Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff
C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News
Before it was a Broadway sensation and a Hollywood film, Wicked was a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. Encouraged by memories of improvisation of scenes from The Wizard of Oz when he was a child, he liked the adaptability in this story. In an interview with BBC, he commented, "The material was so malleable you could change it and it would still be recognizable.". These playfully rendered reinterpretations laid the groundwork for what would later be known as his groundbreaking novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
By the early 1990s, Maguire had become an established author of children's books, well-regarded by critics but selling only in modest numbers. He chose to channel everything important to him into one adult novel, without knowing whether he would ever write another one. The actual core of Wicked is to review what evil is, how it occurs, and how society refers to it. Maguire wanted to wrap these themes of high caliber within a good story that would be told around the world.
The idea of reimagining The Wizard of Oz took shape when Maguire pondered the relationship between the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, inspired by Margaret Hamilton and Billie Burke's portrayals in the 1939 film. "I thought to myself, 'They know each other. They went to school together!'" This humorous thought began a creative journey that redefined this classic story.
The Wicked Witch's Story Reimagined
Maguire's Wicked addresses the life of the Wicked Witch, whom he named Elphaba-a play on The Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum's initials. Born with green skin, Elphaba faces ridicule and isolation, shaping her identity as an outcast. Her activism to protect Oz's talking animals, persecuted by the Wizard's regime, leads to her vilification. Through propaganda, the Wizard brands her as evil, while Elphaba's rage over personal losses seals her reputation as misunderstood. The nuanced portrayal in the novel challenges the reader to question the designations of "good" and "evil.
Although not an immediate bestseller, the novel gained popularity through word-of-mouth and became a "sleeper hit," as Maguire describes it. Its adaptation into a musical by Stephen Schwartz in 2003 cemented its more widespread acclaim. In this musical, Elphaba's character was watered down to become misunderstood rather than embittered, making it more appealing to a wider audience.
From Stage to Screen
The success of the stage production spilled over into a Hollywood version. Opening on 22 November, this film version focuses on the friendship between Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, portrayed by Ariana Grande. The action takes place at Shiz University. It shows how two rivals become allies as they discover a wicked plot aimed at Oz's talking animals. The movie highlights friendship and finding oneself in adaptations for the mainstream audience.
The Timeless Allure of Wicked
Speaking about the story's timeless resonance, Dana Fox, its co-writer, refers to the way it challenges assumed conceptions of evil. "Before the book, everyone believed the green witch was evil, but if you asked why, no one could answer," Fox says. Maguire's explanation of that question is part of larger ideas of prejudice and propaganda, including those perpetrated by the Wizard himself upon the citizens of Oz.
Maguire’s inspiration for Wicked deepened following a tragic real-world event in 1993: the murder of two-year-old James Bulger by two young boys. This incident led Maguire to ponder the origins of evil, considering societal, biological, and psychological factors. His reflections culminated in the line, “It is the nature of evil to be secret,” which Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike later highlighted in an essay.
For Maguire, self-loathing and a failure of imagination often underpin acts of evil. Referencing Graham Greene’s novel The Power and the Glory, he noted how fascism thrives when people lack empathy. Similarly, in Wicked, the Wizard uses propaganda to maintain control, targeting those who challenge his authority.
A Universal Message
Fox believes Wicked maintains relevance because it deals with the "othering" of people for a societal benefit. Elphaba's road to self-acceptance is universally relatable. "You don't need green skin to relate to feeling like an outsider," Fox said. Wicked encourages audiences to empathize with its characters, reminding us "there's a little Elphaba and Glinda in all of us.
ความคิดเห็น