Matthew Rankcom Essay Plan

“Select a current performance which has evolved from an earlier production.

Explain how it has developed to make it relevant to the modern audience.”

‘Wicked’, a contemporary musical featuring a score by Stephen Schwartz, is currently

Broadway’s 11th longest running show in history. According to the Internet Broadway

Database (2015), it has now played over 4,700 performances. This production

evolved from the 1939 MGM film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ starring Judy Garland. The

modern Broadway audience has changed drastically since the 1930’s, leading to this

new adaptation of a classic story. In the 64 years between the two productions, social

attitudes towards race and sexuality have changed dramatically which is reflected in

the differing tones of the two works. Furthermore, higher production values are

expected from stage productions due to advancements in technology. These, along

with changing tastes in music and dance style, are just a few of the ways in which the

Wizard of Oz has been developed into ‘Wicked’ in order to suit modern audiences.

(150 words)

Main Body

1st Paragraph

Main change- the plot

Cultural and Social attitudes have developed and audiences are more

accepting. Talk about the difference in time period in regards to racism,

sexuality etc and link to the fact that Elphaba’s green skin is a metaphor for

anyone who is ‘different’.

Audiences question things more. They want to know ‘Are people born

wicked?’ (Holtzman, 2003)

Lead to the creation of a NEW story as a prequel.

“queerly, with two women as the couple”- Wolf (2011) (400 words

2nd Paragraph

In addition to attitudes, tastes have changed.

The “MTV” audience- Cambridge Companion

Music differs from ‘legit’ Judy Garland to rocky/pop Idina Menzel

Influences of contemporary dance (250 words)

Conclusion

In conclusion, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ has evolved over time to become a very different

show in the form of ‘Wicked’. The primary way in which Wicked has been adapted for

a modern audience is, I believe, the plot. The simplistic ideas of good and evil are

challenged and discarded and the audience are challenged to question what makes

a person wicked. The 1939 audience longed for sheer escapism, however

contemporary audiences frequently attend shows that will encourage them to think

and form opinions, which is exactly what ‘Wicked’ does. Naturally, the score is a very

different sound because the music industry’s pop sound has found it’s way into

musical theatre. By incorporating the sounds of mainstream music into his score,

Schwartz opened up the target audience for ‘Wicked’ which has led to it’s lengthy

Broadway run. The show is still evolving to this day. Two non- replica stagings were

produced in Europe in 2013 with changes to the design and direction to fit smaller

venues and a different audience. In addition to this, the musical is set for 2016 film

adaptation to be produced by Universal Pictures (according to IMDB, 2015). Casting

is yet to be announced, but with a huge Internet buzz around the film, including the

hash tag #WickedMovie trending worldwide when the announcement was made, it’s

likely to be a popular ticket. It is highly reasonable to speculate that Wicked will

continue to adapt and change for modern audiences for many years to come.