WICKED: Novel or Musical- Page 2

[Marlene]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:37pm

I absolutely adore the novel for it's complexities, and Elphaba's character. It's just darker, less fluffy and I like that way. On the other hand, the musical is lighthearted and whimsical, a little Idina doesn't hurt, and the fact that it's theater. It's alive, it's right smack in your face. You can't disregard that element.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:39pm

Actually, the end of the first book could also been read as ambiguous

SPOILER

It has been a while since I read it, but the last scene is recounted through Dorothy's re-telling, not by witnessing it in the book - doesn't that leave some room for different interpretations on how it in fact did end?

I loaned my book to a fried, and have not be able to revisit the ending to see if I am reading soemthing that is not there.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:50pm

Not sure what you mean youwantitwhen. I dont recall Dorothy retlling the ending like that. She did basically tell the Wizard what happened but no one believed her. She tells Nanny at the beginning of Son of the Witch essentially the same thing. The ending is told by Elphaba's perceptions, and its more about Elphaba's 'baptism' and the life flashing before the life scene. A very sad and very powerful ending for the book.

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:55pm

Definitely the novel.

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:58pm

Again, spoilers if you haven't seen the stage version or read the book ---

The overall spirit of the musical may be more lighthearted, but that was a choice the creators made. There was no reason why they couldn't have stayed closer to the book's tone.

It's a long established fact that the Wicked Witch of the West dies. We know that going in. We know that going into Maguire's book. It's what lead up to that that we're examining. Maguire did a really good job of keeping his book within the confines out the original story. The show - which I do enjoy - throws all that out the window, with Fiyero's and Boq's fates completely out of left field, regardless of how clever. And by changing the ending, the show loses the chance at some poignancy.


Edited to add: Actually, the end of the first book could also been read as ambiguous

I hear this said here and there, and I've never gotten it. I think people read too much into the fact that the old story about the witch is repeated at the end. I never took it to mean that she wasn't 100% dead.

Updated On: 1/16/06 at 04:58 PM

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:59pm

No question about it - The novel

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 5:01pm

What I mean is that the story is not told as we witness the actions, only as Dorothy recounts the actions.

There are some who have argued that the ending told is a ruse - and that all is not what it seems.

SPOILERS ...

Elphaba was able to cross the frozen river to save Chistery, so it is not clear to me at all whether water would kill or merely cause great pain. Nowhere is it written that she in fact died . . . it is assumed. Many who read Son of a Witch thought that it wouold expose that Elphaba may in fact be alive and in hiding.

I thougth the ending, while it clearly meant to imply she died, left open the possibility that she did not. I presumed she did, but I also thought - hey, this gould be a pretty good trick, Elphaba gets to get away from all of it, Dorothy gets what she needs, and since she did not know if Liir was her's anyway, he is probably no better or worse off.

And, baptism and rebirth can have multiple meanings.

But, again, I thought she died, but the ending left open a crack that she could have survived, had he chosen that path.
Updated On: 1/16/06 at 05:01 PM

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 5:03pm

I don't have the book handy, so I can't recall completely.

Dorothy doesn't recount the actions. The melting is decribed in detail, from an internal perspective.

The book does mention that nobody believes Dorothy's account of melting being an accident.

Posted: 1/16/06 at 5:04pm

SON of a WITCH left me with a lot of unanswered questions.

[Madhatter]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 5:17pm

The novel was a lot better I think. It was a lot darker and deeper then the musical. The characters had more personality to them, they were layered. I enjoyed the muscial and the music, but I have no real desire to pay $100 to watch the show again with girls singing along.
And about Son of a Witch- I liked most of the book. Some parts left me bored and I skiped a few pages, but I did like it.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 5:36pm

Well, it has been a while since I read it.

I will have to go back and re-read it when I get it back from a friend.

SPOILER - -

For me, I got the pain, and the baptism by water, but I just felt that it would not have surprised me if in fact she was not dead.

What I meant by Dorothy recounting, was that she is the one who says she is dead, no one else.

But again, it has been a very long while. So you are probably right.