Wicked: The other side of the story

With the musical "Wicked", one of the most successful musicals of the
21st century is coming to Switzerland. The story of the musical's origins is nowhere near as well known in this country as it is in America.

"The Wizard of Oz" from 1939 is still considered one of the most famous films in American movie history. Judy Garland's performance of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" in particular is world-famous. Nevertheless, the story is less well known in German-speaking countries. What the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales are here is "The Wizard of Oz" in English-speaking countries.

The retelling of the story provides an aha effect for many: Dorothy has to meet the Wizard of Oz in order to find her way home and is instructed by him to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. The story of the musical "Wicked", on the other hand, begins long before Dorothy appears: the focus is on the relationship between the Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba and the good witch Glinda. Both went to the same school: Elphaba with green skin and unpopular, Glinda blonde and the school favorite. After some initial difficulties, they become best friends until Elphaba turns against the Wizard of Oz.

"Wicked" grossed over a billion dollars on Broadway

The musical "Wicked" is based on the 1995 book of the same name by Gregory Maguire. Musical author and three-time Oscar winner ("Pocahontas", "Prince of Egypt", "The Three Musketeers") Stephen Schwartz quickly knew that the story was perfect for a musical: when he was campaigning for the stage rights with the book author, he found out about the deal with Universal, who were planning a film of "Wicked". Schwartz therefore had to convince two parties of the idea of the musical.
The movie was postponed, but "Wicked" was finally staged in collaboration with Universal Stage Production, first in San Francisco and then on Broadway. Nevertheless, the musical's success was anything but certain. The Times wrote at the premiere: "I'd rather see the Wizard of Oz 20 times than this ersatz show just once."

"I saw the premiere and the reviews were very mixed. There was no sign that 'Wicked' was going to be such a box office hit at one point," the British executive producer of 'Wicked', Michael McCabe, told Forbes magazine in 2016. "At the same time, Facebook was on the rise. Social media was where we got the most engagement. Very quickly, the success of 'Wicked' built its own momentum."

Almost like Cinderella: Elphaba and heartthrob Fiyero fall in love.

Wicked" is now one of the ten longest-running musicals on Broadway in New York. The current production alone grossed over one billion dollars. The production in London's West End celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. A film adaptation of the story has been announced for 2019.

"Defying Gravity", the climax of the musical, is also a coming-out song.

But what is the recipe for success behind "Wicked"? Although you might think it's a children's musical, it appeals just as much to adults and teenagers. Above all, the story of the misunderstood wicked witch who turns against the regime and is completely on her own and accepts this is inspiring to many. The story of the two strong witches is often also perceived as a feminist story. The musical highlight "Defying Gravity", in which Elphaba declares her independence from the regime, is considered a coming-out song by homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals due to its lyrics. It was the theme song of "Pride" in Los Angeles in 2007.

As a relatively new musical, "Wicked" also relies on an orchestra, thus setting a counter-trend to bands without strings, which are now often used for musicals. And last but not least, the elaborate costumes and impressive stage design immerse you in the world of Oz. The musical won a Tony Award, the highest award for Broadway musicals, for both of these points.

One thing is certain: even 14 years after its premiere, "Wicked" continues to inspire audiences all over the world. The play has been translated into a total of six languages, including Portuguese, Korean, German and Dutch. When the international tour production stops in Zurich, the original English version of the musical will be on show. And it will also amaze audiences here in Switzerland when Elphaba shoots up into the air at the end of the first act and performs "Defying Gravity".

6 magical Wicked facts:

Ariana Grande is a big fan of "Wicked". Although she never starred in the musical, she recorded a pop version of the Wicked song "Popular" together with the Lebanese-British singer Mika ("Relax, Take It Easy"). She also sang songs from the musical several times on Snapchat.

The witch Elphaba's make-up is applied with a wet brush. To achieve the right green, Mac Cosmetics developed a color especially for the musical. Fun fact: Elphaba's color gets darker as the musical progresses.

The dress worn by Glinda, the good witch, weighs ten kilograms and has almost 100,000 sequins sewn onto it.

Even Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are fans of "Wicked". In 2012, they attended a performance on Broadway in New York. In 2010, West released a video in which he experimented with the song "Popular" in the studio and underlaid it with hip-hop beats.

Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba in both the Broadway and West End premieres, lent her voice to the main character Elsa in the Disney film "Frozen" and thus also sang the well-known film hit "Let It Go". The same applies to Dutch actress Willemijn Verkaik, who was the first to play Elphaba in German and Dutch and provided the dubbing voice for Elsa in German and Dutch.

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Willemijn Verkaik is also the actress who was allowed to play Elphaba the most: With engagements in Stuttgart (D), Oberhausen (D), Scheveningen (NL), New York (USA) and London (GB), she has over 2000 performances to her name. She is the only performer to play Elphaba in three different languages.