A CD Recommedation from Jenni
Performer names: Original
Broadway Cast of "Wicked" featuring
Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and Joey Grey (Ronald from
TBAA!).
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
CD Title: Wicked
Genre(s): Showtunes, Soundtrack
Your own words on why you're recommending this CD. Perhaps a listing of your favorite tracks or a few words about why a song means so much to you.:
Okay, so Idina Menzel (Elphaba) played Maureen in RENT which I clearly love. And Joel Grey (the Wizard) was Ronald on TBAA. Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda) is just plain fun to listen to. And Stephen Schwartz... the guy co-wrote "Godspell." Enough said. Also, "Wizard of Oz" was the movie I was absolutely obsessed with as a kid. Seriously. I routinely wore a blue gingham dress and red, glittery shoes. My first character-crush ever was Scarecrow (???). I was a diehard. So it was only a matter of time til I got hooked on "Wicked." Having heard (and been impressed by) "Defying Gravity" and "For Good," I requested the CD for my 24th birthday. I loved it immediately. It was the perfect balance of optimism and romance and jadedness and realism. And it also hit that balance that was so important to me with TBAA: it was entertaining but it also made me think.
I'm not going to run through a description of every song even though there's not a single one I routinely feel like skipping over. I love them all but here are a few words about my very favorites:
"No One Mourns the Wicked"- The show starts off with a bang. The Wicked Witch is dead. From this first song you know this show is going to make you think. As the celebration begins, Glinda is questioned about her relationship to the Wicked Witch of the West. She ponders "Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" From there we learn about the ostracized, neglected, green-skinned Elphaba, the girl who became the Witch. Glinda ringing out the phrase "Good news!" as the Ozians celebrate her friend's death gives me goosebumps. It really makes a person think about the stark differences between our true feelings and emotional states and the ones we put on for society.
"The Wizard and I"- While an upbeat and powerful tune, anyone who has seen or read "The Wizard of Oz" is bound to see the sadness in it. Here, Elphaba fantasizes about the Wizard taking her under his wing and helping her to be accepted by Ozian society. You know how well that worked out. Anyone who was ever NOT the queen bee at school can relate.
"I'm Not that Girl"- Glinda and Fiyero love each other. Elphaba thinks she might just love Fiyero but Glinda has become her best friend. So here Ephaba sings about her belief that she's not meant for romance. Typical teenage angst but somehow not grating on my nerves. It's just sadly beautiful.
"Defying Gravity"- The source of one of my favorite quotes. After deciding she'd rather live a moral life protecting the Animals (talking beasts being silenced and having their rights stripped by the Wizard), Elphaba gives up on her long-held dream of working with the Wizard and sings "And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free!" She became one of my fictional heroes right there. And off Elphaba, now dubbed the Wicked Witch, flies leaving behind her girlish dreams, hopes of ever being with Fiyero, and even her friend Glinda. This song is just awesome. I watched Idina Menzel and the cast perform it on the Tony broadcast one year and it was just awe-inspiring to see. I really hope to see it live one day. As for a lil JABB tie-in, this was the song Lady JenniAnn was singing that Andrew overheard and mistakenly thought meant she was trying to distance herself from him. He was... WRONG. ;-) And if some of you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, it was one of our lil games on the YG.
Here we go into the second act. A few years have passed. No one has seen nor heard much from the Witch but the negative propaganda against her has grown to epic proportions. Despite this, both Glinda and Fiyero think about their old friend.
"Wonderful"- Joel Grey's big song from the show and possibly the most intellectually challenging. Here the Wizard tells Elphaba about his rise to political power in a way that seems creepily realistic. He admits to having no skill for leadership, no experience. His hot air balloon just floated into Oz, the awe-struck people dubbed him Wonderful, the praise went to his head, and a tyrant was born. An incredibly witty song with thought-provoking lyrics like "Is one a crusader or ruthless invader? It's all in which label is able to persist. There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities so we act as if they don't exist."
"As Long as You're Mine"- Fiyero goes to find Elphaba. Turns out she *is* that girl. This song is lovely. A real carpe diem song. They know there's no way they can have a future. They know their love is dangerous. But they're gonna make the most of the time they have. Terribly romantic.
"No Good Deed"- My absolute favorite song on the CD. I just love it when Elphaba cries out her spells in some made-up Ozian tongue. Gives me chills. It really is a dark, pessimistic song but somehow hits a chord with me each time I hear it. May be cause if one's gonna be dark and pessimistic at times, it helps to be dark and pessimistic with company. Plus, I think we can all relate to the feeling of working so hard to help someone and wondering if it was all in vain. It actually makes me think about Andrew in episodes like "The Journalist," "The Violin Lesson," and "Til Death Do Us Part" when he tried so hard to do something good and instead ends up watching aghast as something terrible unfolds. Thankfully, our Andrew held it together a lil better than poor Elphaba did.
"For Good"- Elphaba and Glinda come together one final time, realizing that circumstances forbid their friendship from flourishing. But before they part ways for the final time, they sing this song about how much they've meant to each other. The lyrics remind me of a lot of people and times in my life. There's a line that goes "Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you I have been changed for good." And that, for me, sums up my entire experience as a TBAA fan. I don't know if my life is better because of the show. May be with out it I would have been more social and spent less time pondering the mysteries of the universe while my friends pondered the mysteries of dating (an idea I've heard echoed by family members). I will probly never know. But I do believe TBAA and JABB have made me may be just a lil more good. May be just a bit more compassionate, a bit stronger, and a bit more true to the person God meant for me to be.
So that's my personal "Wicked" highlights list. I would recommend it to anyone. I didn't really get much into the plot but the CD booklet explains it pretty well so you won't be completely lost if you've never read the book or seen the show. The CD has a lot to offer: great music, food for thought, and a powerful female-centered cast. I think my favorite theme is the problem of labels. Being labelled "the Wicked" doomed Elphaba's very worthy mission. And being labelled "the Good" didn't exactly serve Glinda very well either. May be if people had just seen them as multi-faceted and ambiguous individuals, things would have ended happier. It reminds me of the message TBAA often gave us: be who you are, not who people say you should be. After all, God made you and He loves who you are.
Lastly, if you really like Elphaba's voice, might I suggest RENT? ;-)
God bless,
Jenni