Wicked

This past weekend I had the pleasure of watching the popular musical "Wicked". This is the untold story of the Witches of Oz before Dorothy arrives but with a twist on the familiar tale told from a different perspective. In the end the circumstances that have caused these misunderstood characters that had been judged wrong are revealed. The stunning production I saw in Dallas lived up to the hype.

I was not much of an Oz fan growing up. Those flying monkeys were just too creepy for my taste. But this version raises many lingering issues that will get stuck in your mind and have you discussing the show days, if not weeks, after you've seen it!

The best way I can sum-up the main message is with a line spoken by the Wizard about moral ambiguity:
“Where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it — history.... There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities so we act as though they don’t exist.”

I think most of us feel that "Good" and "Evil" are always present in some form and in variations of grey. The "truth" depends on who is telling the story. There is no absolute truth. Whether you see authority as a danger or necessity, society's lust for enemies and our rush to judge and label stems from fear. It is important to be reminded of this message from time to time. I believe Wicked is a good lesson in understanding the concept of empathy.

Quick question: Have you seen Wicked? What is the point of the green vial the traveling salesman had and was kept under Elphaba's pillow? Share your thoughts!