Wicked in Manila!

I finally got to watch Wicked in CCP and wow, what a truly beautiful and powerful musical it is! It definitely lived up to the hype and met and even exceeded my expectations!

Wicked is the 11th longest running musical on Broadway and is also the third highest-grossing musical, currently behind The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera (not counting inflation, of course). It tells an alternate story about the witches of Oz. Here, the Wicked Witch of the West named Elphaba is the protagonist and she in fact becomes best friends with Glinda The Good. Rather than talk in detail about the story which you can read about in the Wicked wikipedia page, I will instead talk about why this musical moved me very deeply.

"Defying Gravity" became more popular than it already was because it was featured in Glee. I think most people are fans of this song because of its obvious theme of going beyond your limits to achieve great things. Personally, I love this song much more for other reasons:

• It shows how Elphaba suddenly realizes that the things she wanted before - pleasing the wizard and making a positive name for herself in Oz - are now taking a backseat to wanting to fight for what she strongly believes in, even if it means getting vilified and scorned. When Glinda says "You can have all you ever wanted" to which Elphaba replies "But I don't want it. No. I CAN'T want it anymore," I feel the strength of Elphaba's principles and I get chills.
• It showcases the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda. You feel how much they value each other when Elphaba, who has now determined that she wants to overcome the oppression she has witnessed, tries to convince Glinda to join her, saying "Unlimited, together we're unlimited, together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been." Glinda then joins Elphaba to sing "Just you and I defying gravity" as they both look at the potential of making a difference together.
• It also marks the moment when they realize that they are now about to take different paths in life that will lead them in opposite directions. Their initially sarcastic lines of "I hope you're happy" turn into well-wishes later in the song: "I hope you're happy, now that you're choosing this" and "I hope you're happy in the end, I hope you're happy, my friend".

In just one song, there are so many defining moments that, as it builds towards its impressive climax, I had goosebumps all over. Here's a clip of the New Zealand cast performing Defying Gravity. I'm sharing this clip because the performers here are same ones we saw in Manila: Ali Calder as Elphaba and Suzie Mathers as Glinda.


video uploaded in youtube by Dr Ben Kirk

Of course, this isn't t the only song that moved me. Another piece that I have loved ever since I got my CD of the Original Broadway Recording of Wicked is "No Good Deed". Similar to Defying Gravity, this number also showcases a massive range of emotion. Here, Elphaba starts to have doubts about her own intentions - "Was I really seeking good or just seeking attention?" This, coupled with her despair (believing she has lost Fiyero even as she tried to save him) and self-pity (believing that every good thing she has tried to do has only resulted in misery for those she has tried to help) leads her to fall even further into isolation. The song marks another important and defining moment in Elphaba's life as she now spitefully and almost begrudgingly accepts her role as the Wicked Witch of the West. This piece is tremendously well-written and Ali Calder performed it so well that she got thunderous applause. You can hear her sing it here.

Photo of the stage right before the show started

"Dancing Through Life" was never a memorable song for me until I watched the musical and saw how critical it is to the story. After all, it is here where Glinda and Elphaba become friends. But more than that, it is the give-and-take of Fiyero and Glinda just as Elphaba starts dancing by herself that resonated with me. As Fiyero marvels at Elphaba's attitude saying "I'll say this much for her, she doesn't give a tweet what anyone else thinks", Glinda replies "Of course she does, she just pretends not to." Beyond the musical, it reminded me just how 'outcasts' in society have the unfortunate and very difficult task of having to develop a thick skin and trying to let pain and hurt roll off their backs to help them just get through life. This is where Glinda, who at that point was still shallow and very self-absorbed, discovers her considerate and caring side, which then marks the start of her own growth into a truly good person.

Apart from good and bad and fighting for what's right, another underlying theme of Wicked is friendship. And nowhere in the musical is this highlighted more than in "For Good". While "Defying Gravity" made Elphaba and Glinda realize they were taking separate paths, it is in "For Good" that they bid farewell to each other, knowing that they will most likely never see each other again ("It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime. So, let me say before we part: so much of me is made of what I learned from you.") It's a very powerful, heartbreaking moment. Everyone can relate to the lines "Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you...I have been changed for good." Then there's the bridge. When Elphaba sings "And just to clear the air I ask forgiveness for the things I've done you blamed me for" and Glinda replies "But then, I guess, we know there's blame to share" before they sing together that "none of it seems to matter anymore," you can see and feel the strength, beauty, and honesty of their friendship.

Curtain call

Of course, by the end of the musical, everyone was on their feet to give the entire cast and crew a well-deserved standing ovation. I saw many folks wipe tears from their eyes. I haven't seen that many musicals in my life but I must say that Wicked is now one of my favorites. While I do think Phantom of the Opera (one of my other favorites) is the better overall musical, I left that show being utterly impressed and amazed. The difference with Wicked is that while I was also impressed, I left this show being very moved and affected by it. I think this is because I connect deeply with many of its underlying themes: friendship, fighting passionately for what you believe is right even sometimes at your own expense, valuing inner beauty, and not fearing and hating what is different. Unlike other musicals where I feel like an audience member looking in, the character development in Wicked allowed me to feel like I was part of the journey.

Wicked is showing in CCP until March 9 and you can get your tickets at Ticketworld. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend that you go and see it. You won't be disappointed.