Monday, April 16, 2007

Wicked??

My teenage daughter has become an addict of musical theatre. She has always loved music and especially singing, but musical theatre has become something of an obsession for her. The pinnacle of that love has come in the form of Wicked. Wicked is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West- from the Wizard of Oz- told from the witch's perspective. The musical is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire.
Life begins tragically for Elphaba (that's the witch's name). We learn early in the show that she was conceived as a result of her mother's illicit fling with a traveling salesman. Even worse than that, she is green! As a result of these two terrible occurrences, Elphaba receives no love from her father. In fact, Elphaba's father prefers her younger, wheel-chair bound sister, Nessa Rose.
The ridicule and resentment that Elphaba receives is not limited to her family, however. She is completely different than everyone else. She does not 'fit in'. As a result, she is always picked on and left out in groups.
Without getting too involved in the plot of the story, let me summarize this way. There is eventually a controversy in Oz. The Wizard, in an effort to maintain control and ensure his continued position and popularity, blames Elphaba for all the problems. Elphaba, now forever labeled the Wicked Witch, must either run, or fight the Wizard and his power.
There is not one thing in Wicked that contradicts the 1939 film, 'The Wizard of Oz.' (Both the film and the play take liberties with L. Frank Baum's original novel.) In the movie, the Wicked Witch is most definitely wicked. In the play, however, she is a victim, misunderstood. It turns out that she is the only one with any integrity. Everyone else, society at large, has demonized Elphaba to protect their own interests.
This happens all too often in real life. We point the finger at the faults of someone else so that we look better. We blame a co-worker so that we avoid trouble. We maintain silence, even when we know that someone else is being ostracized for no reason.
It is time that Christians began to live the life that Jesus called us to. We must be honest. We must maintain integrity in all things. We must speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves. We must love all people, whether it is popular or not. You and I must make sure that we always do right.

No comments: