thank you for mentioning the incredible moment of when the queen of england died and they opened the show with the usual "GOOD NEWS SHES DEAD". one of my favourite musical theatre moments of all time
Saying we’re “two good friends…two best friends” is every queer woman’s personal experience during her closest teenage friendship that dissolved in a horrifying way
As a bisexual teenager in a religious household, I was so haunted and confused by my feelings toward my best friend. I remember joking "too bad one of us isn't a guy"
I really appreciated your comments about Nessarose. Seeing this as an 8 year old girl in a wheelchair was really something, simultaneously the message of being an outcast and learning to love yourself, while also one of the least likeable characters also being in a wheelchair, dependent on her sister, and feeling that people pity rather than love her and becoming twisted and evil, ultimately kinda proving them right. I was also utterly crushed when my parents told me the actress wasn't actually disabled, and that no one could be an actress if they were in a wheelchair. So many disabled characters back then reinforced such harmful stereotypes and truly did so much damage, so I really hope the movie does something positive
There needs to be more encouragement for disabled people to learn skills like singing. There’s literally no chance that a disabled person who can’t sing will be cast over a person who can sing who isn’t disabled. When it comes to MUSICALS, musical ability is absolutely going to be more important than physical ability.
@@NoelleTakestheSky plenty of disabled people can sing, and act, and dance, and write, and tons of other things. "disabled" is an enormous umbrella term that encompasses more than wheelchair users. even when we are so exceptionally talented, less talented ableds are consistently chosen over us. why? because this is not a matter of lacking skills, it's literally just ableism.
They probably told you that the actress herself isnt disabled because shes REQUIRED to stand and walk at some point. Not every disabled character in media is going to be a likeable person. To me its the same as people w unresolved trauma can become abusers. She was overly coddled and found ONE person her treated her right. When her world fell apart ofc she would become an asshole. And ofc shed wish she was born different. Because no one let her be anything else.
wicked's hesitance regarding its political themes, with a vague allusion to wanting things to change without really committing to many specifics, is definitely very authentic to 2000s musicals (and some 2000s TV). avenue Q is the same. i love both wicked and avenue Q, but they're definitely products of their time.
Coming up with actual plans is hard, it's way easier to just go "we should move forward as a society and be more accepting!" Although it turns out that actually lots of people are filled with hate
The comment before the west end show is even funnier when you think about how “ding dong the witch is dead” went number one on the billboard the week Margaret thatcher died. So like there is a precedent here…
To be fair cruella doesn't exactly hate the Dalmatians that killed her mother she actually befriends those same Dalmatians and uses them against the woman who had them kill her mother in the first place
27:48 on the lion thing: i actually always interpreted it as them using the lion's cowardice to speak *for* him, since he doesn't even want to be up there with boq, so it could actually be that he doesn't even hate elphaba, he's just too scared to admit it ? but yeah idk i haven't seen the show in a while tbf😭
Completely agree, we never hear from the Lion himself that he wants her dead, we only have Boq's word... and at this point in time he's hardly a rational neutral party 😅
That's true, but how handsome would a man have to be to turn the heads of women who are not that wise? I seriously doubt Boc or whatever his name is is that appealing, but I need ideas for the purposes of my own writing.
@@cityman2312I feel like they can be incredibly handsome but most importantly you’d have to make the character very charming and clever/ and charismatic perhaps as his personality would be the main reason why so many people could fall for him and his looks would perfect his “image” He would have to be intelligent enough to understand his looks give him power and his charm would have the ability to make connections with other characters
@@fossilfightersfanforever7243Cynthia Erivo (who is playing Elphaba in the movie versions) threw a fit when a fan edited the poster to look more like the poster for the Broadway show. It included pulling down the brim of her hat to cover her eyes, making her smile, and making the smile red. Cynthia said it was the most offensive thing she’d ever seen and it was erasing her as a woman of color or something.
Did you see that you got a cameo on one of Drew Gooden's recent videos? The one titled Everyone Wants to Waste Your Time and he says he will happily sit down and watch a comically in-depth video about something he wasn't already interested in if the creator is passionate about it and does it well. The mention is at about 8:00, and now we know Drew is diving deep in the Pilot Pete lore.
Hello! I have seen this show four times, and once was a no-fly show and ISTG even though I had already seen it twice before, I didn't even notice. The actress D E S T R O Y E D it. I told my brother, who had gone with me that time, and he was surprised, we both felt like nothing was missing.
I must say, the Lion has GOT to be a propaganda piece that was manipulated by Boq to strengthen their numbers, bc if he was rly mad at Elphaba for letting him escape, would he not ALSO be mad at the literal police chief like two feet away from him who ALSO helped him escape???
That's what I always thought because with context of the Wizard of Oz the lion seems pretty chill with the accomplice of the witch that did the awful crime of saving him from a fascist zoologist
@@ashleynorton You mentioned early on that the production hell of the movie reminds you of your own mortality, I think that's what they're talking about
46:06 , I think Ali Stoker in the Oklahoma remount is worth mentioning as the first wheelchair using actor to appear on a Broadway stage … and went on to win a Tony for that performance!
I was fully prepared to just have this video running while I cooked dinner but as soon as you came into frame, I had to stop preparing my chicken Alfredo and give you my undivided attention. You really commanded respect.
one of my fav memories as a preteen/early teen is being so obsessed with wicked (it had just come out) that i got my mom to buy me the book and i read it, and it not only had the first sex scenes i was ever exposed to but they were NUMEROUS and FAIRLY GRAPHIC and when my mom told one of her friends that i loved the book/musical her friend was like "YOU LET HER READ THAT???"
the movie is based on a book from 130ish years ago that's commonly agreed to be heavy-handed economic satire on the US political landscape at the time, the movie is mostly notable for being the first "speculative fiction" film in color (with an incredible transition from B/W) that was ever released, and most people know it now because during the 60s-90s queer Americans identified themselves as "friends of Dorothy" to signal to each other their identities without facing arrest! Hope this helps, it's a LOT of paratext
When I was 11 my school organised a trip to the theatre and I saw Wicked. That mechanical dragon was my absolute favourite thing for weeks. I drew a bunch of fanart of it as soon as I got home. Over the years I forgot pretty much every detail of Wicked, except for the dragon.
One of my best childhood memories is getting to go backstage on Wicked when it came to cleveland. Got to stand in Glinda's bubble and look at all the costumes up close. My best friend's dad was the sound director and he showed us around. Taught us how some of the effects worked. True magic for a kid
glinda was such a kristen chenoweth coded character that when i saw wicked for the first time i only knew her from pushing daisies and accurately guessed that she was the original glinda when my mom and i were in the merch line during intermission
Really appreciate you speaking about the disability aspect of this musical. It's also ironic as like a week or so before we went to see wicked for the first time, my sister became an amputee and was in a wheelchair. We had to give up our good seats as they weren't accessible for her which sucked. But the musical was also VERY overstimulating for both of us (both neurodivergent but hers is more severe) and my sister had to leave during the intermission because it was too much for her. Especially with the wizard face puppet's booming voice. We went into it with little knowledge of wicked (aside from the songs) so it affected us even more since we were caught off guard and weren't prepared for it. It'd be nice if musicals were more accessible and had warnings before the show but idk if that'll change anytime soon. I am glad that she left halfway through though as she was really struggling with her self confidence after suddenly being an amputee and needing a wheelchair, so the sister's turn to evil and not being loved wouldve been really rough for her. But my sister is incredible and has adapted to this change wonderfully. That situation also is another factor in the argument for live recordings of stage shows as she spent a lot of her own money on tickets but couldn't watch it all and the recordings on TH-cam are much less overstimulating.
I'm really sorry you and your sister had to go through that, theartres and cinemas are always an overstimulating nightmare. Though the first time I when to see wicked there was a primary school watching and I noticed that the sound design, vocals and some lights were a lot more toned down than when I went for an evening performance I assumed for the kids. I hope more theartres can do something like that, have two shows a week for those with sensory issues or sm similar
Here in Seattle, something I REALLY appreciated as an autist myself is our local theater has started doing "understim" shows with dimmer lights, quieter sounds, less strict "stay in your seat" policies, as well as like fidget toys and stuff in the lobby. I cried when I first saw it announced - Wicked is the only musical I've seen live because of that reason, so seeing that theaters are starting to consider neurodivergent people and doing a couple shows just for us was really moving.
Going to a musical not expecting it to be loud is ... well. Sorry. And noy every disabled character is going to be happy and confident in their bodies. It just depends on the person.
Them saying “just two friends” so much makes me shiver at what Good Omens could have been. And the reality that if they never kissed, a large part of that audience would actually genuinely believe they were just “friends” 😭
finally someone will educate me on the thing that I have heard about since glee aired, but never bothered to go in depth about even though kurt hummel’s defying gravity has never left my mind
I think you did a good job of exploring these plot and character elements. On Nessarose, I think it can be argued that her pain around only being "the girl in the chair" leads her to her unrelenting desire to assimilate and remove her disability. They could have been trying to convey her as a cautionary tale. We see that Nessa is a lovely person, intelligent, beautiful, with a future ruling in munchkin. We want her to love herself, accept her disability, and find people who will love her properly. Nessa instead, becomes bitter and resentful, she becomes obsessed with a man who does not love her, but she is convinced that if she could walk he would love her properly. When that doesn't work out she becomes "wicked." It's meant to be a tragic story, kind of your stereotypical hurt person hurts people. If this was what they were going for, I don't think they did a good enough job. I think cynically this plot could be boiled down to "don't be sad disabled people :( maybe your attitude is what's in the way of your happiness 🤓." But Nessa does face discrimination because of her chair, she has reasons to feel bitter and lonely especially after her sister goes into hiding and she gets an alienating job. I wish the show validated that more, and I wish that Nessa could have recognized that the people of Oz were her problem, not her disability. I wish she could have recognized her solidarity with the animals and with elphaba. She is still bitter, so instead of trying to build up and protect the Animals like Elphaba, Nessa would set out destroy Oz and become a truly wicked witch. We'd be able to see how her complicated feelings around her disability, and the internalization of the discrimination she faces morph her personality into something unrecognizable.
18:09 As a kid, I had the McDonald’s wizard of oz dolls and id always pair the wicked witch and scarecrow together. That’s funny that this affirmed my pairing. 😭🤣
I am from Italy and born in the 90s, so it's safe to say no musical was ever popular when I was a teenager. Somehow I fell in love with Wicked in high school and got to see it in London. I then got my hands on the first book in Italian (the only one translated so far) and after the initial shock... I completely fell in love with it. I then read all the books in English and just fell more in love with everything. Ashley said it well, do not expect the musical and the book to be too related, everything about them comes from very different places. I would also recommend to read the biography of Schwartz, there's a first draft of the Wicked musical storyline, plus lots of notes, and it's really interesting to see how they went from the book to the musical!
I’ve always read glinda’s narration of wicked as indicative of the idea that none of it is to be trusted face value, and is instead glinda attempting to garner more power via telling the most salacious and messy yet ultimately “safe” story possible. nobody’s going to catch up on little discrepancies like elphaba going in the rain without an umbrella in act i yet supposedly dying form water in act ii, or question why/how glinda knows the specifics of elphaba’s time away from her - like when she allegedly hooked up with fiyero in a bog, something that would actively hinder her escape plan and put her life in direct danger - because ultimately the drama and the scandal and the relatability in said mess is more compelling, and that relatability is what allows glinda to get the people of oz slightly more on elpahaba’s side, to prime them for a wide scale effort to genuinely reform their society. (this is also, I believe, why elpahaba and glinda’s relationship contains so much unspoken romance. it’s a deliberate cover-up by glinda in my mind, but no matter how hard she tries to conceal the one part of the story that might’ve been “too far”, bits of it slip through the cracks in the way she speaks about elphaba anyway). wicked is, to me, undeniably lies on lies on lies on lies up to the very end. I legitimately flip flop depending on the day as to whether I think elphaba actually survived or if glinda’s just so desperate to believe she’s not gone that she’s fully lying to herself as well by the end of her story. a lot of people have a really cynical view of wicked as just another bold flashy prequel but I think it’s so so much deeper than that. will forever die on the hill that you aren’t supposed to believe literally fucking anything in this entire show. knowing the source material I’d go so far as to say that it was even intended that way from the beginning
Glinda is not narrating the whole story in the musical. She is simply the framing device that bookends the narrative; though she does give a little of Elphaba’s backstory in the beginning during “No One Mourns the Wicked,” after she she reveals their paths crossed “at school,” she begins to reminisce privately in her mind, and by that point the story jumps out of the framing device and operates as a third-person objective narrative without a distinct POV. The story is not her own recollection of events, it’s just an extended flashback. There’s also the fact that informing all the citizens of this story as is would alienate them from her in a big way, and Glinda’s one thing is being constantly aware of how she’s perceived, so she is being very careful maintaining her image now that she is the sole ruler of Oz. So everything that happens within the musical really happens, and Glinda is not an unreliable narrator because she was never one to begin with.
As a wheelchair user, I find Nessa in both the book and musical incredibly relatable. I actually love how the musical doesn't try to empower her, that as soon as she sees the opportunity to walk, she takes it. Because as any disabled person can tell you, if given the choice, we would NEVER choose to be disabled. It gets tiring hearing people always telling you how “you're perfect” and “that there's nothing wrong with you” when there definitely is something wrong with you. I'm perfect in spite of my disability, not because of it. And having a character be so ashamed of her disability is really empowering because she's saying what we're all thinking. The insecurities that were not allowed to articulate because people pity us SO much that whenever we express dissatisfaction with our disabilities they instantly have to come to our defense instead of letting us vent out our frustration But incredible video! I just wanted to share my take since I'm pretty passionate about representation lol
I’m not going to speak on Nessa as a character because I’ve never seen the show, but saying that every disabled person would choose to get rid of their disability is just wrong. If you personally feel that way that’s fine, but it’s not a universal truth.
@ having a disability makes ur life 100 times harder. Yes us disabled people come to terms with and sometimes times even love ourselves despite our disabilities! But the key word is despite. We have to overcome the obstacles that come with being disabled. The social stigma, the difficulties going places, the pity. I have to go through a 10 minute detour to get to some of my college classes because the main way isn’t wheelchair accessible. And I always get looks from people thinking “oh that poor girl!” And I know for a fact it isn’t because I’m special. It happens to all of us who are disabled and different. I get where you’re coming from, but once again our frustrations are being silenced.
@@SelmaForrester I know being disabled is difficult, but I don’t love myself despite my disability, I just love myself, again it’s fine if it’s different for you. I also understand the resentment towards others for the pity that was never asked for, but that wasn’t what I was commenting about. I was specifically pushing back against the idea that all disabled people would automatically take a cure if one was offered.
A disabled person here (double amputee with a chronic illness), and I appreciate this conversation. How you're feeling Selma is valid, the world is harder for disabled people. I do think, for me, it's harder not bc I'm amputee, but rather because the world I live in is built for abled bodied people. Whether it's the physical environment that has been created, access to healthcare, or attitudes towards people with disabilities, these are all obstacles for me that society has created. Based on what you've written, I've experienced similar attitudes from people where they both hold you to a high standard for "overcoming obstacles despite by disability" but also expect so little of you at the same time (I guess it's the "inspiration p*rn" of it all). Even statements like "you don't seem disabled" were considered compliments when I was younger. Now, I see that people who say things like that are revealing their own biases towards disabled people and is absolutely not the compliment they think it is. When they talk about how inspirational a disabled person is, etc., they're discussing our disabilities in a way that is palatable to them and overlook the needs that we do have. With time, I've learned that is a flaw on their part and not my disability's.
@@mackenzied94738 I think this is it for me. Given the choice, I wouldn't change any part of me. The frustrations and difficulties lie more in a world catered towards a majority, and the perception around it. So I don't agree with "ANY disabled person can tell you" because I think quite a few wouldn't say or agree to that. I don't judge folk who would change parts of themselves and this take is valid, but I also think it's unfair to assume everyone would change given the chance. I somewhat equate it to my gender representation too. At a younger age I hated that I was a masc woman, and all the bullying, mockery, and general inconveniences it came with (being harassed and assaulteed in womens spaces). But as I got older and began to accept all of me, I realised I didn't hate who I was, I hated societies perception of it all.
37:21 thank you for including clips from the Australian production of wicked. I love that Aussie theatre is getting more recognition. I saw the show just two weeks ago and it was amazing! Courtney Monsma who plays Glinda is so freakin talented!
The only time I've had the pleasure to see it, it was a no fly show! My friends were so disappointed, mad even, and I was just sobbing from the incredible powerful moment. Cool to know it's a coveted experience 😂
Re: the book/musical differences, I had the opposite experience when, in college, everyone was talking about the musical and being a reader, I grabbed the novel to see what it was about. After that first chapter my only thought was “they made a musical of this?!” I eventually finished the book, but it was quickly obvious the two works were wildly different!!
I had the same pathway: I have a real soft spot for the show but I was surprised at first by how comparatively sanitised the musical felt. The part where Elphaba popped up at the end after the melting? I was FURIOUS 😅
The issue you get in the west end is a lot of the theatres are super old. It makes the building hard to make accessible because they were built in a period where everything was crammed in together and is barely useable to able bodied people. I worked in a theatre where I had to climb 3 flights of stairs to get to the dressing room.
somehow you consistently seem to make videos about things completely in my niche and i have to say: THANK YOU. and thank you x2 for the brittney johnson and katie rose clarke appreciation
Omg i really thought only our galinda in the dutch production was trying get the dutch elphaba laugh but hearing you say its just... a thing now no matter where made me laugh 😂
I have had so much work to get done the last few days and I have been playing your vids because something about you talking about a random AF topic for an hour is really calming
42:17 I remember trying to read the book as a middle schooler after getting obsessed with the musical and having to stop after like one page because my 13 year old mind couldn't even begin to comprehend it
Idina Menzel came to my state on her tour and getting to sing some of the Wicked soundtrack (and stuff from her other plays) with her was genuinely one of the most fun things ever
I read the first Wicked book when I was 12 and I was TRAUMATISED by the puppet sex 💀 I didn't pick it up because of the musical though, but because it was one of the "edgy" books that it was cool for people to read at my middle school, along with one about a 12 year old girl who does drugs 🤪 I ended up reading the whole series multiple times and I'll never forget when my high school math teacher confiscated the second book, Son of a Witch, from me and called it "a naughty book" in front of the whole class 😭
Mate, try the opposite experience…reading the book and then seeing the musical…that was a bloody trip! I’m so happy to see people talking about the book, it is such a wonderful but at times difficult read.
@ I’ve read Son of a Witch but haven’t gotten to Lion Among Men yet! I’ve owned it for an age too…I have the ones with the sprayed edges, green, red and yellow!
@@Amanda-0987 I like those copies. My favorite copies are the ones that have the outside cover with a circle cut out, showing the character, then you open that and have a full image inside
As someone who's been dying to know more about musical theater for years, I appreciate your videos on musicals! Can't wait to see the movie! Wish it were easier to go and see stage shows live, too 😅Wicked is set to hit the stage in April 2025 where I live, but I just came back from a trip to see another musical live and it took three whole days in total...
How can you knock the lyricism of "I can't say if I've been changed for the better, But, because I knew you, I have been changed for good." That is beautiful. You're enough of a fan that I'll allow it, though. You're lucky I'm letting this slide.
thank goodness is quite literally poetry.... because getting your dreams as strange as it seems is a little, well, complicated! there's a kind of a sort of ... cost... theres a couple of things get lost... there are BRIDGES YOU DIDNT KNOW YOU COULD CROSSSS UNTIL YOU CROSSSSS and if that joy! that thrill! doesn't thrill like you think it will! still this perfect finale with the cheers and the ballyoo whoo whooo wouldnt be happier so i couldnt be happier because happy is what happens when all your dreams come true... ISNT IT? like come onnn i think of those lyrics more than almost any others in the world
THANK YOU for talking about the ableism in this show. I saw it live for the first time this year, and it devastated me. I am disabled, and attended the show while wearing a back brace. The way Nessarose is treated was so hurtful that it made me cry. Massive aspects of the plot, including Elphaba attending university in the first place, is because her family believe that Nessarose's disability is a PUNISHMENT BECAUSE OF ELPHIE'S SKIN and therefore make her act as Nessa's carer. I'm really glad to see that they have cast an actual wheelchair user for the film, and I hope that with the extra runtime they will expand on her much further. Disability is hard, and yes we often struggle with things like feeling like a burden, being unloveable, how inaccessible the world is to us, comparing ourselves to able-bodied people, wishing that we had not got sick, or injured, or been born without these complications. But not all of us do, and most wheelchair users will tell you that their chairs are tools of liberation, not confinement. I hated this show.
What a let down. I thought the queen dying would prompt a "the wicked Witch is dead joke" on account of Bloody Sunday or the "No Gays in the Palace" rule that stood until 1995, or just because I literally don't know a single person who is pro monarchy
I love that we all lived similar theater kid lives. I found you through your American Girl video and every one since has been stuff that I also tangentially think about
on the subject of elphaba and glinda referring to each other as “friends”, it reminds me of how in falsettos, marvin almost always refers to whizzer as his “friend” especially during the first act
When it came to the cowardly lion, I always assumed he never had any grievance with Elphaba and instead was told by others who the Wicked Witch is and Boq uses him to support his own testimony. I mean as a cowardly lion, he would be too scared to stand up for himself and speak his own mind in front of crowd with the Tin Man speaking FOR the Lion.
Great work as always, Ashley! As someone who's never seen the show proper (read the book a long, long time ago and listened to the cast recording a few times when it first came out), I really appreciate the comprehensive plot summary. It was a good reminder of just how messy the musical's narrative is, particularly in act two. It actually has me much more interested in seeing the movie next week to compare and contrast, since I have to assume as you do that the huge running time is (hopefully) a consequence of the writers wanting to address a lot of the plot issues. Also very struck with your point about how the "prequelizing" of stories often undermines characters' agency in the original work. I've only seen the trend criticized as it pertains to morality: Hollywood trying to make every villain sympathetic and justifying their actions in a way that de-legitimizes any dislike we originally had for them. I hadn't thought of it from the more objective angle of how it simply makes characterization worse by reducing conscious choice and personality to a web of inescapable, perfectly rationalized consequences of your past. Will never be tired of your Broadway videos! And without having seen either part yet, I'm already hoping for a comprehensive analysis of the movie duology from you one day.
thank you for mentioning the incredible moment of when the queen of england died and they opened the show with the usual "GOOD NEWS SHES DEAD". one of my favourite musical theatre moments of all time
☘☘☘☘☘☘
i waa fortunate enough to be there in person and it may be my favourite moment of my life
Also thank Goose. He was so patient & he looked incredible! ❤
@@rustythorne8785 i'm so jealous
what were they supposed to do? change the show?
Very sad to see “SHE CAME DOWN IN A BUBBLE BRO” did not make the cut
disappointing because her SISTER was a witch, right?!
AND WHAT WAS HER SISTER?? A PRINCESS
THE WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST BRO
YOU’RE GONNA LOOK AT ME AND TELL ME THAT I’M WRONG??? AM I WRONG???
So a person kidnaps ONE person years ago and we can never forgive them??? SMH cancel culture
God forbid women have hobbies🙄🙄
And her little dog, too!
Women can't have hobbies anymore.
That doggie was asking for it tho @@darsh8964
Women can’t do ANYTHING without being judged 💔
Saying we’re “two good friends…two best friends” is every queer woman’s personal experience during her closest teenage friendship that dissolved in a horrifying way
As a bisexual teenager in a religious household, I was so haunted and confused by my feelings toward my best friend.
I remember joking "too bad one of us isn't a guy"
Me!
😭
I really appreciated your comments about Nessarose. Seeing this as an 8 year old girl in a wheelchair was really something, simultaneously the message of being an outcast and learning to love yourself, while also one of the least likeable characters also being in a wheelchair, dependent on her sister, and feeling that people pity rather than love her and becoming twisted and evil, ultimately kinda proving them right. I was also utterly crushed when my parents told me the actress wasn't actually disabled, and that no one could be an actress if they were in a wheelchair. So many disabled characters back then reinforced such harmful stereotypes and truly did so much damage, so I really hope the movie does something positive
im so glad ppl like ali stroker proved your parents wrong
There needs to be more encouragement for disabled people to learn skills like singing. There’s literally no chance that a disabled person who can’t sing will be cast over a person who can sing who isn’t disabled. When it comes to MUSICALS, musical ability is absolutely going to be more important than physical ability.
@@NoelleTakestheSky plenty of disabled people can sing, and act, and dance, and write, and tons of other things. "disabled" is an enormous umbrella term that encompasses more than wheelchair users. even when we are so exceptionally talented, less talented ableds are consistently chosen over us. why? because this is not a matter of lacking skills, it's literally just ableism.
They probably told you that the actress herself isnt disabled because shes REQUIRED to stand and walk at some point. Not every disabled character in media is going to be a likeable person.
To me its the same as people w unresolved trauma can become abusers. She was overly coddled and found ONE person her treated her right. When her world fell apart ofc she would become an asshole. And ofc shed wish she was born different. Because no one let her be anything else.
I kinda hate your parents, what a horrid thing to tell your daughter who’s actively in a wheelchair..
wicked's hesitance regarding its political themes, with a vague allusion to wanting things to change without really committing to many specifics, is definitely very authentic to 2000s musicals (and some 2000s TV). avenue Q is the same. i love both wicked and avenue Q, but they're definitely products of their time.
We need to come up with a term for that. Paper liberalism?
Also, RENT.
2000s politics too. Hope and Change
Coming up with actual plans is hard, it's way easier to just go "we should move forward as a society and be more accepting!"
Although it turns out that actually lots of people are filled with hate
I personally lean towards "passive progressive" which I first heard on RLM@@warlordofbritannia
The comment before the west end show is even funnier when you think about how “ding dong the witch is dead” went number one on the billboard the week Margaret thatcher died. So like there is a precedent here…
When I heard Kissinger had finally run out of his soul reserves, my first reaction was to search Google for the song
Person from the UK here- Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead getting Number 1 in the charts when Margaret Thatcher died was highly justified!
To be fair cruella doesn't exactly hate the Dalmatians that killed her mother she actually befriends those same Dalmatians and uses them against the woman who had them kill her mother in the first place
They have a knack for mocking the deaths of their awful leaders/politicians and it’s amazing
the green hands are very onceler-esque
They’re from my old onceler costume 😅
@@ashleynorton NOOOOO say it isn't so
@@ashleynortonshow us the costume, Ashley. onceler tax.
@@ashleynortonyou can't just say this without also showing us the costume lol
@@ashleynortonI am begging you for a Tumblr onceler deep dive completely in costume
27:48 on the lion thing: i actually always interpreted it as them using the lion's cowardice to speak *for* him, since he doesn't even want to be up there with boq, so it could actually be that he doesn't even hate elphaba, he's just too scared to admit it ? but yeah idk i haven't seen the show in a while tbf😭
Completely agree, we never hear from the Lion himself that he wants her dead, we only have Boq's word... and at this point in time he's hardly a rational neutral party 😅
"no man is worth becoming an evil dictator over" had me cackling
That's true, but how handsome would a man have to be to turn the heads of women who are not that wise? I seriously doubt Boc or whatever his name is is that appealing, but I need ideas for the purposes of my own writing.
@@cityman2312I feel like they can be incredibly handsome but most importantly you’d have to make the character very charming and clever/ and charismatic perhaps as his personality would be the main reason why so many people could fall for him and his looks would perfect his “image” He would have to be intelligent enough to understand his looks give him power and his charm would have the ability to make connections with other characters
Thanks for showing your eyes during this video. I wouldn’t be able to tell what you were trying to convey otherwise
They will never silence her
Staring down the barrel of the camera
Bro I love this meme 💀
@@Tusisvrivhingi don't get it
@@fossilfightersfanforever7243Cynthia Erivo (who is playing Elphaba in the movie versions) threw a fit when a fan edited the poster to look more like the poster for the Broadway show. It included pulling down the brim of her hat to cover her eyes, making her smile, and making the smile red. Cynthia said it was the most offensive thing she’d ever seen and it was erasing her as a woman of color or something.
I saw a no fly show in London in 2006 and it was Idina Menzel. She ran front stage and made large sweeping arm motions and tippy toed.
Did you see that you got a cameo on one of Drew Gooden's recent videos? The one titled Everyone Wants to Waste Your Time and he says he will happily sit down and watch a comically in-depth video about something he wasn't already interested in if the creator is passionate about it and does it well. The mention is at about 8:00, and now we know Drew is diving deep in the Pilot Pete lore.
I need Ashley's summary/analysis of every single musical from now until eternity. Thank you in advance ☺️
Please
Hello! I have seen this show four times, and once was a no-fly show and ISTG even though I had already seen it twice before, I didn't even notice. The actress D E S T R O Y E D it. I told my brother, who had gone with me that time, and he was surprised, we both felt like nothing was missing.
Lived my dream 🥲
Same for me, it got three quarters of the way through Defying Gravity before I even noticed
I must say, the Lion has GOT to be a propaganda piece that was manipulated by Boq to strengthen their numbers, bc if he was rly mad at Elphaba for letting him escape, would he not ALSO be mad at the literal police chief like two feet away from him who ALSO helped him escape???
That's what I always thought because with context of the Wizard of Oz the lion seems pretty chill with the accomplice of the witch that did the awful crime of saving him from a fascist zoologist
I love you please don’t die
do you know something i don't??
@@ashleynortonThe green dye Ashely, the dye.....
@@ashleynorton You mentioned early on that the production hell of the movie reminds you of your own mortality, I think that's what they're talking about
Ilysm for not transitioning to a betterhelp ad at 2:39
46:06 , I think Ali Stoker in the Oklahoma remount is worth mentioning as the first wheelchair using actor to appear on a Broadway stage … and went on to win a Tony for that performance!
She was also in the Deaf West Spring Awakening production I saw!
I was fully prepared to just have this video running while I cooked dinner but as soon as you came into frame, I had to stop preparing my chicken Alfredo and give you my undivided attention.
You really commanded respect.
Ok right???
i have jaundice so it's really nice to see more representation
grrrrrlmao
one of my fav memories as a preteen/early teen is being so obsessed with wicked (it had just come out) that i got my mom to buy me the book and i read it, and it not only had the first sex scenes i was ever exposed to but they were NUMEROUS and FAIRLY GRAPHIC and when my mom told one of her friends that i loved the book/musical her friend was like "YOU LET HER READ THAT???"
So nothing is an original experience 😂
it’s so funny because i’m seeing on tiktok that teens today are going through this exact experience 😅
"happy is what happens when all your dreams come true...isn't it?" that hit bro
the kiss between elphaba and glinda in the book is so beautiful but also so sad because they also not going to see eachother again for years.
My first time seeing Wicked was a no fly show! I was very confused when I saw it again years later and she flew.
Same here! I thought that Elphaba flying was cut from the tour productions.
As a non-American person who has never seen the wizard of oz or wicked growing up I gotta say: my god that’s one hell of story
the movie is based on a book from 130ish years ago that's commonly agreed to be heavy-handed economic satire on the US political landscape at the time, the movie is mostly notable for being the first "speculative fiction" film in color (with an incredible transition from B/W) that was ever released, and most people know it now because during the 60s-90s queer Americans identified themselves as "friends of Dorothy" to signal to each other their identities without facing arrest!
Hope this helps, it's a LOT of paratext
I’m so glad you answered “who is the best elphaba” correctly. Jessica Vosk is just mind-blowingly incredible.
When I was 11 my school organised a trip to the theatre and I saw Wicked. That mechanical dragon was my absolute favourite thing for weeks. I drew a bunch of fanart of it as soon as I got home. Over the years I forgot pretty much every detail of Wicked, except for the dragon.
this is awesome
It's supposed to be a time dragon clock signifying Elphabas melting
Omg I'm sorry Kristin Chenoweth but you've been usurped from your position as the best Glinda; Goose in a blonde wig is simply perfect.
One of my best childhood memories is getting to go backstage on Wicked when it came to cleveland. Got to stand in Glinda's bubble and look at all the costumes up close. My best friend's dad was the sound director and he showed us around. Taught us how some of the effects worked. True magic for a kid
glinda was such a kristen chenoweth coded character that when i saw wicked for the first time i only knew her from pushing daisies and accurately guessed that she was the original glinda when my mom and i were in the merch line during intermission
As the original Glinda, her interpretation shaped the character; she is Glinda and Glinda IS her.
Her character was written with Kristen’s casting in mind. She was basically the only choice
Really appreciate you speaking about the disability aspect of this musical. It's also ironic as like a week or so before we went to see wicked for the first time, my sister became an amputee and was in a wheelchair. We had to give up our good seats as they weren't accessible for her which sucked. But the musical was also VERY overstimulating for both of us (both neurodivergent but hers is more severe) and my sister had to leave during the intermission because it was too much for her. Especially with the wizard face puppet's booming voice. We went into it with little knowledge of wicked (aside from the songs) so it affected us even more since we were caught off guard and weren't prepared for it. It'd be nice if musicals were more accessible and had warnings before the show but idk if that'll change anytime soon.
I am glad that she left halfway through though as she was really struggling with her self confidence after suddenly being an amputee and needing a wheelchair, so the sister's turn to evil and not being loved wouldve been really rough for her. But my sister is incredible and has adapted to this change wonderfully.
That situation also is another factor in the argument for live recordings of stage shows as she spent a lot of her own money on tickets but couldn't watch it all and the recordings on TH-cam are much less overstimulating.
You sound like an amazing sibling. I just wanted to say that
I'm really sorry you and your sister had to go through that, theartres and cinemas are always an overstimulating nightmare. Though the first time I when to see wicked there was a primary school watching and I noticed that the sound design, vocals and some lights were a lot more toned down than when I went for an evening performance I assumed for the kids. I hope more theartres can do something like that, have two shows a week for those with sensory issues or sm similar
Here in Seattle, something I REALLY appreciated as an autist myself is our local theater has started doing "understim" shows with dimmer lights, quieter sounds, less strict "stay in your seat" policies, as well as like fidget toys and stuff in the lobby. I cried when I first saw it announced - Wicked is the only musical I've seen live because of that reason, so seeing that theaters are starting to consider neurodivergent people and doing a couple shows just for us was really moving.
Going to a musical not expecting it to be loud is ... well. Sorry. And noy every disabled character is going to be happy and confident in their bodies.
It just depends on the person.
@@kawaii33366 "I can't stand it when people who are different from me still want to enjoy things" fixed your comment for you.
Thank you for giving "Thank Goodness" its flowers as the underrated bop that it is, that last "I couldn't be happier" lives in my mind rent-free 💖
Them saying “just two friends” so much makes me shiver at what Good Omens could have been. And the reality that if they never kissed, a large part of that audience would actually genuinely believe they were just “friends” 😭
if you are not on the PR list for part 2, i will riot.
thank you so much for giving us a safe place in queer media to hold space with the lyrics of defying gravity
TH-cam decided to pregame this video with a Wicked ad and I appreciate that
13:45 "Let It Go wishes it was Defying Gravity" not me yelling "THAAAANK YOOOOU" at the top of my lungs
finally someone will educate me on the thing that I have heard about since glee aired, but never bothered to go in depth about even though kurt hummel’s defying gravity has never left my mind
the ‘loves musical -> must read book’ pipeline was me with les mis. such a canon event
Expected her to pull out a ukulele at the beginning
She’s not a groomer! Just a kidnapper :)
I love that the ukelele apology that comes to mind also has a connection to Broadway lol
the toxic gossip traaaain 🎶🎶
@@Asummersdaydreamer14And also wanted to play Elphie.
I think you did a good job of exploring these plot and character elements. On Nessarose, I think it can be argued that her pain around only being "the girl in the chair" leads her to her unrelenting desire to assimilate and remove her disability. They could have been trying to convey her as a cautionary tale. We see that Nessa is a lovely person, intelligent, beautiful, with a future ruling in munchkin. We want her to love herself, accept her disability, and find people who will love her properly. Nessa instead, becomes bitter and resentful, she becomes obsessed with a man who does not love her, but she is convinced that if she could walk he would love her properly. When that doesn't work out she becomes "wicked." It's meant to be a tragic story, kind of your stereotypical hurt person hurts people.
If this was what they were going for, I don't think they did a good enough job. I think cynically this plot could be boiled down to "don't be sad disabled people :( maybe your attitude is what's in the way of your happiness 🤓." But Nessa does face discrimination because of her chair, she has reasons to feel bitter and lonely especially after her sister goes into hiding and she gets an alienating job. I wish the show validated that more, and I wish that Nessa could have recognized that the people of Oz were her problem, not her disability. I wish she could have recognized her solidarity with the animals and with elphaba. She is still bitter, so instead of trying to build up and protect the Animals like Elphaba, Nessa would set out destroy Oz and become a truly wicked witch. We'd be able to see how her complicated feelings around her disability, and the internalization of the discrimination she faces
morph her personality into something unrecognizable.
and they were roommates
oh my gosh they were ROOMMATES ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
What year is it, 2017?
I was just about to have a crochet session; perfect timing as always, Ashley!!
Man I wanna learn how to crochet😭 is it tough to get into?
the elphaba appearance already has me hooked
As a wicked stan, I can’t even begin to discuss my gratitution for this video
thank you for making this video so i could scream "THEY KISSED??? TWICE???" when you showed that part of the book
I didn’t anticipate this video, I love your commentary and will probably watch it again several times a la Jenny Nichols review of the Star Wars hotel
18:09 As a kid, I had the McDonald’s wizard of oz dolls and id always pair the wicked witch and scarecrow together. That’s funny that this affirmed my pairing. 😭🤣
Not even 10 minutes in and the phrase "token goat" already had me untethered to this plain
I am from Italy and born in the 90s, so it's safe to say no musical was ever popular when I was a teenager. Somehow I fell in love with Wicked in high school and got to see it in London. I then got my hands on the first book in Italian (the only one translated so far) and after the initial shock... I completely fell in love with it. I then read all the books in English and just fell more in love with everything. Ashley said it well, do not expect the musical and the book to be too related, everything about them comes from very different places. I would also recommend to read the biography of Schwartz, there's a first draft of the Wicked musical storyline, plus lots of notes, and it's really interesting to see how they went from the book to the musical!
I've literally never been happier to see someone painted green that's prepared to talk to me for over 30 minutes
i was lucky enough to see the deaf west production of spring awakening when it happened, it was so incredible. i really hope more shows like it happen
I’ve always read glinda’s narration of wicked as indicative of the idea that none of it is to be trusted face value, and is instead glinda attempting to garner more power via telling the most salacious and messy yet ultimately “safe” story possible. nobody’s going to catch up on little discrepancies like elphaba going in the rain without an umbrella in act i yet supposedly dying form water in act ii, or question why/how glinda knows the specifics of elphaba’s time away from her - like when she allegedly hooked up with fiyero in a bog, something that would actively hinder her escape plan and put her life in direct danger - because ultimately the drama and the scandal and the relatability in said mess is more compelling, and that relatability is what allows glinda to get the people of oz slightly more on elpahaba’s side, to prime them for a wide scale effort to genuinely reform their society. (this is also, I believe, why elpahaba and glinda’s relationship contains so much unspoken romance. it’s a deliberate cover-up by glinda in my mind, but no matter how hard she tries to conceal the one part of the story that might’ve been “too far”, bits of it slip through the cracks in the way she speaks about elphaba anyway). wicked is, to me, undeniably lies on lies on lies on lies up to the very end. I legitimately flip flop depending on the day as to whether I think elphaba actually survived or if glinda’s just so desperate to believe she’s not gone that she’s fully lying to herself as well by the end of her story. a lot of people have a really cynical view of wicked as just another bold flashy prequel but I think it’s so so much deeper than that. will forever die on the hill that you aren’t supposed to believe literally fucking anything in this entire show. knowing the source material I’d go so far as to say that it was even intended that way from the beginning
Glinda is not narrating the whole story in the musical. She is simply the framing device that bookends the narrative; though she does give a little of Elphaba’s backstory in the beginning during “No One Mourns the Wicked,” after she she reveals their paths crossed “at school,” she begins to reminisce privately in her mind, and by that point the story jumps out of the framing device and operates as a third-person objective narrative without a distinct POV. The story is not her own recollection of events, it’s just an extended flashback. There’s also the fact that informing all the citizens of this story as is would alienate them from her in a big way, and Glinda’s one thing is being constantly aware of how she’s perceived, so she is being very careful maintaining her image now that she is the sole ruler of Oz.
So everything that happens within the musical really happens, and Glinda is not an unreliable narrator because she was never one to begin with.
not me tweeting like 5 minutes ago that i still don't know what wicked is about and then I saw you posted this!!
As a wheelchair user, I find Nessa in both the book and musical incredibly relatable. I actually love how the musical doesn't try to empower her, that as soon as she sees the opportunity to walk, she takes it. Because as any disabled person can tell you, if given the choice, we would NEVER choose to be disabled. It gets tiring hearing people always telling you how “you're perfect” and “that there's nothing wrong with you” when there definitely is something wrong with you. I'm perfect in spite of my disability, not because of it. And having a character be so ashamed of her disability is really empowering because she's saying what we're all thinking. The insecurities that were not allowed to articulate because people pity us SO much that whenever we express dissatisfaction with our disabilities they instantly have to come to our defense instead of letting us vent out our frustration
But incredible video! I just wanted to share my take since I'm pretty passionate about representation lol
I’m not going to speak on Nessa as a character because I’ve never seen the show, but saying that every disabled person would choose to get rid of their disability is just wrong. If you personally feel that way that’s fine, but it’s not a universal truth.
@ having a disability makes ur life 100 times harder. Yes us disabled people come to terms with and sometimes times even love ourselves despite our disabilities! But the key word is despite. We have to overcome the obstacles that come with being disabled. The social stigma, the difficulties going places, the pity. I have to go through a 10 minute detour to get to some of my college classes because the main way isn’t wheelchair accessible. And I always get looks from people thinking “oh that poor girl!” And I know for a fact it isn’t because I’m special. It happens to all of us who are disabled and different. I get where you’re coming from, but once again our frustrations are being silenced.
@@SelmaForrester I know being disabled is difficult, but I don’t love myself despite my disability, I just love myself, again it’s fine if it’s different for you. I also understand the resentment towards others for the pity that was never asked for, but that wasn’t what I was commenting about. I was specifically pushing back against the idea that all disabled people would automatically take a cure if one was offered.
A disabled person here (double amputee with a chronic illness), and I appreciate this conversation. How you're feeling Selma is valid, the world is harder for disabled people. I do think, for me, it's harder not bc I'm amputee, but rather because the world I live in is built for abled bodied people. Whether it's the physical environment that has been created, access to healthcare, or attitudes towards people with disabilities, these are all obstacles for me that society has created.
Based on what you've written, I've experienced similar attitudes from people where they both hold you to a high standard for "overcoming obstacles despite by disability" but also expect so little of you at the same time (I guess it's the "inspiration p*rn" of it all). Even statements like "you don't seem disabled" were considered compliments when I was younger. Now, I see that people who say things like that are revealing their own biases towards disabled people and is absolutely not the compliment they think it is. When they talk about how inspirational a disabled person is, etc., they're discussing our disabilities in a way that is palatable to them and overlook the needs that we do have. With time, I've learned that is a flaw on their part and not my disability's.
@@mackenzied94738 I think this is it for me. Given the choice, I wouldn't change any part of me. The frustrations and difficulties lie more in a world catered towards a majority, and the perception around it. So I don't agree with "ANY disabled person can tell you" because I think quite a few wouldn't say or agree to that. I don't judge folk who would change parts of themselves and this take is valid, but I also think it's unfair to assume everyone would change given the chance.
I somewhat equate it to my gender representation too. At a younger age I hated that I was a masc woman, and all the bullying, mockery, and general inconveniences it came with (being harassed and assaulteed in womens spaces). But as I got older and began to accept all of me, I realised I didn't hate who I was, I hated societies perception of it all.
I finally get what that guy from Chicken Girls was on about. Her defying gravity really IS the best part
You forgot to mention the subplot that the wizard is Elphaba's dad, and may or may not have date r*ped her mom using the green elixir
37:21 thank you for including clips from the Australian production of wicked. I love that Aussie theatre is getting more recognition. I saw the show just two weeks ago and it was amazing! Courtney Monsma who plays Glinda is so freakin talented!
babe wake up Ashley just uploaded a 52 min video abt Wicked the musical
The only time I've had the pleasure to see it, it was a no fly show! My friends were so disappointed, mad even, and I was just sobbing from the incredible powerful moment. Cool to know it's a coveted experience 😂
Re: the book/musical differences, I had the opposite experience when, in college, everyone was talking about the musical and being a reader, I grabbed the novel to see what it was about. After that first chapter my only thought was “they made a musical of this?!” I eventually finished the book, but it was quickly obvious the two works were wildly different!!
I had the same pathway: I have a real soft spot for the show but I was surprised at first by how comparatively sanitised the musical felt.
The part where Elphaba popped up at the end after the melting? I was FURIOUS 😅
@ exactly!! I have a much more relaxed attitude about adaptations now, but I was pretty upset/confused at the time.
The only two pieces of media I take as canon, when talking about rationalising the villain’s actions through an untold backstory:
1. Wicked
2. Twisted
OKAY WAIT I CRIED laughing with the whole queen announcement then opening number 😂 that is the funniest shit I have ever heard
The issue you get in the west end is a lot of the theatres are super old. It makes the building hard to make accessible because they were built in a period where everything was crammed in together and is barely useable to able bodied people.
I worked in a theatre where I had to climb 3 flights of stairs to get to the dressing room.
somehow you consistently seem to make videos about things completely in my niche and i have to say: THANK YOU. and thank you x2 for the brittney johnson and katie rose clarke appreciation
This is the kind of theater content that I crave. Thank you for your service, Ashley.
Omg i really thought only our galinda in the dutch production was trying get the dutch elphaba laugh but hearing you say its just... a thing now no matter where made me laugh 😂
oh I clocked in immediately
as someone who saw the jessica vosk run of wicked, THANK U for giving my girl her flowers. theeeee best !!!
I have had so much work to get done the last few days and I have been playing your vids because something about you talking about a random AF topic for an hour is really calming
my favorite musical ever and i feel so so grateful to say i’ll be getting to see it this winter!!!
42:17 I remember trying to read the book as a middle schooler after getting obsessed with the musical and having to stop after like one page because my 13 year old mind couldn't even begin to comprehend it
* gets on the ground and lies down at like a 45° angle * Okay I'm ready
I'm picturing you doing that move Raygun did at the Olympics
The ensemble during a no fly show:
Idina Menzel came to my state on her tour and getting to sing some of the Wicked soundtrack (and stuff from her other plays) with her was genuinely one of the most fun things ever
I read the first Wicked book when I was 12 and I was TRAUMATISED by the puppet sex 💀 I didn't pick it up because of the musical though, but because it was one of the "edgy" books that it was cool for people to read at my middle school, along with one about a 12 year old girl who does drugs 🤪 I ended up reading the whole series multiple times and I'll never forget when my high school math teacher confiscated the second book, Son of a Witch, from me and called it "a naughty book" in front of the whole class 😭
Mate, try the opposite experience…reading the book and then seeing the musical…that was a bloody trip! I’m so happy to see people talking about the book, it is such a wonderful but at times difficult read.
One of my all time favorite series ever. The sequel trilogy isn't bad, either, working on the 2nd one now. And next year we get an Elphaba book!
@ I’ve read Son of a Witch but haven’t gotten to Lion Among Men yet! I’ve owned it for an age too…I have the ones with the sprayed edges, green, red and yellow!
@@Amanda-0987 I like those copies. My favorite copies are the ones that have the outside cover with a circle cut out, showing the character, then you open that and have a full image inside
Reading the book back in middle school cause i was obsessed with the soundtrack but couldnt go see the show was sure an experience
As someone who's been dying to know more about musical theater for years, I appreciate your videos on musicals! Can't wait to see the movie! Wish it were easier to go and see stage shows live, too 😅Wicked is set to hit the stage in April 2025 where I live, but I just came back from a trip to see another musical live and it took three whole days in total...
How can you knock the lyricism of
"I can't say if I've been changed for the better,
But, because I knew you, I have been changed for good."
That is beautiful. You're enough of a fan that I'll allow it, though. You're lucky I'm letting this slide.
I love the lyrics in for good!
thank goodness is quite literally poetry.... because getting your dreams as strange as it seems is a little, well, complicated! there's a kind of a sort of ... cost... theres a couple of things get lost... there are BRIDGES YOU DIDNT KNOW YOU COULD CROSSSS UNTIL YOU CROSSSSS and if that joy! that thrill! doesn't thrill like you think it will! still this perfect finale with the cheers and the ballyoo whoo whooo wouldnt be happier so i couldnt be happier because happy is what happens when all your dreams come true... ISNT IT? like come onnn i think of those lyrics more than almost any others in the world
it’s genuinely mind blowing how much of the plot is literally what’s happening in america rn.
this was perfection, thank you!
THANK YOU for talking about the ableism in this show. I saw it live for the first time this year, and it devastated me. I am disabled, and attended the show while wearing a back brace. The way Nessarose is treated was so hurtful that it made me cry. Massive aspects of the plot, including Elphaba attending university in the first place, is because her family believe that Nessarose's disability is a PUNISHMENT BECAUSE OF ELPHIE'S SKIN and therefore make her act as Nessa's carer.
I'm really glad to see that they have cast an actual wheelchair user for the film, and I hope that with the extra runtime they will expand on her much further.
Disability is hard, and yes we often struggle with things like feeling like a burden, being unloveable, how inaccessible the world is to us, comparing ourselves to able-bodied people, wishing that we had not got sick, or injured, or been born without these complications. But not all of us do, and most wheelchair users will tell you that their chairs are tools of liberation, not confinement. I hated this show.
What a let down. I thought the queen dying would prompt a "the wicked Witch is dead joke" on account of Bloody Sunday or the "No Gays in the Palace" rule that stood until 1995, or just because I literally don't know a single person who is pro monarchy
I love that we all lived similar theater kid lives. I found you through your American Girl video and every one since has been stuff that I also tangentially think about
my wicked stan heart "couldn't be happier!"
“Evil Diet Coke can Boq” plzzzz 😭😭
on the subject of elphaba and glinda referring to each other as “friends”, it reminds me of how in falsettos, marvin almost always refers to whizzer as his “friend” especially during the first act
Oh my god I’m so excited for this video
perfect outro, 10/10 you should do that for every video
Jonathan Bailey was also born to be G'raha Tia in The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG FFXIV and I love all of it for him
When it came to the cowardly lion, I always assumed he never had any grievance with Elphaba and instead was told by others who the Wicked Witch is and Boq uses him to support his own testimony. I mean as a cowardly lion, he would be too scared to stand up for himself and speak his own mind in front of crowd with the Tin Man speaking FOR the Lion.
Great work as always, Ashley! As someone who's never seen the show proper (read the book a long, long time ago and listened to the cast recording a few times when it first came out), I really appreciate the comprehensive plot summary. It was a good reminder of just how messy the musical's narrative is, particularly in act two. It actually has me much more interested in seeing the movie next week to compare and contrast, since I have to assume as you do that the huge running time is (hopefully) a consequence of the writers wanting to address a lot of the plot issues.
Also very struck with your point about how the "prequelizing" of stories often undermines characters' agency in the original work. I've only seen the trend criticized as it pertains to morality: Hollywood trying to make every villain sympathetic and justifying their actions in a way that de-legitimizes any dislike we originally had for them. I hadn't thought of it from the more objective angle of how it simply makes characterization worse by reducing conscious choice and personality to a web of inescapable, perfectly rationalized consequences of your past.
Will never be tired of your Broadway videos! And without having seen either part yet, I'm already hoping for a comprehensive analysis of the movie duology from you one day.
I leave in France and this musical is not available in my area , so a big THANK TO YOU for talking about it 💚
Every now and then I go through obsessions with wicked. I haven’t had one of these phases in a while, thank you for unlocking the rabbit hole
man, i found you when you had 10k followers. :,) i just think you’re amazing ashley!!!
I loved this! Thank you for taking the time. And by the way, Shoshana Bean's Elpha and Megan Hilty's Glinda were the best... EVER!
i like how even in the ad segment ashley's wearing a vaguely dorothy-esque outfit. never not on brand
24:07 Ashley is on a mission and I am here for it