A Wicked Friendship
When it was first performed at New York’s Gershwin Theatre in 2003, Wicked was perceived as a “girl power” moment, based on a novel by Gregory Maguire which had been released in 1995, also the peak of the 90s third wave of feminism. Professor of Theatre at Princeton University, Stacy Wolf, even wrote a book about Wicked as a feminist text, borrowing from the show for its title, Changed for Good.
At its heart, Wicked is a tale of friendship, and how deep, platonic bonds can change a person ‘For Good’ — a theme for an industry whose most successful musicals have historically focused either minimally on women (see: Les Miserables), or positioned them as the dependent love interest (see: Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Rock of Ages).
Where many musicals position romantic relationships as the be all and end all of companionship, Elphaba and Glinda’s alliance is most important: they complement each other’s attributes and shortcomings, while supporting the other’s magical and political goals. These witches truly are partners, in a musical that offers integrity, engagement in public life and strong female friendship as worthy alternatives to love and marriage.
No comments:
Post a Comment