Wicked

The school in the musical "Wicked" is named Shiz as a play on the word "shiznits," a slang term that means "the best" or "the greatest." This name reflects the school's reputation as the most prestigious and elite educational institution in the land of Oz. Additionally, the name "Shiz" also hints at the superficial and pretentious nature of the school and its students, emphasizing the focus on appearances and social status within the story.

Well you see, The Wizard of Oz is a story mainly about Dorthy's journey and whom she meets along the way. The story is like many other fictional novels. You follow the character on their journey. However, Wicked is like the backstory about everything in the world of the Wizard of Oz. It answers many of your questions about the Wizard of Oz book. Why was the Wicked Witch of the West so wicked? What was the city of Oz like for everyone that lived there. Wicked is the story of Oz and Munchkinland before Dorothy ever showed up. It gives you back stories to all the old characters. Another difference is the content. The Wizard of Oz is appropriate for all ages and considered a family story. However, Wicked has strong content and may be to difficult for children to understand.

In L. Frank Baum's original book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," Glinda the Good Witch does not have wings. However, in some adaptations such as the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," Glinda is depicted with wings. Ultimately, the presence of wings on Glinda varies depending on the specific interpretation or adaptation of the Oz story.

The high F in 'Defying Gravity' is within the range of a standard alto, contralto, strong mezzo soprano, or soprano belter with a low range. Basically, Elphaba's vocal range is a little over 2 octaves. Each singer in the role of Elphaba brings her own range and her own singing voice [alto, contralto, mezzo soprano, etc.] to the part.

For a discussion of alto roles, such as that of Elphaba, in musical theatre, please visit the link provided below.

A standard version of the novel "A Barrelled Detective Story" typically has around 200-300 pages, depending on the edition and formatting.

By giving her the ruby slippers.

There is no age limit in the theater. However, your parents might not want you to see it until your older. In London, the theatre recommends children over the age of 12 due to some 'dark scenes' which younger audience members might be scared of.

Shiz University is the school at which Elphaba and Galinda meet. The University is located in the city of Shiz in Gillikin Country. The land of the Gillikins is in the northern part of the Land of Oz.

Four hundred six [406] pages is the length of the novel 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire [b. June 9, 1954]. The publication date is 1995. The publisher is Harper Collins. It's the beginning novel in Maguire's 'Wicked Years' series.

Yes, Idina Kim Menzel [b. May 30, 1971] played Elphaba Thropp in the Broadway musical 'Wicked', from the preview performance of October 10, 2003 and then the performances from the opening on October 30, 2003 until January 11, 2005.

In the highly-anticipated 2010 tour of the Broadway hit, Wicked, the main character Glinda will be played by british actress Louise Dearman. Louise has starred in other Broadway performances including Cinderella, Evita, Cats, and Guys and Dolls. The 2010 Wicked tour is already being looked forward to by many fans as well as many critics. After a great 2009 tour, the production looks to repeat its' success for another year.

mercer58 I would imagine that would be "Hair".

- wjs1632 -

It depends which production you saw, and when. Here are a list of current understudies and standbys for all English speaking productions.

Broadway: Jennifer DiNoia (standby), Stephanie Torns (understudy).

First National Tour: Mariand Torres (standby), Carla Stickler (understudy).

Second National Tour: Anne Brummel (standby), Christine Dwyer (understudy).

San Francisco: Felicia Ricci (standby), Alyssa Fox (understudy).

London: Nikki Davis-Jones (standby), Stevie Tate-Bauer (understudy).

Sydney, Australia: Zoe Gertz (understudy).

Although there are several different versions of the musical, the basic plot remains the same.

The very, very basic plot is that two men are competing in a chess tournament that is also a symbol for the greater struggle between the US and the USSR in the Cold War. In addition, they are both fighting over a woman. Here is a much more detailed plot, however:

It is the height of the Cold War between the US and the USSR. Like any competition, the World Chess Championships are just another battlefield in the struggle. The competitors are The American/Freddie and The Russian/Anatoly (in the original concept album, the two characters were not named and were only referred to by their nationalities). The American/Freddie travels to Merano (Bangkok in the American version), where the championship is to be held, along with his lover and second, Florence. Florence was born in Hungary and fled to England when the Soviets invaded her country. The Russian/Anatoly brings a contingent of KGB agents and his "handler," Molotov.

Over the course of the tournament, The American/Freddie plays badly and resorts to cheap tricks and dramatics to try and turn the game in his favor. This leads to political tensions and a meeting is set up in order to attempt and fix things. However, The American/Freddie is late and The Russian/Anatoly and Florence talk and begin to fall in love. When The American/Freddie walks in on this, he and Florence argue and break up.

The tournament continues, and The American/Freddie loses. After winning, The Russian/Anatoly defects to the West and gets together with Florence. This ends the first act. In some versions, however, the tournament is not over at this point and the second act is merely a continuation of the same tournament rather than a separate one.

The second act is set a year later at the next Championships in Bangkok (Budapest in the American version). The Russian/Anatoly is playing for the West and the Soviets have an extremely loyal, though not particularly talented, player. The American/Freddie is reporting on the event (at least in the versions where it is not a continuation of the first tournament). Tensions are evident between The Russian/Anatoly, especially when Molotov brings in The Russian/Anatoly's wife in order to convince him to return to Russia. Molotov and The American/Freddie (and sometimes a CIA agent as well) are colluding to make The Russian/Anatoly lose the tournament.

The approach both him and Florence and offer them various things they want in exchange for his loss. Whether or not The Russian/Anatoly loses the tournament varies wildly, but in the most recent version he wins and then returns to the Soviet Union. The American/Freddie fails in his attempts to reunite with Florence. The end.

The wicked witch, Elphaba, sings : The Wizard and I, What is This Feeling, Something Bad, Dancing Through Life, Im Not That Girl, One Short Day, Defying Gravity, A Sentimental Man, Wonderful, As Long As Your Mine, No Good Deed, and For Good.

I'm pretty sure that's it.

Sorry if I missed any though.. =)

In the First National Tour 2009, the cast is as follows: Donna Vivino as Elphaba, Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda, Richard H. Blake and then Clifton Hall as Fiyero, Amanda Rose as Nessarose, Ben Liebert as Boq, Myra Lucretia Taylor as Madame Morrible, Lenny Wolpe as the Wizard of Oz, and Paul Slade Smith as Dr. Dillamond. In the Second National Tour 2009, the cast is the following: Marcie Dodd as Elphaba, Helene Yorke as Glinda, Colin Donnell as Fiyero, Kristine Reese as Nessarose, Ted Ely as Boq, Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible, Tom McGowan as the Wizard of Oz, and David de Vries as Dr. Dillamond.

Elphaba likes to read, perform magic, and stand up for what she believes in, specifically Animal rights. In the novel, she is also seen weaving baskets and training animals.

The Winkies.

The animal that is seen at the end of all MTV productions is the cat. There is no real reason or story behind why the cat was chosen.

Act 1

A celebration is held trough-out Oz.

All to do with the death of the wicked witch of the west.

Glinda the good comes down in her bubble to confirm the death of the witch. (by melting) After Glinda is asked how evil comes into the world she herself replies with a question. (Are people born wicked or do they get wickedness thrust upon them?) she tels about the witches birth and childhood. (No one mourns the wicked)

wicked is the most amaaazing musical i have ever seen!!!!

litterally go and see it you wont regret it, i sweeaar!!!! :P