Wicked

Saturday night, my wonderful friend "S" took me to see the musical "Wicked" at Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. It was AMAZING!!!

We had dinner before the show with her friend "J" who teaches yoga to kids. The restaurant was 'Double Dutch' in Culver City and I had salmon with a raspberry sauce and steamed veggies. Yum.

What a lovely evening with two great girls. I missed my Froggy, but this mama needed a little night life. Thanks Grandma "W" for babysitting. Sorry she peed on the floor! As usual, Froggy believes she is part dog, and wanted to emulate Buddy. I wouldn't be surprised if she lifted her leg. It must be the baby leash.

WICKED was one of the best musicals I've ever seen. The story and lyrics were beautiful and surprisingly deep. I'm not a fan of hokey musicals like "Oklahoma" but the message of WICKED was profound and layered.

(spoiler alert) If you've seen or heard of the musical, you know it's about how the Wicked Witch from THE WIZARD OF OZ was just misunderstood. She wasn't wicked at all. But through a series of miscommunications and manipulation from the "Sentimental Wizard" and others, she is misconstrued as evil. It's a retelling of THE WIZARD OF OZ, the story behind the story and the politics of Oz. The characters were not the one-dimensional versions from the movie, rather flawed and human, persuaded by rejection and popularity. And I believe that the main theme of the musical is that no one is either good or bad, pretty or ugly in their entirety. We are defined, our nations, and leaders, by the person telling the story - the munchkins and flying monkeys, the wizard and guards, the author or playwright. And they have their own biases and grudges, their agenda that colors every word and character. They weave the story, and what they leave out may be more important than what they include.

But the most wonderful aspect of WICKED was that through friendship and love, our beauty or pointy hat does not have to define us. Our flawed and lovely friends, can see beyond the green skin, the limitations of character, into the heart of us, the pulp of our story. Are you a liberator or thief, a leader or a fraud, a witch or a woman? And when we have the whole story, the reason behind the actions, the person behind the character, only then will we know how the story really ends -- melting into the floor, or liberated by love? We all play a part in the good and wicked ways of the world. After all, even Dorothy stole the ruby slippers. But who am I to judge.