wicked book

[Nath]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:04pm

Has anyone actually read the book? I had read the book (and a few of his others) before I heard about the musical. I do love the show but I think its sad how they veered so far away with the 'plot' esp with the ending... it feels like a test audience was screened and they wanted a happier ending. The ending of the book is so sad!

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:07pm

That was exactly how I felt.
Interesting coincidence about the "test audience" comment: When the LSOH movie was shown to test audiences (with the original ending), audienced disliked it so much that Frank Oz went back and reshot a happy ending. Kind of wrecked the point of it but oh well...

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:14pm

I LOVE the book, but I guess I do see why they went the direction they went with the musical. The bottom line is the musical as it is now is far more marketable than I think it would have been had they stayed more faithful to the book.

Gregory Maguire isn't complaining, "Wicked" is on the best-seller lists 10 years after it was written as a result of the success of the musical.

Just started "Son of a Witch" a few days ago, hope it lives up to "Wicked".

[Songsstresss]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:23pm

WHAT?! Son of A Witch is out already?! Must go to Barnes and Noble tomorrow!

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:25pm

Get there now!

Came out on Tuesday.

[Jovie24]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:29pm

Yes, SON OF A WITCH is out already and so far so good..

Jovie

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:30pm

Son of a Witch got ***1/2 stars in PEOPLE

[zippyjen]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:32pm

i loved the book much more than the show. please don;t kill me but i was actually very dissapointed by the show!
edit- is son of a witch the sequal or something?

Updated On: 10/2/05 at 11:32 PM

[Nath]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 12:16am

I understand most of the changes in the musical (ie bumbing up the role of Glinda so it is actually a starring role as opposed to a supporting role), just don't get whye they changed th end, we all know the witch dies, why re-write the classic story? and the whole scarecrow thing annoyed me to. What made the book so good was how it was almost a companion book to wizard of oz, wicked the musical has completely re-written it.

Gregory Maguire is clearly being far too nice, and clearly just riding on the success of the musical. I would still love to see a wicked book movie (kinda dark-labrynth-esque movie)

[Fosse76]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 12:24am

But at least it is keeping with history. The 1939 film barely resembles the L. Frank Baum story.

[Nath]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 12:26am

true true...

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 12:29am

despite popular thoughts Glinda really isn't a leading role she is still Supporting

[Nath]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 12:47am

in which? the book or musical? the book she is hardly in it, in teh musical she is huge in comparison, I guess its debatable. (kinda like the roxie/velma in chicago)

[peach]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 10:11am

"Gregory Maguire is clearly being far too nice..."

I doubt he has a problem with the story changing to suit the audience - imagine the royalties he is making as a result of the musical's success!

I read the Wicked novel long before seeing the musical. Excellent book. Son of A Witch looks good - and is getting good review. I wasn't as crazy about Mirror Mirror though. And, I have not yet read Stepsister, although I've heard it's a good one.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 10:18am

According to everything I've read, he's incredibly pleased with the changes made in the musical.

I'll probably get stoned by some of you for saying this, but I think Winnie Holzman was robbed of the Tony for Best Book. It's an incredible achievement to adapt that book so successfully.

[WickedScoundrel]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 11:27am

I like the book, but I've always felt the middle part drags quite a bit. That may just be me though.

>.> Still haven't gotten Son of a Witch. I prefer to wait for paperback (not a lot of money to throw around at the moment).

[FlyingHigh2]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 3:14pm

I read the book before I saw the musical,and though the book was good, I enjoyed the musical (especially the ending) much, much more.

As stated above, Glinda has more of a supporting role and is present much more in the musical.

I have also started Son Of A Witch, it is good so far. I hope the ending of the musical is the ending of this book....I won't spoil for those who haven't seen it yet...

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 3:20pm

I agree WickedScoundrel - I'm in the middle of the book right now, I starting reading it in June! But it started dragging and then I saw the musical finally in Chicago in July and kind of got over it, but I still want to finish it. Its starting to pick back up again. I wish there was more of them at school, I like that part the best.

[FlyingHigh2]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 3:23pm

RenyBoy I completely agree! The middle lags alot. It starts to pick up though.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 5:48pm

Winnie Holzman did not get robbed of the Tony for best book! I mean, the book is not only adapting the story to the stage but also providing character depth and developing the musical story properly which Holzman does not do. In another thread we discussed how nothing happens between "The Wizard and I" and "What Is This Feeling?" so the passionate loathing between Galinda and Elphaba is not really accounted for, the whole thing at the end saying that Elphaba is so powerful because she is mixed makes no sense, like they never explain in the show that mixed people are powerful, and Fiyero is extremely underwritten regardless of the fact that it's a supporting role, there are many supporting roles on Broadway that are very well-written.
I extremely love Wicked but I think Schwartz and Mantello are responsible for the great moments in the show, not Holzman.

[hak]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 6:41pm

"despite popular thoughts Glinda really isn't a leading role she is still Supporting"


i beg to differ. if it wasn't a lead role why'd ms chenoweth get nominated for "best actress" in a musical? if it was a supporting role she'd've been nominated for best "featured" actress

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 7:23pm

Ray --- I know EXACTLY what a book is to a musical, and I still say Winnie was robbed.

My opinion, of course.

[DramaDork925]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 8:00pm

I read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister but the present tense style of writing eventually got to me. I think Wicked is written that way too but I didn't even notice. I was enthralled the entire time. I am getting Son of the Witch ASAP!!!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 8:08pm

I read the book after I saw the show, but I enjoyed it immensely. The thing is, basically, you can't look at then like the same story. They are two almost completely different stories that have SOME of the same characters. Basically, I think of them as two completely different things. When you think of it like that, they are both great.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 10/3/05 at 8:31pm

Nath, learn to use the search feature, this has been talked about SO many times.

The book was SO much better than the musical.....and SO many have no idea of that. I liked the musical. I loved the book