Wicked Author Did Not See Musical Coming

Gregory Maguire is the author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the novel that the hit musical is based on.  His idea was simply to take a character from the beloved movie The Wizard of Oz and explore more about her.  He wanted to add in adult themes that break down the good and evil dichotomy to reveal the grey in between.  He is quoted in an article as saying about the Wicked Witch, “Everybody knows who she is, but the movie, and L. Frank Baum’s original novel, don’t say much about her. “

He drew on his experience during the 1970s protesting civil, gay and feminist rights.  He decided that villains can be mistakenly made when people have prejudices and the government is corrupt.  Turns out, Maguire isn’t the only one who feels a connection with his adaptation.  Stephen Schwartz turned the novel into a musical, and audiences all over grew to love the green faced witch, Elphaba.  It hit Broadway in 2003 and has since won three Tony Awards and become one of the most successful traveling shows.  Don’t miss it when it comes near you and get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 2, 2008 - Post a comment

Actor and Producer Talks Could Affect Witches’ Pay

No one wants to see another Broadway blackout like last year during the stagehands strike.  During those discussions, over 24 shows weren’t produced for 19 days.  This time, the talks are between the actor’s union and the Broadway theater producers.  They have already missed the deadline, but the two parties are still talking, and the outcome looks favorable.  One of the issues in question is the rule put in place in 2004 with a sliding scale for pay on touring shows.  Actors on hit traveling shows like Wicked get paid significantly more than those of smaller shows.  A change will likely be made to that policy. Another issue that also may affect Wicked is the discussion of safety for actors as sets become more and more elaborate.

Wicked has been wowing audiences over and over again, and actors that help make it that successful should not get paid the same as a traveling flop.  Part of what makes a hit musical a hit is the casting and therefore the cast should reap the benefits of success.  Hopefully, they do not change the rule and take away money from the talented cast of the traveling Wicked show.

Get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 1, 2008 - Post a comment


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