Defying Gravity

Background information of Wicked:

Wicked the musical is based on the 1995 fantasy novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by American author Gregory Maguire. It gives a new perspective on the characters and events in the original story (a process known as literary revisionism). In particular, the character Elphaba, known to generations as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, is portrayed in the musical Wicked as a sympathetic character who is treated badly for being true to her beliefs.

Wicked was first performed in San Francisco, in June 2003, and later that same year transferred to Broadway (New York’s theatre district). It opened in London’s West End in 2006, and in 2016 it became the eighth-longest-running show in the West End.

The 1939 musical l’m The Wizard of Oz (which, along with the original novel, was the inspiration for Wicked) starred the 16-year- old Judy Garland as Dorothy and includes the songs ‘We’re Off To See the Wizard’, ‘Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.

The Plot:

The musical begins with the death of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Through flashback, we learn from Glinda (the Good Witch of the North) that the two girls were at university together, where the beautiful, popular and spoilt Glinda initially loathed the green- skinned Elphaba, who had been misunderstood and shunned by society.

Having shown a talent for sorcery, the two girls were sent to help the Wizard of Oz, who Elphaba discovers to be a corrupt dictator, busy suppressing the minority group of sentient animals in Oz by caging them and segregating them to prevent them learning how to speak. Elphaba realises that the wizard is a charlatan who possesses no magic powers, and she vows to right his injustices.

Fearful of Elphaba’s own magic powers, the wizard denounces her as wicked and uses propaganda to turn the people of Oz against her. A hunt begins and Elphaba is forced into hiding. She seeks asylum in Munchkinland but her request is refused by its governor (her cruel and embittered sister, who has become known as the Wicked Witch of the East).

During the show we discover that the Scarecrow and Tin Man were once boyfriends of the witches, transformed by their spells, a lion cub freed from experiments by Elphaba grows up to be the Cowardly Lion and the Wizard of Oz turns out to be Elphaba’s father. Glinda has come to respect Elphaba’s strength in standing up for what is right, and laments the loss after Dorothy appears to have killed her – but just before the end of the musical, we learn that Elphaba survived and is still alive.

Defying Gravity:

This is the song you need to study. It comes at the end of the first half of the musical.

Elphaba has realised that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not good person and has vowed to stand up to him. Elphaba’s defiance is seen in the lyrics of Defying Gravity that she sings to Glinda. Here is an example see if you can understand the meaning.

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 think I'll try defying gravity

And you can't pull me down

Wicked is scored for a band of 23 musicians:

• Four strings (two violins, viola, cello)

• Double bass (doubling fretted and fretless bass guitars)

• Four reeds (i.e. woodwind players)

• Six brass (two each of trumpets, trombones and horns)

• Two guitars

• harp

• Drums

• Percussion

• Three keyboards 

This short video is about how Stephen Schwartz goes about creating songs for musicals.