So Wicked!

I’ve not yet seen the Wicked movie, yet, but…

I first read *Wicked* around 2000—give or take a year, maybe even earlier. I know it was well before the musical version hit Broadway. Since then, I’ve reread it at least three times. It’s  goooood. Now, I absolutely adore the stage musical, too. As far as musicals go, it’s hard to top—coming from someone who loves musicals, (let me know if you want me to wax on and on about Six The Musical!)  But if we’re comparing the two Wickeds, well, it’s like this: *Wicked*, the musical, is a delicious, feel-good, brothy bowl of soup, while *Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West* (the book) is more like a rich, hearty, full-on-meal of a stew—thick, creamy, and full of deep flavors, with complex layers of umami, tender cuts of beef, and a luscious liquor. 

Yeah, that’s an apt comparison! 

The book is so intricate, so packed with layers of plot, and so full of richly developed characters, that there’s no way it could’ve been fully captured in a 2.5-hour stage production. The book is dark, erotic, and delves into much more than just themes of prejudice, bigotry, and the blurry line between good and evil (and what *is* good and evil, anyway? It’s not easy being green… or pink, for that matter!). It also takes a hard look at populism and propaganda as tools of control and exclusion. If *Wicked* were released today, I can’t help but think it would be criticized in some circles for being very pointed— relevant to today’s political climate.

If you’re at all interested in revisionist fairytales, or even fantasy of any kind, I highly recommend Wicked… in fact, I recommend the entire series.

Just don’t compare it to the musical versions. 

That would be like trying to compare pink and green!