"Wicked": Or the Sad Reality of Women's Relationships

Last week, on a whim, my mother and I decided to go see "Wicked", which has been playing here on a regular run for quite some time now. I'd heard the regular raves and rants about the musical...some people saying the show was excellent, others saying they were disappointed. I'd decided to find out for myself. It was a good decision on my part as I won a pre-show lottery and got front row tickets for my Mom and I-right in the nose-bleed seats! We were front and center, looking down on the orchestra, in a long sold-out crowd. Sweet!

For those of you unfamiliar with the story of "Wicked", it is billed as "the untold story of the Witches of Oz" and the story of how Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, came to be. In reality, it is so much more than that. It is a meaningful commentary of women's relationships, self-esteem, and how outwardly appearances can be deceiving. I was so moved by the story at times that I had to hold myself back from busting out in tears several times.

The story begins with Elphaba's (the Wicked Witch of the West) death, famously played out in "The Wizard of Oz", as Glinda and the other citizens of Oz celebrate. However, word gets out that Glinda and the Wicked Witch had a past together and Glinda fesses up the true story of their friendship. Elphaba, who was born with green skin, suffered a childhood of torment and ridicule by her peers, but is a good-hearted soul who dutifully takes care of her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose (the Wicked Witch of the East), gets good grades in school, and champions the rights of animals. Glinda (the Good Witch) is beautiful, blonde, the most popular girl in school, but deep down inside is somewhat evil and advantageous of those around her. Reluctantly, the two end up roommates in boarding school and eventually develop a friendship.

It is at school that the headmistress, Madame Morrible, discovers Elphaba's magical powers and recommends that she study under the Wizard, supposedly a great honor. Elphaba brings her friend Glinda along for the ride, though Glinda possess no magical power. Once they meet the Wizard, however, they soon find out he has no power either, and wants Elphaba to be 'wicked', in order to give the people an evil figure to rally against. Though offended at first, Elphaba realizes there is strength to being 'wicked' and she feels empowered for the first time in her life. The first half of the show ends with Elpahba coming to terms with her new identity and rising up above the citizens of Oz that once poked fun of her. It is one of the most powerful and moving numbers I have ever seen in a musical.

Eventually, Glinda assumes her role as the 'Good Witch', though she possesses no real power and the citizens of Oz move forth in trying to hunt down and kill Elphaba, now the 'Wicked Witch of the West'. Glinda's and Elphaba's relationship suffers a devastating blow over-what else- a man (Fiyero), who pretends to be in love with Glinda, but in reality, loves Elphaba. When Fiyero announces his true feelings for Elphaba, an all-out fight begins between the two women. Glinda joins in on the hunt for Elphaba and as her best friend, knows her weaknesses and uses them against her.

Hmmmm, sound familiar? Most women I know have been in that scenario before.

In all honesty, I didn't know too much about the story of "Wicked' before I went that night, but I hadn't expected it to be so moving, so true, so relevant. Is the sad reality of so many women's relationships so universal that it breeds a story like this? While men fight with each other physically, women fight in psychologically, chipping at each other's psyche until we are at all out war with each other, over what sometime seem like trivial things. Glinda and Elphaba are metaphors for the big picture...women at odds with each other over jealousies over each other's success and abilities, not to mention the attention of men.

Think I'm over the top with this opinion? I see this kind of stuff every day, in subtle, but noticeable ways. The girls who shun me on film sets because I took on a traditionally male job, the woman at the bar who pits me against her for the attention of my boyfriend, the woman who gives me the cold shoulder despite my generosity because ????

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! Why must it be like this?

I believe it was Courtney Love who once said, "Men kill each other, women kill each other's souls."

I won't reveal the ending, but I will say "Wicked" does wrap things up truthfully, yet tragically. If it plays in your town, please do not miss it! Bring a best girlfriend, a mother, a sister, or some female friend, if possible, with you to see it. It is such an emotional ride, but one that leaves you feeling empowered in the end.