MANILA, Philippines - On her 13th birthday celebration, my daughter Mika sang a lovely but very unfamiliar (at least for me) song, together with her best friend Gia Garcia. The beauty of the melody and lyrics of the song (which spoke about being what we are today and changing for the better because of our dearest friends) made me (and some cry-baby-friends like me in attendance) misty eyed. When asked for her source, Mika explained to poor old me that it was one of the centerpieces in the West End and Broadway musicale Wicked and was very popular among the young. I thought then that if one selection could be as touching as this song, the musicale it must have been lifted from must definitely be great. In the London theatre where my husband Paul and I watched together with Rotary friends Jun and Zeny Farcon, the West End production went even beyond my expectations! No wonder it has been lauded as the Musicale of the Decade! No wonder it has won several Tony Awards! No wonder it has enjoyed nightly standing ovations and record-breaking sales (it got the highest grossing opening at the West End)!
The narrative of Wicked is actually a deconstructed prequel to the tale of the Wizard of Oz. It revolves around the young and highly intelligent Elpheba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and the young and very attractive Galinda (who, from being her worst enemy became Elpheba’s best friend and who later becomes the Good Witch of the North), how their lives crossed paths; the school they went to; the big difference in their characters and their opposing views in life. It is a story that shows us the reality that beauty begets popularity but also reminds us that being popular does not necessarily amount to happiness. Aside from the musicale being very highly entertaining, it teaches us the meaning of true friendship and loyalty and more importantly for me, it promotes the importance of freedom, integrity and doing and fighting for what one believes is right. In developing this theme, it dramatized how Elpheba, at the risk of her life, decided to go against the wishes of the Wizard who turns out to be a sham, wanted to hang on to power at whatever cost (grrrr!), and how Galinda, as the new governor of Oz, had this corrupt, illegitimate Wizard and his minions thrown in jail!!!
As the two leading characters are direct opposites of each other, one would always tend to choose a favorite. At the start, my personal choice, for her looks, was, no doubt, Galinda. She had the most beautiful face, the most fabulous clothes, and was flirty in a funny and endearing kind of way. I particularly loved her hilarious musical number Popular where she tries to do a makeover of her ugly roommate Elpheba. However, when it came to personal convictions and principles, Elpheba was definitely the winner, having the courage to question what was spoonfed to them as the truth and showing the audience that it is absolutely wrong to accept bribes in order to shut up. Definitely the most spectacular and vocally awesome part of the musicale is Elpheba’s song Defying Gravity where Elpheba, in her perfectly strong voice, magically soars up into the sky with her broomstick with a technically dazzling backdrop!
The music was excellent! The voices of the actors were crystal clear and undoubtedly coming from trained artists. The lighting effects kept us in rapture. And the sets and staging (which won a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design) and the costumes (which also won a Tony Award for Best Costume Design) thrilled us from start to end.
There were several other wonderful musical numbers but still the most meaningful song for me is For Good, the popular duet of best friends Elpheba and Galinda, which filled me with emotion bringing me back to the day my daughter sang it with her closest friend and filled me with memories of my best buddies from elementary way up to college… of law. For these songs alone, given the chance [there is buzz of a movie incarnation (yay!)], I will definitely watch this musicale again with my daughter...and again, with my best friends in school.
(E-mail me at celebrationsdot@yahoo.com or text 0927-5000833.)