1. Galadriel says:

    Although I haven’t read the novel, I got to see Wicked in London’s East End–first big musical I’ve ever seen–and I think you got most of the elements down pat. I’m surprised that it’s so different from the book.
    My favorite songs are “Defying Gravity” and one you didn’t mention “No Good Deed,” in which Elphaba’s crossing to the Dark Side is explored.  In her own words “Sure, I meant well -Well, look at what well-meant did:.” but even more interesting are the lines “Was I really seeking good/Or just seeking attention?/Is that all good deeds are/When looked at with an ice-cold eye?”
    In one of my classes we are going over secular philosophies, and this seems an expression of pragmaticism–truth is whatever works. And since Elphaba’s good deeds failed, she goes with wickedness as “what works.”

  2. Fred Warren says:

    Thanks, Galadriel, that’s an important scene that I missed. Here’s a link to it from a production in L.A.: http://youtu.be/XJclY5u8xWg

What do you think?