If you grew up reading the book or watching the movie The Wizard of Oz, you may have wondered what the land of Oz was like before Dorothy arrived on the scene or what caused Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, to become so wicked.
Wicked, the untold story of the Witches of Oz, explores these questions and themes of friendship, identity, female empowerment and that every story has two sides. Let’s take a closer look at this award-winning Broadway musical.
The Story of Wicked
Loosely based on the story of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked chronicles the lives and relationships between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and based on the book by Winnie Holzman, takes place in the land of Oz before Dorothy’s arrival.
Due to her atypical green skin, Elphaba is seen as an outcast in the Land of Oz and the Emerald City. While studying magic at Shiz University, young Elphaba meets Glinda, a witch who is blonde, popular, and viewed as conventionally beautiful. The two witches become roommates and best friends. That is until the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz drives them apart.
Glinda and Elphaba are at odds over the Wizard’s plan to turn the talking, intelligent animals of Oz into unintelligible beasts. Elphaba wants to fight against the corruption of the Wizard while Glinda is torn between following the rules of Oz or supporting her good friend.
This two-act musical has taken Broadway by storm winning three Tony Awards, including Best Actress in a Musical, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design. It was also awarded the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical, Outstanding Orchestrations, Outstanding Set Design, and Outstanding Costume Design. Wicked additionally was awarded a Grammy for the Best Musical Show Album.
Setting Your Wicked Performance
Since Wicked takes place in the Land of Oz and the Emerald City prior to Dorothy’s arrival, backdrops and settings can include the traditional Wizard of Oz backdrops such as the Emerald Palace, the Yellow Brick Road, and the Castle in the Clouds backdrop.
Emerald Palace
The home to the Wizard and backdrop to many scenes, the Emerald Palace is a perfect choice for your next production of Wicked. This Emerald City Backdrop is ideal for setting the stage for your performance with the impressive green castle and yellow brick road leading to the structure.
The Castle in the Clouds option for your backdrop alludes to the distant Emerald City with its mystical view of the castle.
Forest Backdrops
Take audience members into the world of Oz with this forest backdrop. The Autumn Forest Backdrop is ideal for performances looking for that iconic pathway as well as a glowing forest area.
Or consider this Deep Woods Backdrop showing dense woods which shuts out the sun’s rays to add some mystery and suspense to the performance.
To view all options for your Wicked performance visit show suggestions under The Wizard of Oz.