckster who blew into Oz in a hot air balloon and became a false-faced leader

 

Nessarose - Elphaba's sister who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East

 

Boq - an unusually tall Munchkin with eyes for Galinda/Glinda. 

 

Frex - Elphaba's father

 

Melina - Elphaba's mother

 

 

         

 

The Back Story...

 

The musical Wicked is an adaption of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West published in 1995 and written by Gregory Maguire.  The novel, described as a political, social, and ethical commentary on the nature of good and evil, takes place in the Land of Oz, in the years leading to Dorothy's arrival.  Maguire is careful to point out that Wicked is not a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but rather a reimagining of the same world. 

 

The story spotlights the untold stories of Oz’s most famous (or infamous) characters, namely the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the life-changing events that eventually label her “wicked,” as well as introducing spoiled rich girl Glinda, local prince and heartthrob Fiyero and even the Wizard of Oz himself, a troubled man very unlike the one you may remember. As Elphaba, a passionate political activist if there ever was one, fights injustice and seeks to undo the mistakes of the past, dark secrets and personal tragedies shape the history of Oz, paying homage to the classic Wizard of Oz story while simultaneously changing fans’ understanding of it forever. 

 

The story is divided into five different sections based on the plot location and presents events, characters and situations from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and its 1939 film adaptation in new ways. It is designed to set the reader thinking about what it really is to be 'Wicked', and whether good intentions with bad results are the same as bad intentions with bad results.  Wicked effortlessly reveals that there are indeed two sides to every story.

 

 

Who is L. Frank Baum?

 

Long before children’s fantasy books such as The Chronicles of Narnia or the Harry Potter series, L. Frank Baum kept the nation’s readers entranced with his fourteen novels about the Land of Oz.  

 

Baum was born in 1856 with heart problems.  Because of his poor health he was forbidden to play outdoors, which is why he developed a love of reading and an active imagination. He later wrote, "Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams – daydreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain- machinery whizzing – are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it".

 

In 1898, he was telling a story of a Kansas girl’s adventures in a magical land to his children and their friends. When one of the children asked what the place was called, he replied: "The Land of Oz." He may have gotten the idea from the label on a filing cabinet drawer, labeled O-Z.

 

His wife encouraged him to write down the story. Originally the book was called The Emerald City, but the publishers superstitiously believed that a book with a jewel in the title would not sell well. Retitled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book was published on May 15, 1900 and became a best-seller.  Baum continued to write books within the Land of Oz series until his death in 1919.

 

 

 

Where Did This Musical Come From?

 

Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz discovered writer Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West while on vacation and saw its potential for a dramatic adaptation. Maguire, however, had released the rights to Universal, who had planned to develop a live-action feature film.  In 1998, Schwartz persuaded Maguire to release the rights to a stage production while also making what Schwartz called an "impassioned plea" to Universal producer Marc Platt to realise Schwartz's own intended adaptation. Persuaded, Platt signed on as joint producer of the project with Universal and David Stone.

 

 

 

Activity 1 - Understanding the Story Through Music

 

Wicked has not been released on film; therefore, we are going to listen to the music while reading a plot summary (click Wicked poster below to access the pdf).  Note: While I am including the music for this musical (and it can also be found on YouTube), I strongly suggest you purchase the soundtrack if you are planning to teach this lesson. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activity 2 - And The Moral Of The Story Is...

 

If you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz, you know the Wicked Witch of the West is the 'bad guy'.  I mean, you really know this... absolutely know this for sure.  HOWEVER, once you know the backstory as presented in Wicked, you learn:

 

• Elphaba, 'The Wicked', had a truly generous heart and was extremely loving and kind.

 

• The Wizard is not actually kind and/or helpful.  In fact, he is actually a 'bad guy' in many ways, working the system and manipulating others.

 

• Glinda (formerly known as Galinda) begins the story as very egotistical but grows through her relationship with Elphaba.  And, by the end of the musical, Glinda faces the choices she has made and accepts responsibility for them – changing herself in the process.

 

• Glinda and Elphaba initally loath each other; however, they evolve into best friends by looking inside, understanding, and valuing each other as individuals.

 

• Elphaba was painted as 'Wicked' by The Wizard and Madame Morrible for trying to help others and standing up to injustice.

 

• While Elphaba was persecued for being brave and determined, she never gave up on doing the right thing, no matter the cost.  In fact, she accepts the label of 'The Wicked' in the name of doing good.

 

 

So, what's the 'moral' of the story of Wicked?  Ask students to dicuss their ideas.  Possible answers could include:

 

• You need to look at the history, the drives and motivations, not just the current situation.

 

• You should challenge “labels” given to people and seek to truly understand, not just accept them at face value.

 

• Look for the person inside, not just the outside they show the world.  They might be quite different.

 

• Understanding the backstory is critical for understanding the truth of any current situation.

 

 

 

 

Activity 3 - Musical Theater Critic for a Day

 

Theater critics analyze and report on plays and other performance art for newspapers, magazines, television or websites. No specific degree or training is required, but critics should be familiar with current trends in theater and have strong writing skills. 

 

Your task is to be a Musical Theater Critic writing a review of the musical Wicked.  To prepare, investigate 3 other critiques (cite your sources), and do some background research about Wicked (again, cite your sources).  Then write your own critique (do not plagiarize!), which should be between 1.5 and 3 pages long.  An example critique is below (see pdf).  In your critique, please include your opinions about:

 

• The type of musical (it's a mega-musical)

• The musical numbers (e.g., likability, do they move the plot along etc.)

• The singing (e.g., do they sound 'in character', could you understand the words etc.)

• The story 

• The type of characters

• Don't include too many 'spoilers'!