Vomit and Subtext

For a musical that features the song "Defying Gravity" Wicked is awfully weighed down. (Cynthia: Daniel, that sure was an optimistic start to a blog)

**WARNING: LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS!!!*** We take no responsibility whatsoever if your experience of Wicked is in any diluted because of this post. You have been warned.

Wicked on Valentine's Day was probably one of the best ideas yet. About 500 other couples agreed. Between playing Frogger across Hollywood Blvd into the lobby of the Pantages Theatre, and Centipede outside the women's bathroom, we wee-wee'd in the bathrooms, and thoroughly enjoyed the Los Angeles production of Wicked.

First, let's talk about purely the production.

One word. Absofreakinglutelyamazing. Caissie Levy's portrayal of Elphaba (the green girl, for those of you who have seen the trailers incessantly playing on TV but are unfamiliar with the story) is both optimistic and uplifting, but poignant in all the right spots. Her partner (in more ways than one, it seems - more on this subtext later), Megan Hilty (Glinda - the pink one) has a voice that you could listen to forever...if only she would stop emoting and start singing (C: Is that mean? D: No...it's sort of a backhanded compliment).

There were lots of exciting green lights and smoke and trapdoors, and flying monkeys. Also, there were munchkins and giant dancing heads, which seemed to make the entire production worth the arm and leg we had to give to get in (C: That might be a slight exaggeration... D: I did lose one leg, but that's unrelated). Also made it worth the story-vomit we had to wade through (more on this later as well).

We've arrived at later.

First to the subtext. Apparent to us (but obviously not apparent to anyone who writes online papers, as google-search will amply demonstrate), Elphaba and Glinda are clearly lesbian lovers. It may not be clear to them either, however, as Elphaba remains convinced that she is in love with Fiyero. What the heck? Fiyero is approximately 60% of the story-vomit alluded to above (the other 40% is the plot salad that seems to mix strawberries with anchovies and licorice with a sprinkle of used coffee grounds...but we're getting ahead of ourselves).

Back to the lesbians. Consider the following lyrics:
"What is this feeling, so sudden and new,
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you?
My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling,
My face is flushing, what is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame, does it have a name?
Yes......"

Love at first sight? Yes..... When the lovers aren't busy touching each others' cheeks and lamenting their impending separation, they are (C: What ARE they doing, exactly? D: I don't know, but that first part just sounded good) cultivating the obvious sexual tension between them (again, refer to the song "Loathing"). In the number, "Defying Gravity", Elphaba attempts to seduce Glinda by saying "Come with me. Think of what we can do. Together." Without making this too R-rated, look at the first word of that quote. Examine it. Ponder it. Remember, they are "roommates". Think of what they CAN do. Together. (D: Where's that gutter?) I rest my case.

There are other indications in "For Good" as well. We laud it as a wonderful piece of music with lyrics beautifully and poetically written about two "friends" who are parting and may tragically never see each other again. The whole maudlin conclusion with Glinda left behind, believing Elphaba is a puddle of liquid, while Elphaba frolics off to the hills with Fiyero (Ponder this too. He's a scarecrow - what can THEY do .... together? Keep in mind, they allow kids under 18 into this show) may compel one to think that a denial of a queer reading is in order. In fact, it only serves to underscore the lesbian story cliches we see time and time again, where the lesbian couple is inopportunely torn apart, because society never wants to see lesbians have a happy ending apparently (C: Is that too bitter? D: I would take out "apparently"). .... because society never wants to see lesbians have a happy ending. Sad.

Sure, you can argue that "they are just friends". But seriously. I think we beat this dead horse. The subtext is so transparent it's like the screen door of the alpaca farm we visited today that was missing the screen.

Let's move on to the story-vomit. (D: So much vomit.)

Where to begin? Let's start with the beef we have with the timeframe.

The story begins with Elphaba and her future lesbian-lover, Glinda, arriving at a boarding school, Shiz, vaguely reminiscent of Hogwarts but without a hat. Unless school in Oz works very differently than in Kansas, we can assume they are (at the oldest) in their early teens. Within a semester, these early teens are getting engaged, becoming wicked witches, and watching their teacher turn into a full-fledged goat. (We know not a lot of time has passed at school because the history lesson on the board never changes.) (C: There IS an intermission between Acts 1 and 2... ) Yes, there IS an intermission between Acts 1 and 2, but it seems too much to require a suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience to have us buy the fact that 5+ years have passed. (C: You know, we should put a huge disclaimer on this. *adds to top of blog*)

Even in the second act alone, consider Dorothy. She navigates the Yellow Brick Road overnight and finds her way to the castle in which she "melts" Elphaba. That's not the Oz we remember. Also, Nessarose (Elphaba's invalid sister) is the Governor (ok, what?) and evil for all of what, 12 hours (?) before a house falls on her. That's not enough time for even a Wicked Witch to develop a reputation. I think Snow White's stepmother has a better claim. Or the Witch in Narnia.

In short, the timeframe seems very scrambled and disorienting. But enough of that for now. Let's talk about the character motivations. This is where Fiyero's 60% story-vomit comes into play. (D: Let's take a 5-year intermission now.)

***5 years later***

(D: See, we're still in the exact same chairs - just like the characters! C: I think another disclaimer about writing blogs late at night on sleep deprivation is in order...)

The biggest problem we have here is motivation - not lack thereof, but inexplicable...thereof. Here's a list of things that don't make sense:

1) Glinda (vs. Galinda - would some popular girl REALLY change her name to honor a teacher to impress a boy?)
2) Fiyero
3) Glinda and Fiyero
4) Elphaba and Fiyero
5) The Wizard and Fiyero

Are we sensing a pattern here? We're not just sprouting out lists. We have a point. Really. We just need to get to it.

In science fiction and fantasy stories, the best part of the story is the ability for the plot to reflect seemingly mundane going-ons in everyday people's lives. While the hook for Wicked lies in the fantastical setting of Oz, it tries to also insert themes of friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, and commentaries (pretty good ones at that) on the failings of the Bush administration, institutionalized religion, and racism. This is good and all, but in order for a fantasy plot to be plausible (C: Plot-sible), it must be consistent within the framework it establishes. Suspension of disbelief is already assumed in this case, but the audience should not need to carry this over into the other elements of the story. In Oz, for example, we accept that animals can talk, that magic is real, that a green girl exists, and that people travel around in giant bubbles (D: That I have some trouble with, but I'll let it go). This is not the problem. The problem is much more mundane - in the emotional motivations of the characters and the choices they make.

Take, for example, Elphaba giving Glinda the wand, and asking her to be in the sorcery class. This is a huge departure from the "loathing" established a mere 10 minutes earlier. Admittedly, it was not 10 minutes of story time, but it wasn't that long either - remember the history lesson the board. Even if one were to cite the lesbian subtext as an explanation of this change of heart, it still is a far stretch for a plausible motivation. (D: Lame) Even further unbelievable is Glinda dancing that truly ridiculous (D: Awful - it's the type of dance that I might be able to dance) dance with Elphaba to make her feel better. Sure, it's supposed to be uplifting that everyone starts dancing with Elphaba, but again. Requires (C: two double A batteries) further suspension of disbelief. (D: By this time, we're dangling precariously on a bungie cord -- we're falling apart here)

We're thinking we may need to continue this another day. The last sentence took us a full 20 minutes to write, between peach pies, dates with walnuts, facebook, a mysterious coconut smell, and a heavily breathing dog. However, we did want to make the comparison between Wicked and Avenue Q. Avenue Q also requires a suspension of disbelief (puppets!), but is absolutely self-consistent within its framework and its character motivations. The relationships take time and develop through interaction and other actions (full puppet nudity!). The writing is effortless, the story brutally honest, and the characters relatable. The plot may seem less consequential than that in Wicked. No kingdoms are at stake, and no one dies, but when all is said and done, the stakes are actually higher, because we in the audience have experienced it. It hits close to home.

(C: For two people who edit others' writings rather brutally.... D: We're being very soft on ourselves. C: That last paragraph just didn't follow. I think we'll chalk it up to sleepiness, and edit later.)