Wicked

In class we had our whole group presentations dealing with The Wizard of Oz. Many people have not read the book but almost everyone has seen the movie starring Judy Garland from 1939. It was one of the first movies to really bring home the idea of technicolor and people fell in love with it immediately. Another new phenomenon in our present day is the book Wicked, which has recently been adapted into a stage performance. The play is based off of Gregory Maguire's book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. In this book Maguire tells the other side of the story of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba. Maguire crafter Elphaba's name with help from L.F. Baum's name. He took the phonetically pronunciation of his initials, L.F.B became El-pha-ba.

The story talks about Elphaba and how she becomes this hated creature in Oz. In this version she is just misunderstood and is trying to do the right thing and it is really the Wizard who is the mean corrupt one. The Wizard makes her out to be the horrible one and turns everyone against her to cover up his own wrongdoings. Glinda is Elphaba's best friend and you also learn how the Scarecrow, Tinman, and the Lion all come to need a brain, heart, and courage.

I really recommend reading the book along with seeing the play. I have read the book and seen Wicked three times in the West End in London. Needless to say its fantastic!!! I look at the Wizard of Oz a little differently now...