Published on Jul 13, 2004
Not living in New York City and being closer to the Wisconsin
border than to Chicago’s city limits, my theatre experiences are
extremely limited. So it should be of no surprise that I’ve not
seen
Wicked, the latest Broadway smash (and, for star Idina
Menzel, a Tony Award-winning experience) that tries to tell the
story of how the Wicked Witch of the West became evil.
I’ve got to admit, I sat on this soundtrack for months. I had
zero — let me rephrase that,
zero
— interest in listening to it, having made it 33 years on
this planet without seeing
The Wizard Of Oz. (I will pause now for disgusted,
unbelieving gasps from the readership.) But, part of the gig here
is taking chances on discs you’d never pay money for at the store,
so I finally dusted it off and gave it a shot.
I’m glad I did.
Wicked is a surprisingly modern-sounding musical score,
seemingly taking the concept of a Disney soundtrack and swiftly
telling the story (albeit without all of the plot development or
even all the details) in the span of about an hour. Based on the
Gregory Maguire novel of the same name, this soundtrack dares to
paint a sympathetic picture of the Wicked Witch (officially named
“Elphaba”) and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the
North. Stephen Schwartz has crafted a set which, despite a few
sagging moments, is rightfully poised to become a modern
classic.
The pairing of Menzel (as Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (as
Glinda) works well, as both actresses’ voices complement each
other, almost to the point that they blend together as one. Were it
not for the liner notes, I honestly would have had problems
distinguishing one’s lines from the other’s – and that is not meant
as a complaint. Schwartz wisely keeps the numbers performed by
Menzel low-key. It would have been far too easy to create a musical
setting akin to Margaret Hamilton-like cackling; instead, Schwartz
crafts songs which paint the portrait of a young woman, a social
outcast through no fault of her own, trying to succeed and be
respected on her own terms.
Broadway staple Joel Grey makes two appearances on the
soundtrack as the Wizard, but his role is wisely scaled back, as
the focus of the story in
Wicked has more to do with the friendship between Glinda and
Elphaba.