Broadway Thoughts

One of my main issues with "Wicked" is the end of Act One.

Nobody in all of Oz--

No wizard that there is or was--

Is ever gonna bring me down!

First, "was" does not rhyme with "Oz." Second, the repetition of "is" in this clunky sentence leaves something to be desired. Finally, how could a "wizard that was" bring Elphaba down? One assumes the wizard is dead? So.....huh?

And the writing never really "coheres" when a character is declaring his (or her) undying love:

Somehow I've fallen under your spell...

And somehow I'm feeling it's UP that I fell!

But I think that Stephen Schwartz does a nice job with human pain. I'm recalling "God Help the Outcasts"--and also "In the Wasteland," the highlight from "Children of Eden." In that latter song, Eve just repeats one line over and over. "Abel, my child, you must not die. You must not die. You must not die. You must not...."

This brings us to "I'm Not That Girl," the strongest piece from "Wicked." It's Elphaba's "Dancing on My Own" number.

Don't wish. Don't start.

Wishing only wounds the heart.

I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl.

There's a girl I know--

He loves her so--

I'm not that girl.

We tend to think of Elphaba as "empowered," but I like her best when she is a neurotic mess. If you have to tell yourself, "Don't wish," then you're fighting a losing battle. This is when the protagonist of "Wicked" becomes interesting.

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