A review by lory_enterenchanted
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense

3.0

Although he departs wildly from the spirit of the original Oz series, Maguire creates a somber and gritty mood that is quite compelling in itself. Oz as seen through the spectacles of Poe, perhaps. Also, Maguire has a strong Catholic fixation on religion, which has no foundation in the original books. I felt as though it all lost energy and unraveled at the end, a disappointing finish after some memorable scenes and language. Glinda and Elphaba becoming friends at college was the best part; it makes sense that this friendship was taken up as the main theme of the musical, whereas in the book it is one of those things that just dribbles away. Sentimentality has no place in Maguire's version.