I'd rather be WICKED!

I’m still on a “green cloud” this week  from seeing the play Wicked. For those of you unfamiliar with the premise of this production, the story is about the land of Oz and its many colorful characters, pre-Dorothy and Toto. It's a tale of  Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West; Glinda the Good Witch; and the Wizard in all his narcissistic splendor.  All the characters transport you on a realistic journey down the yellow brick road.   If you're debating on whether it is worth the $100+ (and those are the cheap seats)  to attend, it is.  It's a fun, humorous, poignant tale, with a twist.  "Glinda the good", is blonde, beautiful, ditsy, and shallow.  She fits right into the superficially lovely Land of Oz and refuses to peek at the the "man behind the curtain".  To do so might burst the bubble of security she finds in her looks, popularity and the comfort zone of a world she knows well.  So, Glinda doesn't dare  look.   To see the great and powerful Oz, as neither great nor powerful, would force the question: what else is illusion? Elphaba, on the other hand, has green skin, is already unpopular and has been since birth.  What does she have to lose by ripping back the draperies and exposing a frail, wizened old man, as he screams, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"?   She pays attention.  Her dreams are temporarily shattered. She finds herself staring into one of many faces she's allowed to direct, limit, and define her, and recognizes it isn't even real, and hardly intimidating.  This revelation opens up a new world for her.  She's freed to explore suppressed talents and resourcefulness in changing her world.  The costumes, set design and special effects are not only yummy eye candy; the music is inspirational. My ears perked up at the words: 

        Something has changed within me

Something is not the same

I'm through with playing by the rules

Of someone else's game

Too late for second guessing

Too late to go back to sleep

 It's time to trust my instincts

Close my eyes: and leap

It's time to try defying gravity...............

I'm through accepting limits, cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change, but till I try, I'll never know!

Too long I've been afraid of , losing love I guess I've lost

Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost.

I think I'll buy defying gravity........

Wow......and, this is where the story gets really good!

It's one of those fables that slowly unfold layers of  insights, unearthing the golden key, which unlocks authenticity and its by-products........serenity and happiness.  It speaks loudly  of accepting and proudly wearing who we are and honoring that, although others may not. It reminds us to do it anyway, because the price of trying to become something we aren't, steals the beautiful bits of our character that God implanted in us individually, empowering us to fulfill our unique destiny.  It's also about hearing truth pounding so loudly, inside your soul, and learning to defend it, no matter what.  It's recognizing that sometimes you can't  make others happy, and perhaps, it's time for them to learn to be happy with themselves. It's learning, if you need to worry about losing love, it wasn't the real deal anyway.  Yet, true love blossoms in the play.  The kind of love where you fall  head over heels with another's soul, rather than their perfect skin. You recognize real beauty is deeply embedded beyond the normal five senses.   A person's  true character and value is revealed, by watching with your heart, not your eyes.  


My husband had a saying which I find myself trying to apply today.  He said, "We can't judge.  We don't know the rest of their  story."  Wicked tells the rest of their story.  A bucket of water is thrown on that wicked old witch of the west. It's meant to eliminate her, but it also douses the platitude, "perception is reality".  No it's not!  Perception is our personal delusion and always will be.  Perception resides in the mind.  Reality, is truth, and can only be known from the place God resides, our hearts.

I left the theatre smiling big.  I was entertained for sure, but also comforted.  My choice to stop being afraid of losing love I never had in the first place, and selling off pieces of my soul for so many things I thought I needed, has been a good one. I am no longer limited by my self-imposed fear of moving out of my comfort zone into the wild and beautiful unknown. And, while my exterior may be perceived as blonde, baubled, stilletoed,  and moderately shallow, the reality is, I have the heart of the Wicked!   And, that makes me happy!