Wicked - Original Cast (CD 2003)

My husband and I recently saw the musical "Wicked" on Broadway and loved it. "The Wizard of Oz" is one of my all time favorite movies, though I was less than impressed by the novel which this play was based on. The show was fantastic as was the music and singing. Since we saw the show the "Wicked" soundtrack has rarely left my compact disc player.

There is not one of the nineteen songs on the soundtrack that I dislike. Be warned though, even though most people know the movie "The Wizard of Oz", this musical is about the Wicked Witch's descent into evil and therefore there are lyrics that may not make sense to those who have not seen the show. Also, though the musical is based on the book, there were some changes made in the plot to condense or better tell the story.

The story opens right after Dorothy's house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East and Glinda (formerly known as Galinda) the Good is celebrating with the Munchkinlanders....

(1) No One Mourns the Wicked - The first words we hear are "Good News! She's Dead!" and of course they are referring to Elphaba (Idina Menzel), later known as The Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda (Kristin Chenoweth) sings about good conquering evil and ponders whether people are born Wicked or if Wickedness thrust upon them. After all, being born green could not have been easy. Part of this song features Joel Grey, years before he became the Wizard, and tells of his giving Elphaba's mother a green elixir the night she was conceived.

(2)Dear Old Shiz - "Glinda! Is it true - were you her friend?!" asks one Munchkinlander and the story then goes back in time to when the two girls first met. It seems that Galinda and Elphaba met at a sorcery school named Shiz where they were roommates. Nessarose (the future Wicked Witch of the East) was also at this school but as she was in a wheelchair and unable to walk, she did not room with her sister.

(3) The Wizard and I - After Elphaba performs a minor spell, the headmistress at Shiz (who, coincidentally, is the Press Secretary for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz) promises her that she will get to meet the Wizard. This is a hopeful song, since Elphaba wants to "make good" and sings about teaming up with the Wizard. In fact, she states that she is so "happy that she could melt," sings about her future being unlimited, and sees a vague vision of a celebration throughout Oz that centers around her. I laughed the first time I heard the word "melt" since, of course in the movie water melts her.

(4) What Is This Feeling? - The feelings that Galinda and Elphaba have for each other can be summed up in one word: "loathing." Elphaba is treated as an outcast at Shiz as the other students rally behind Galinda's loathing. Elphaba appears to be a good, nice person, but nobody can seem to get past her coloring. Then again, she has difficult getting past Galinda's coloring, which happens to be "Blonde."

(5) Something Bad - This is one of the songs that I think will make absolutely no sense unless you have seen the musical, read the book, or know a little about the story line. In Oz at this time, there are Animals and there are animals. Animals wear clothing, speak, hold jobs and are quite human-like, aside from their features. The remaining animals are the animals that you and I are accustomed to. Dr. Dillamond is a professor at Shiz, but he also happens to be a goat, which fits in nicely with the title of this song since as it goes on, he goes from saying "Something Bad. . ." to "Something B-a-a-a-a-d is happening in Oz." The bad thing is that Animals' speech is being somehow repressed and that as a group they are forgetting how to speak. Elphaba believes that the Wizard can help, since, after all, the reason they have a Wizard is to ensure that "nothing all that bad" can happen. She is now even more determined to get to see the Wizard.

(5) Dancing Through Life - In this upbeat song, Prince Fiyero (who later becomes the Scarecrow) arrives as a new student at Shiz. His motto is that we should be "Dancing Through Life" and not worry about anything. In fact, one line from the song is "Life's more painless, for the brainless." Hmm, was that a Scarecrow reference? We learn that a Munchkin named Boq (who later becomes the Tin Woodsman) loves Galinda, but she has her sights set on blonde, perfect Fiyero, and that he most definitely returns those feelings. As a favor, Galinda asks Boq to bring Nessarose to the big dance and he agrees, though grudgingly. After that, because she is in a wheelchair, he feels guilty and stays with her. While getting ready for the dance, Galinda finds a hat she dislikes and "out of the goodness of her [my] heart" gives it to Elphaba. In the song, the hat is described as black and "sharp" - could it become a witch's hat?

(7) Popular - If you have heard any commercials for the Wicked show or soundtrack, then you probably have heard this upbeat tune. Perfect, blonde Galinda makes plain, green Elphaba her personal project to get her to become more popular, though she will never be as popular as Galinda herself.

(8) I'm Not That Girl - In this sad song, we hear Elphaba's lament that though there was a spark between Fiyero and herself, they are not suited for each other.

[It is at this point in the play that Galinda gives up the first "A" in her name thereby changing her name to Glinda in an effort to support the cause of the Animals. Remember, she's blonde!]

(9) One Short Day - An exciting song in which Elphaba and Glinda sing about how "grand" and "green" the Emerald City is, as they prepare to meet the Wizard. Elphaba is impressed by the libraries and museums, while Glinda is more impressed with the palaces and dress salons. Elphaba certainly seems at home in this green world.

(10) A Sentimental Man - I may be in the minority, but I was less than impressed with Joel Grey's performance on this soundtrack. He plays the Wizard and in this song he tells how he has "always longed to be a father" so he treats the citizens of Oz as his children, and he believes that "everyone deserves the chance to fly."

[Elphaba and Glinda are granted an audience with the Wizard and it is then that they learn that the Wizard is behind the suppression of the Animals, so that Elphaba refuses to work with him. The Press Secretary, in order to protect the Wizard's secret, begins the rumor that she is Wicked.]

(11) Defying Gravity - The Wicked Witch flies around on a broomstick, right? In this back and forth argumentative song between Glinda and the now-dubbed Wicked Witch, she first tries to cast a flying spell, and is successful. Both girls really are witches and they sing that together they could be unlimited, but Glinda wants to go along with the Wizard, while the Wicked Witch refuses to. She sings "I think I'll try defying gravity, And you can't pull me down!" and eventually flies off with "So if you care to find me, look to the western sky!" Hence the name, the Wicked Witch of the West.

(12) Thank Goodness - A very peppy and happy song, sung primarily by Glinda, with assistance from the Press Secretary, in which they try to make the citizens of Oz forget about the evil Wicked Witch and focus on the perkiness of the newly-dubbed Glinda the Good. Fiyero is there as well and is astonished that people are saying that she will melt if touched by water, so he runs off to find her.

(13) Wonderful - In this somewhat solemn song, the Wizard sings about how that title was bestowed upon him, and why he accepted it. He was "merely blown [t]here by the winds of chance" and the Ozians dubbed him "Wonderful." He never had a family and therefore treated all of the people of Oz as sons and daughters. He goes on to discuss labels and that they are truly in the eyes of the beholder. For example, "Is one a crusader, or a ruthless invader?" Near the end of the song he reiterates what we heard in an earlier song that there will be a celebration in Oz that centers around Elphaba.

(14) I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) - In this much shorter reprise of the earlier song, now it is Glinda's turn to lament over her lack of a love.

(15) As Long as You're Mine - In this love duet, Fiyero has realized that though Glinda is the prettier girl, he really loves Elphaba. Unfortunately at this point in the story, there is a Witch Hunt on for her and they cannot enjoy their newly realized love.

(16) No Good Deed - This is one of the most powerful songs on the Wicked soundtrack. Idina Menzel's voice is very strong as she belts out a plea to save Fiyero's life. She begins with a witch's chant and after a few tries gives up because she is not even sure what she is saying. Again the word "unlimited" is brought up, but this time it refers to the amount damage that she has done while trying to "make good" (as she mentioned in The Wizard and I). She finally comes up with a spell:
"Let his flesh not be torn, Let his blood leave no stain
Though they beat him, Let him feel no pain
Let his bones never break, And however they try to destroy him
Let him never die! Let him never die!"

Such ideas could not apply to a human, but would work if he was a man stuffed with straw. This is one of only a very few references to the Scarecrow in any of the songs.

(17)March of the Witch Hunters - This is more of an angry bout of yelling and chanting than a song. The citizens of Oz, along with Boq/The Tin Woodsman, are obsessed with catching the Wicked Witch.

[In the play, she cast a spell on Boq when he was having a heart attack so that he would have no heart that could be injured and he became the Tin Woodsman. He also speaks for the Cowardly Lion, who was made a coward in a short scene the play, when Elphaba rescued him, rather than letting him fight on his own.]

(18) For Good - In this last heart-wrenching duet between Elphaba and Glinda, we learn that they do love each other and that because they met, they each have been changed "For Good."

(19) Finale - We are back where we started and Oz is having that grand celebration that revolves around Elphaba. This is not quite the event she had envisioned, as they keep chanting "She's dead!" and state that "Noone mourns the Wicked." We are left thinking about what Glinda sung about early on with regard to whether anyone is really born Wicked. Glinda knows the girl named Elphaba and that she really is not Wicked, but she does not impart this information to the citizens, probably because it would risk her status as Glinda the Good and ruin her reputation.

While each song on the Wicked soundtrack is enjoyable, if you really listen to the words, you can piece together most of the play's storyline. The performer's voices are powerful and strong when necessary, yet can be tender and heartwarming at other times. Though this is a musical and, of course, you want to hear talented voices, the songs are well written and do make you think about different viewpoints. How many people came away from seeing the movie "The Wizard of Oz" feeling bad for the old Wicked Witch of the West? That story was told from Dorothy's standpoint and though this is not exactly the same story, this is told from poor green Elphaba' side. Which is right, and which is wrong? As was pointed out in the song Wonderful everybody views things differently.

We saw this play a few months ago, and though I have this music to listen to whenever I want, the more I listen, the more I want to purchase tickets and see it again. My children, and friends of mine, who have not seen the play have enjoyed listening to this soundtrack as well.