"Wicked"

I heard that the broadway musical "Wicked" is magical and a must see. In March we tried to get tickets for a May showing but they were sold out. Now I am waiting for next May's tickets to go on sale. A few weeks ago at a yard sale I picked up the book from which the musical was inspired. I am a hundred pages in and feel like I am 300 pages deep. The book is filled with astonishing details and such imaginative words. I love the way the author, Gregory Maguire, has given a voice to the Wicked Witch of the West; where she has come from, why her skin is green, and who she really is. This is definitely a "can't put it down" book. "The Wizard of Oz" has been a childhood memory for many people for many years. In 1900 Lyman Frank Baum wrote the original "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and in 1939 Judy Garland graced the screen as Dorothy Gale. 95 years later Maguire twists the story around and shows the world a new side of Oz. He makes his reader feel a connection towards the vixen who has been hated for so many years after keeping our little Dorothy captive in her castle.

I know that Maguire has great inspiration from the orginal "Oz", but what made him want to give the green-skinned witch a voice? Some might question why he is giving evil a voice and wonder why we should listen to her side of the story. So far I have discovered that everyone deserves to be heard, no matter how green their skin is. Every child deserves a chance in this world no matter where they were raised or how much money their family has. I will continue on through the magical pages and dare to step inside "The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West"