Context Flashcards
Wicked is a Broadway musical which is based on the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. David Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for Wicked, including the song Defying Gravity, which premiered in 2003.
The original film of The Wizard of Oz includes the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland. Schwartz makes reference to the melody of this song throughout the musical and in the song Defying Gravity.
Wicked tells the story from the perspective of two witches, Elphaba - who is green - and Glinda - who is depicted as ‘pretty in pink’. They are both sent to help the Wonderful Wizard of Oz while at Shiz University.
However, the wizard turns out not to be as good as people first thought - he takes away the rights of the animals and separates them from the rest of Oz so that they forget how to speak. Elphaba stands up to him and sings Defying Gravity, which results in her being called The Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda doesn’t stand up to him with Elphaba and so is considered the good witch.
As the musical progresses, Elphaba tries to free the animals by confronting the Wizard of Oz. The musical concludes with Elphaba and her love, Fiyero, escaping Oz together while Glinda has changed for the better.
Defying Gravity is one of the popular songs from the musical and concludes the first act. Elphaba has realised that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not good and has vowed to stand up to him. Elphaba’s defiance is seen in the lyrics of Defying Gravity that she sings to Glinda.
Wicked has been well-received all around the world. It has had a continuous run on Broadway since it premiered in … and London’s West End since 2006. Stephen Schwartz has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame because of the successful career.
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