I recently watched Wicked with two of my daughters, and I couldn’t recommend it more. It was so well done. The story line came though strongly and kept you engaged for the entire 2 hours and 40 minutes. The voices were beautiful. The music goes straight to the heart. The casting was perfect. I loved that they brought in the original Elphaba and Glinda actresses. I look forward to watching it again, and am definitely looking forward to next year’s sequel.
But what I love most about Wicked is the plot. It gives me so many things to think about, so many nuances to notice. It makes me question what I’ve always thought to be true, and reconsider my preconceived ideas. (Sounds much like my recent faith journey.)
Wicked forces me to let go of my assumptions about good and evil. I tend to want to keep things black and white, but they’re not. I tend to think of that person over there as evil, and myself and my group as good, but we’re not. My judgements are called into question, as I realize my judgements aren’t always correct. It is not my place to separate things into good and evil, but to be aware of the bit of good and bit of evil inside of me (and each one of us, for that matter). (Wasn’t this the original sin, wanting to know good and evil, and learning that we would get it oh so wrong?)
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, I assumed was evil. She was an easy target. She had scary powers. She was not part of the inner group. She was green, for heaven’s sake. I rejoiced when Dorothy melted her. Ding dong, the witch is dead! Hooray! But I was making a judgment without knowing her back story, her history. (How many times have I done that to others?)
Elphaba didn’t want to use her powers in the way those in charge wanted her to. She stood by her principles instead of caving into pressure, privilege, and prestige. And so, those in charge easily convinced everyone else that she was evil. (Sounds like the twisting of the truth. Where do we see that in our world?)
Elphaba challenges me to let go: let go of my judgements, let go of chasing after power, let go of others’ opinions. She challenges me to take a stand even if I’m alone in doing it: stand up for kindness, stand up for what I know to be right, stand up for the marginalized. (Something I may need to do more of in the days ahead.)
Glinda asks Elphaba, “Why couldn’t you have stayed calm for once instead of flying off the handle?”
Elphaba responds, “I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game. Too late for second-guessing. Too late to go back to sleep. It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap.”
Yes, Elphaba, It’s too late to go back to sleep. It’s time to fly high. It’s time to defy gravity!
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