Wicked Injustice

I saw the big Broadway musical Wicked last night with my sister Andrea. My local friends made fun of me for being a New York City tourist who sees big budget musicals like this one. And I made fun of myself. That is, until the lights came up at the show’s intermission and I found tears streaming down my cheeks.

In a haze, I shuffled out into the lobby, bought an overpriced bottle of water, and text-messaged my friend Alanna that I was crying during the show, and she was stunned. “Really?” she replied back. She had told me she didn’t even enjoy the show, she said maybe she didn’t get it. She was shocked that I was moved to tears.

Me and the other throngs of New York visitors finished going to the bathroom, and returned to our seats. “Are you okay?” My sister asked me. Was I?

Wicked is a high budget, high glitz, well-costumed musical housed at the Gershwin Theater on 51st and Broadway in New York City. There are ensembles upon ensembles of chorus singers. The show has been touring the country for awhile, and I’ve heard countless annoying advertisements with snippets of the big songs on the radio in Los Angeles.

I didn’t expect to feel the way I did as the lights went down again for Act II. The melodies are somewhat catchy, we had a substitute actress playing Elphaba, the lead character, and we all know the understudy is never as good as the star. The lead male’s voice wasn’t terribly strong. Why was I so moved?

For those of you who haven’t seen the show yet—much like myself yesterday before 8pm—prepare yourself for a spoiler alert:

Wicked is about the plight of those who are perpetually misunderstood, frustrated, and lonely, treated terribly solely because of having different color skin or heritage, and never know parental love or romantic love. Wicked is about those who are friendless, called unattractive and worthless because of who they are. Wicked is about a world where all adults abuse power and trust, where the systematic silencing and incarceration of whole groups goes unquestioned, where government conspiracy and manipulation is the norm, where everyone is culturally brainwashed, and those who stand up for what’s right are banished, forced into exile, or killed.