WICKED: Novel or Musical

[Broadway_Boy]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:45pm

So for those of you who have read the novel, which one do you think is better?

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:47pm

The novel.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:48pm

My opinion is the Musical took the best ideas of the book and Made em sing.
I had trouble gettin thru the book, but if not for those ideas there would be no Musical, did that make any sense?

[broadway_freak2]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:49pm

I love both versions but I am going to have to go with the Book. The book gives an even deeper and darker story and the musical only scratches the surface of it.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:56pm

The Novel was far more interested and developed. I enjoyed it far more.

The musical was like eating a lollipop - it tasted good, but left you with very little in the end. Much of the deeper themes and complexities of the books were thrown aside in order to make this something for mass consumption.

[rentheadcagofan12]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:59pm

The novel was just... better than the musical. The musical was just too fluffy for my taste. Both great stories, but I enjoyed the novel most.

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:00pm

I like things from both.

Musical- the songs are so powerful and the show is funny and very entertaining plus it takes the characters of the book and gives them life (minus a few details not used in the book like Fiyero having Avaric's personality etc.)

The book- The story is so rich and has such a strong vibe of undertones, you cant help but say damn that was good when you've finished. I prefer the character some characters in the book (example: Boq, Madame Morrible) than in the show for they are kind of not used in the musical as they are in the book.


Am I the only one who in the book wished Elphaba picked Boq over Fiyero?

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:00pm

The novel, without the competition even coming close.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:06pm

I agree with ClumsyDude--I liked things from both of them.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:11pm

I really enjoyed the novel, although they're so vastly different that it's hard to compare them.

The sequel Son of a Witch, on the other hand, is a horrible waste of however long I spent trying to get through it.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:15pm

Novel, hands down.......NO comparison

siren, now I am wondering why I am re-reading Wicked to prepare me for Son....if it's really that bad

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:15pm

I agree with you, sweetest... I can't even compare the two, for me they are so totally different. I love the book, and really enjoyed the show.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:16pm

It wasn't that bad - but I would not put it on part with Wicked.

[peach]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:16pm

I liked things about both of them.

But the novel had much more substance, and was much more complex with characters that were far more developed.

While both are enjoyable, I'd have to go with the novel for overall impact.

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:20pm

The novel without a doubt.

The musical took the vague idea behind the book and went off in its own direction.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:24pm

yoda, it took what I call the "down the toilet" path

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:29pm

To threadjack, I agree that Son of a Witch was a huge piece of crap. It starts out okay, and while the memory of Elphaba is still fresh, it manages to be pretty decent. Once it moves more into the present and to Liir, it pretty much falls apart. It's worth it for one reason, which I can't say to one who has yet to read the book.

Back on topic - I don't hate the stage show like a lot of people. I read the book when it first came out and reread it every year, so my first experience with the musical was jarring and unnerving. It grew on me, but I have to pretty much forget everything I learned from the novel to accept it.

[children&art]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:34pm

the novel

[Elphaba]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:40pm

kringas, you nailed it. I didn't hate the musical (but I also see no reason to see it again), but I expected it to be more like the book. For what it was it was fun.

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:48pm

Frankly, I can forgive everything in the musical except for ****SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER ******* the ending. The changes character, the banal lyrics, the desexualization of everything, fine. But ooooh, if those last five minutes of the show don't f---ing piss me off. ********

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:52pm

Kringas, I had to make up my own justification for the ending to keep my head from exploding.

***SPOILER*** (for the one person out there who doesn't know how the musical ends)


I decided that the entire ending is taking place in Glinda's head. She's imagining that Elphaba and Fiyero escape to the real world and can't tell her. *Shrugs* It helped me anyway.

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 3:57pm

That's actually an interesting conceit. Should I revist the musical, I may imagine like that.

When I staged a 90 minute version for my birthday last year, I changed the ending.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:09pm

I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who didn't enjoy Son of a Witch. I also agree that it was fine towards the beginning of the novel where it's more about Elphaba and then falls apart because Liir is honestly not a very compelling character, and his quest isn't that interesting. I also hated the ending.
/threadjack
Edit: I'm sorry to sound so negative about it. Still read it, Elphaba, and you might enjoy it. I think my expectations were just too high.

Anyway, I like the ending of Wicked (novel) vastly more than that of the musical, but I can see why they did what they did, particularly with the overall spirit of the musical being much more lighthearted then the novel. The most frustrating change from the novel for me was that the Fiyero of the musical (who might just as well have been called Avaric) bears no resemblence whatsoever to the character that I loved in the book. Updated On: 1/16/06 at 04:09 PM

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:19pm

I love the novel. 5 times and counting. But I can see why they made the musical in a different fashion. The book is simply an intense psychological evaluation of Elphaba that if it had been translated faithfully to the stage, I doubt it would have ever managed to generate such a huge fandom. Winnie Holtzan (sp?) was smart to use her prior experience to turn the message of the novel into something that could sell. Here's hoping they translate the book into a nice long miniseries.

Sweetestsiren, amen. Fiyero was always my favorite character from the book but his 'disneyfication' translation in the musical was very disappointing. Aside from DTL, his motivations and reasons WHY he loved Elphaba were never explained while in the book it is (for those who dont know, Elphaba reminded him of the strong willed Arkiji tribe woman of old, unlike his illterate, gastric, and whiny wife Sarima).

Oh and Son of the Witch was a great read, just not as compelling as Wicked. It had a lot of great points but there are parts of that book where I honestly was bored. That never happened in Wicked.

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:19pm

I definately think of the novel and musical as two completely different things. The novel being much more complex and interesting, and the musical more lighthearted and kid-friendly. Which is better? Depends on my mood

I don't hate the ending of the musical, though I prefer the book. I like the idea of it taking place in Glinda's head, though.