Gregory Maguire Continues

Gregory Maguire is, perhaps, best known for the way that he has carried on the legacy of Oz. Starting with Wicked, the well known book turned musical, Maguire has taken one of the favorite American fairytales and turned it on its head. The story of the Wicked Witch of the West becomes the story of Elphaba an intelligent, beautiful, woefully misunderstood and unfortunately green-skinned girl. Then Wicked was followed up by Son of a Witch, the story of Elphaba’s son. Most recently Maguire has written A Lion Among Men.

A Lion Among Men is considered by some to be Maguire’s best work yet. The story of the Cowardly Lion unwraps that character in surprising ways. Questions arise: Is the Cowardly Lion the young cub that Elphaba rescued from a classroom when she was in school? What has happened since Dorothy destroyed the Witch? What is the destinty of the Cowardly Lion, and his he really cowardly at all? And also, what happened to the lion after he was rescued and before he met Dorothy?
This is just another great new story from Maguire, a fairytale for adults that will turn one of the most famous childhood stories on its head. With this latest book on shelves, now is a great time to go back to see the musical again and remind yourself about the story of The Wicked Witch of the West. Be sure to get your tickets to see this musical on stage, you won’t be regretting it.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on October 21, 2008 - Post a comment