Wicked - The Witches of Oz (Musical)
| Wicked - The Witches of Oz | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Musical dates | |
| Title: | Wicked - The Witches of Oz |
| Original title: | Wicked - The Untold Story Of The Witches Of Oz |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Stephen Schwartz |
| Book: | Winnie Holzman |
| Lyrics: | Stephen Schwartz |
| Literary source: | Wicked - The Witches of Oz |
| Premiere: | 2003 |
| Place of premiere: | San Francisco |
| Playing time: | about 3 hours |
| Roles / people | |
|
|
Wicked - The Witches of Oz is a musical . The music and lyrics of the musical are by Stephen Schwartz and based on the book by Gregory Maguire . It is the thematic predecessor to the legendary musical film The Wizard of Oz from 1939. The musical has been running in the Gershwin Theater on Broadway in New York since October 2003 . The German-language premiere was on November 15, 2007 in the Palladium Theater in Stuttgart .
templates
The musical Wicked - The Witches of Oz is based on the bestselling Wicked - The Witches of Oz. The True Story of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire . The book expands the historical basis of The Wizard of Oz , but, in contrast to this, is no longer aimed at children, but rather at adult readers. The German translation was published by Klett-Cotta in 2008 .
From Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, there is a second volume called Son of a Witch . Another volume, entitled A Lion Among Men , was released in 2008.
The 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz influenced Wicked even more than the book .
Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz was previously known for his works Godspell , Pippin and Gepetto .
Characters
main characters
Elphaba
Her skin color stands out: she is green. But malicious remarks about her appearance do not particularly affect Elphaba. She has a strong personality with high moral standards. She occurs z. B. for the weaker one: Elphaba loves ANIMALS / animals and fights for their rights. She takes care of her sister Nessarose, who is sitting in a wheelchair, with care and devotion. Through Elphaba's good knowledge of human nature, she quickly finds out about the wizard of Oz, without being misled by his promises of power and wealth. On top of all this, she is an excellent student with extraordinary magical powers, but which she tries to hide out of modesty.
The role is sung by a mezzo-soprano .
Galinda / Glinda
Glinda is beautiful, admired, and quickly leads the class. She comes from a wealthy background and is spoiled. Glinda demands what she wants and gets what she wants. As sugar-sweet as it appears on the outside, its facade is deceptive: In front of all classmates, she makes hurtful allusions about Elphaba and uses people to her advantage. Despite better knowledge, Glinda succumbs to the temptation to join the Wizard of Oz and thus strengthen her reputation in the land of Oz.
This role will be filled with a soprano .
Minor characters
Fiyero
Fiyero is a good looking student who has been expelled from several schools. He lives the day in high spirits, always looking for amusement. He only thinks of himself, has no worries and no duties. He gets along well with everyone and is popular. At first glance it looks superficial, but Elphaba also discovers other, profound aspects of it. She makes it clear to him what is more important in life than beauty and fun.
A tenor sings this role.
The Wizard of Oz
Without even a trace of magical ability, he has risen to the long-held position of the "wonderful wizard of Oz". The Wizard of Oz demands reputation and prestige. His actions are calculating, manipulative and power-obsessed. He is a master at deceiving and camouflaging. So that the people of Oz ask him for help, he stirs up fear among them.
This role is filled with a baritone .
Madame Akaber
The eccentric director of the GLIZZ witchcraft school has magical powers with which she can influence the weather, for example. Her appointment as confidante of the Wizard of Oz is a giant leap forward in her career. She gains power but does not use it for good causes. Even with her magical power she wreaked havoc: she was responsible for the death of Nessarose. Madame Akaber slanders Elphaba in the land of Oz as the "Wicked Witch of the West".
The actress sings in alto .
Dr. Dillamond
Dr. Dillamond is a billy goat (capitalization of the name, in English only the first letter of the name, is used in the Wicked universe to identify intelligent, speaking ANIMALS and thus distinguish them from cattle in lower case) and teaches history at the GLIZZ witch school. He alerts Elphaba to the changes that are taking place in Oz.
A baritone sings this role.
Nessarose
Elphaba's younger sister is disabled and has to use a wheelchair. She is the Governor of Munchkinland's favorite daughter and she is extremely pretty. As a parting present, she receives a pair of jeweled shoes from him, which she wears every day. Unhappily in love, Nessarose becomes the cruel and withdrawn governor of Munchkinland, also known as the "Wicked Witch of the East".
The actress also sings in alto.
Moq
Moq is a fellow student of Elphaba and Galinda. From the first day he fell in love with Galinda. So that he doesn't bother her and Fiyero any further, Galinda asks him to take care of Nessarose. To please Galinda, he agrees and pretends to love Nessarose. As a result, he stays with her out of a sense of duty, but both are not really happy in the relationship.
A tenor is also used here.
action
first act
All of Oz celebrates the death of Elphabas, the Wicked Witch of the West; "No One Mourns the Wicked" , German "Nobody cries for witches". Only Glinda / Galinda, the good witch, tries to arouse understanding for Elphaba, who has been an outsider since she was born because of her green skin and her magical abilities. When an Ozian asks if Glinda was acquainted with Elphaba, she remembers how she met the green girl at Glizz University ( "Dear Old Shiz").
When the room is allocated on the first day, the school principal Madame Akaber (English: Madame Morrible) by chance recognizes Elphaba's magical talent and opens up a boundless future for her at the side of the magician of the Emerald City, whereby Elphaba draws the hope of early respect from the community. ( "The Wizard and I" , German "The Magician and I"). The superficial and popular Galinda and Elphaba share a room due to a misunderstanding and hate each other from the start ( “What Is This Feeling ?”).
A lecture is given by a billy goat named Dr. Dillamonth (Eng. Dr. Dillamond), who tells Elphaba of ANIMALS that have lost their ability to speak and have become animals. He fears that this phenomenon will spread in Oz ( "Something Bad" , Eng. "Nothing is more secure"). However, Elphaba does not believe that the wizard would allow such injustice.
When the fun-loving Fiyero arrives in Glizz, everyone except Elphaba is enthusiastic about his carefree manner ( "Dancing Through Life "). Galinda just wants to dance with him at his party and therefore persuades her admirer Moq (English Boq) to invite Elphabas' sister Nessarose, who is sitting in a wheelchair. Nessarose then thinks that Moq loves her, only Elphaba is suspicious. However, when Galinda gives her a pointed black hat, Elphaba also believes that Galinda means well and persuades Madame Akaber to give Galinda magic lessons too. At the party she becomes a common mockery with the pointed hat, but Galinda suddenly stands by her. So the two friends and Galinda are trying to teach Elphaba the art of being popular ( "Popular ").
During the next lecture, Dr. Dillamonth removed from soldiers. Elphaba is the only one to protest loudly. The new professor brings a frightened, caged lion cub into the classroom, which Elphaba frees with Fiyero's help. They fall in love with each other, but Elphaba suppresses their feelings because she knows that she has no chance against Galinda ( "I'm Not That Girl" , "It's not me"). Shortly afterwards Elphaba is visited by Madame Akaber, who informs her that Elphaba has been invited to the emerald city to the magician ( "The Wizard and I (reprise)" , German "The magician and I (reprise)").
Galinda waits with Elphaba at the train station for their departure. Fiyero appears and tells Elphaba that he often has to think of the day on which they saved the lion together - but there is no open discussion because Galinda joins the conversation and, in order to impress Fiyero, is remembered Dr. Dillamonth with his persistent pronunciation mistake now wants to be called Glinda. Fiyero leaves, while Glinda suspects that Fiyero might not really love them. Elphaba then asks Glinda to accompany her to the Smaraktstsdt, where the two finally meet the magician after an exciting day in the city ( “One Short Day ”). There the two meet again Madame Akaber, who has meanwhile been appointed confidante of the magician. As a test of her abilities, the magician asks Elphaba to conjure up his monkey's wings with the help of a magic book ( “A Sentimental Man ”). She masters that too, but when she learns that the wizard himself has no magic and wants to use the monkeys as spies to monitor the ANIMALS, she is angry, disappointed and refuses to cooperate. Elphaba flees from the wizard, Glinda follows her and tries to persuade her to apologize. But Elphaba cannot go against her beliefs and wants to use her skills to fight the magician and help the ANIMALS. In the meantime, Madame Akaber calls on the population of the Smaraktstadt to seize the "Wicked Witch". Elphaba asks Glinda to come with her, but she cannot give up her desire for popularity and so the two friends part ways ( "Defying Gravity" , "free and weightless").
Second act
Within the next few years, the propaganda of the magician and Madame Akaber stylized Elphaba as the Wicked Witch of the West and a danger to all residents of Oz ( "No One Mourns the Wicked (reprise)" , "No one cries for witches (reprise)") while Glinda is portrayed as a good witch. Fiyero, who has meanwhile risen to the head of the magician's guards and is engaged to Glinda, no longer wants to endure this defamation of Elphaba and longs for the friend they have not seen since they disappeared. Glinda is also not as happy as it seems, but continues to play her role ( "Thank Goodness" , dt. "How wonderful").
After the death of her father, Nessarose has become the tyrannical ruler over the east of the magical land. Moq is still with her because she thinks he loves her and he doesn't want to leave because he thinks she needs him. When Elphaba visits Nessarose, she is angry that Elphaba has let her down. She tries to make amends by enchanting Nessarose's shoes so she can walk with them. When Moq sees this, he thinks his help is no longer needed and wants to leave to finally confess his love to Glinda. Nessarose is so hurt and disappointed about it that she enchants his heart ( "Wicked Witch of the East" , German "The Wicked Witch of the East"). Elphaba can only save his life by turning him completely into pewter and leaves. Nessarose then leads Moq to believe that Elphaba is the only one to blame for his condition.
Next, Elphaba visits the emerald city, where the magician tries again to win her over ( “Wonderful ”). On the condition that the flying monkeys are released, she is also about to consent. But when she met the vegetating Dr. Dillamonth thinks, she refuses again. The wizard then calls the guards led by Fiyero. When he sees Elphaba, he unceremoniously threatens the wizard and flees with her. Glinda is so deeply hurt by this betrayal that she gives Madame Akaber a tip on how to destroy Elphaba ( "I'm Not That Girl" (reprise) , dt. "I am not (reprise)").
Fiyero and Elphaba spend a night together, knowing that the rest of their lives could not be very long ( "As Long as You're Mine" , German: "As long as I have you"). In the morning Elphaba learns that her sister Nessarose was killed by Dorothy's flying house and immediately rushes there. There she meets Glinda, who reveals to her that she has given Dorothy Nessarose's enchanted shoes, the last remaining from her sister to Elphaba. The two women argue until the trap snaps shut and Elphaba is caught by the wizard's guards. At this moment, however, Fiyero intervenes and allows her to escape by letting himself be caught. Glinda did not expect this turn and tried to save Fiyero, but in vain.
Elphaba also tries to protect Fiyero with a spell, but doubts its effectiveness. In deep despair, she comes to the conclusion that all the good she has ever done has been perverted. She recognizes her reputation as “wicked” and decides never to do a good deed again ( “No Good Deed ”).
Meanwhile, the wizard sends Dorothy and her friends (including Moq, now a tin man, and the cowardly lion, who was rescued as a baby at the University of Elphaba and Fiyero) to Elphaba's castle to kill them and an entire army of "Witch Hunters" - witch hunters - is mobilized ( "March of the Witch Hunters" , German "March of the witch hunters"). Elphaba manages to catch Dorothy and demands Nessarose's shoes from her while she plans how to escape. Glinda comes to her and wants to help her, but she refuses. Knowing that she was defeated, Elphaba finally gives up and asks Glinda not to try to clear her name, but to let her stay in people's minds as the “Wicked Witch of the West”. She finally agrees and the friends part in peace and forgive each other ( "For Good" , dt. "How I am"). Then Glinda can only see from behind a screen (raised by Elphaba; probably so that no one of the witch hunters sees that Glinda is with her) how Dorothy pours a bucket of water over Elphaba, which then supposedly dissolves.
Elphaba, very much alive and only sunk in a trap door during the "witch meltdown", and Fiyero, now through Elphaba's earlier protective spell in the form of the scarecrow, secretly escape death while all of Oz celebrates its annihilation. Only Glinda mourns the supposedly dead and confronts the wizard by asking him about a bottle of green elixir that he once offered her to drink. She only saw one like this at Elphaba's, as the last memory of her mother. It suddenly becomes clear that the magician is Elphaba's actual father. Glinda declares herself to be the new ruler of Oz, chases the wizard away and imprisons Madame Akaber.
Elphaba herself only wishes to let her friend know of her survival, but Fiyero insists that for her own safety no one should ever find out about it. Meanwhile, Glinda announces that she wants to be known as "Glinda the Good" from now on and to renew the government of Oz. Elphaba says goodbye to Glinda one last time before she and Fiyero leave Oz forever ("Finale") .
Performances
The musical premiered on Broadway in October 2003 and was directed by Tony winner Joe Mantello . Universal Pictures is responsible for the production in collaboration with Marc Platt and David Stone . It has another permanent venue in San Francisco and is on tour in the USA and Canada . Further venues can be found in the Apollo Victoria Theater in London and in Tokyo .
The German-language premiere by Stage Entertainment took place on November 15, 2007 in the Palladium Theater in Stuttgart , where the play could be seen until January 29, 2010. From March 8, 2010 to September 2, 2011 the play was also performed in the Metronom Theater in Oberhausen . The lyrics were translated into German by Michael Kunze , the dialogues by Ruth Deny .
In addition, the piece has been performed in Australia since 2008: from July 2008 to August 2009 in Melbourne and since then in Sydney .
Since November 2011 Stage Entertainment has been realizing a Dutch production in Scheveningen , a district of The Hague .
Another production in Hamburg has been announced for 2020 ; this was postponed to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trivia - no-fly shows
Fans describe performances in which the lifting mechanism for the leading actress does not work or is not used in the finale of the 1st act ("Defying Gravity"), as a performance in which there is "no flight" (eng. No-fly show).
Track list
|
first act
|
Second act
|
Trivia
The climax of the song "Defying Gravity" is its final high note - or rather the series of notes - at its dramatic conclusion:
A loud, screaming “Bring me dowwwwwwwwwwwwn”, followed by an “aHHAAAAAhhh” riff (original: G # 4-Eb5-D5-Eb5-C # 5), which can reach even higher depending on the interpretation of the actress.
Some actresses reach F5 or G5 during the riff , which is at the upper limit of this range for a mezzo-soprano. Regardless of whether the song is sung in the original key or the song is transposed , there is therefore a risk for the actress to damage her vocal cords in connection with the required volume .
actor
Original cast of the English language productions
| character | Broadway | West end | Emerald City Tour (USA) | Munchkinland Tour (USA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elphaba | Idina Menzel | Stephanie J. Block | Marcie Dodd | |
| Glinda | Kristin Chenoweth | Helen Dallimore | Kendra Kassebaum | Helene Yorke |
| Fiyero | Norbert Leo Butz | Adam Garcia | Derrick Williams | Colin Donnell |
| Madame Morrible | Carole Shelley | Miriam Margolyes | Carol Kane | Marilyn Caskey |
| The Wizard | Joel Gray | Nigel planner | David Garrison | Tom McGowan |
| Nessarose | Michelle Federer | Katie Rowley Jones | Jenna Leigh Green | Kristine Reese |
| Boq | Christopher Fitzgerald | James Gillan | Logan Lipton | Ted Ely |
| Doctor Dillamond | William Youmans | Martin Ball | Timothy Britten Parker | David de Vries |
| Elphaba standby | Eden Espinosa | Kerry Ellis | Victoria Matlock | Carrie Manolakos |
| Glinda standby | Laura Bell Bundy | Annalene Beechey | ||
Original cast of the foreign language productions
| Character | Stuttgart | Oberhausen | Scheveningen (NL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elphaba | Willemijn Verkaik | ||
| Glinda | Lucy Scherer | Joana Fee Würz | Chantal Janzen |
| Fiyero | Mark Seibert | Mathias Edenborn | Jim Bakkum |
| Madame Morrible | Angelika Wedekind | Barbara Raunegger | Pamela Teves |
| The Wizard | Carlo Lauber | Bill van Dijk | |
| Nessarose | Nicole Radeschnig | Janine Tippl | Christanne de Bruijn |
| Boq | Stefan Stara | Ben Darmanin | Niels Jacobs |
| Doctor Dillamond | Michael Günther | Thomas Wissmann | Jochem Feste Roozemond |
| Alternating Elphaba | Sabrina Weckerlin | Roberta Valentini | Renee van Wegberg |
| Glinda alternating | Jana Stelley | Valerie Link | Celine Purcell |
Current line-up of English-language productions
| character | Broadway | Munchkinland Tour (USA) | West end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elphaba | Jessica Vosk | Jessica Vosk | Alice Fearn |
| Glinda | Amanda Jane Cooper | Ginna Claire Mason | Sophie Evans |
| Fiyero | Curt Hansen | Jeremy Woodard | David Witts |
| Madame Morrible | Rondi Reed | Isabel Keating | Melanie La Barrie |
| The Wizard | PJ Benjamin | Fred Applegate | Andy Hockley |
| Nessarose | Kristen Martin | Jenny Florkowski | Rosa O'Reilly |
| Boq | Jye Frasca | Sam Seferian | Jack Lansbury |
| Doctor Dillamond | Chad Jennings | Harry Bouvy | Chris Jarman |
| Elphaba standby | Mariand Torres | Emily Schultheis | Laura Pick |
| Glinda standby | Libby Servais | Carina Gillespie |
Other original line-ups
UK Tour Cast (from September 2013)
- Elphaba: Nikki Davis-Jones; Ashleigh Gray
- Glinda: Emily Tierney
- Fiyero: Liam Doyle
- Nessarose: Carina Gillespie
- Wizard: Dale Rapley
- Madame Morrible: Marilyn Cutts
- Boq: George Ure
- Dr. Dillamond: Dale Rapley
Tokyo cast
- Elphaba: Megumi Hamada, Asami Higuchi, Minori Imai
- Glinda: Miyuki Numao, Asako Tomada, Tamami Sai
- Fiyero: Li Tao, Yusuke Kitazawa
- Nessarose: Mayumi Ogai, Takae Yamamoto, Yukimi Torihara
- Magician: Takeshi Matsushita, Hideo Kurihara, Osami Iino
- Madame Morrible: Izumi Mori, Kinuko Take, Masami Yaezawa
- Boq: Masahiko Kaneta, Ryosuke Ito
- Dr. Dillamond: Ryoma Takemi, Takao Okamoto, Teiichiro Maeda, Jo Saito
Sydney-Cast (2009-2010)
- Elphaba: Jemma Rix, Patrice Tipoki
- Glinda: Lucy Durack
- Fiyero: Rob Mills
- Nessarose: Elisa Colla
- Wizard: Bert Newton
- Madame Morrible: Maggie Kirkpatrick
- Boq: James Smith
- Dr. Dillamond: Rodney Dobson
Awards
The musical Wicked has been nominated for a variety of awards since its premiere. The musical has won several of the trophies, including the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical ( Idina Menzel as Elphaba ), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty) and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).
The "Broadway Cast" CD was at the 2005 Grammy Awards as the Best Musical Album award.
Others
The musical actress Willemijn Verkaik is the only actress who has played the role of Elphaba in three different languages. From 2007 to 2011 in Stuttgart and Oberhausen (German), from 2011 to 2013 in Scheveningen (Dutch) and from 2013 to 2014 in New York and London (English). In 2017 she returned to London for half a year to play Elphaba one last time. Verkaik embodied the role of Elphaba in over 2000 performances, more often than any other actress in this role.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.playbill.com/article/wicked-becomes-6th-longest-running-show-in-broadway-history-july-12
- ↑ Wicked (Musical) Characters. Retrieved July 22, 2020 .
- ↑ Viola Volland: Musical “Wicked” is replaced. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung. March 19, 2009, archived from the original on March 23, 2009 ; Retrieved January 3, 2010 .
- ↑ Viola Volland: Musical “Wicked” is replaced. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung. March 19, 2009, archived from the original on March 23, 2009 ; Retrieved January 3, 2010 .
- ↑ Willemijn Verkaik is the green witch from "Ozerhausen". In: www.stage-entertainment.de. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010 ; Retrieved January 3, 2010 .
- ↑ www.wickedthemusical.com.au: Australian homepage of Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of OZ . Accessed April 2, 2010.
- ↑ Chantal Janzen and Jim Bakkum voor het eerst seeds in a musical . (Dutch) ( Memento of January 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ↑ WICKED - The Musical. Retrieved July 22, 2020 .
- ↑ Jackson McHenry: Examining the Silly, Emotional Legacy of 'Defying Gravity'. October 26, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2020 (American English).
- ^ Wicked Opening Night Cast on Broadway - Information, Cast, Crew, Synopsis and Photos - Playbill Vault . In: playbillvault.com .
- ^ Wicked - The Musical. Cast & Creative Team. In: wickedthemusical.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016 .
- ^ Wicked - The Musical. Cast & Creative Team. In: wickedthemusical.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016 .
- ^ Wicked - The Musical. Cast & Creative Team. In: www.wickedthemusical.co.uk. Retrieved March 11, 2019 .
- ↑ a b WILLEMIJN VERKAIK TO RETURN TO WICKED AS 'ELPHABA' FROM 30 JANUARY 2017. Wicked The Musical, September 14, 2016, accessed on July 28, 2017 .
literature
- Gregory Maguire : Wicked - The life and times of the wicked witch of the west , ReganBooks, reprint with photos from Broadway production, 2004, ISBN 0-06-074590-8
- David Cote: Wicked the Grimmerie: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical , Hyperion Books, ISBN 1-4013-0820-1
Web links
- Wicked in the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB)
- Official US website
- Official UK website
- Cast lists of all productions