Wicked - Script

Questions and Answers about the Wicked Book by Winnie Holzman

1. Where can I buy the script?

A partial version of the script for Wicked the musical has been published in Wicked The Grimmerie

• Read all about Wicked: The Grimmerie;

Wicked licensing: Wicked is not yet available for licensing by theatre groups, except for in Australia. When it becomes available it will be through Music Theatre International in the USA and associated companies around the world. For Australia licensing available on a limited basis see Hal Leonard Australia - Wicked

2. Why Was the Novel changed for the musical?

"Primarily we were interested in the relationship between Galinda - who becomes Glinda and Elphaba the green Witch. As short-hand we always call the show 'Turning Point in Oz,' (like the movie The Turning Point); the friendship of these two women and how their characters lead them to completely different destiny's and how the friendship is tested and broken and mended etc. through this process." -- Stephen Schwartz. Read the full story and see Schwartz's original handwritten notes for this chant in Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked 2nd edition

3. A Wicked glossary - Why was new vocabulary invented?

Gregory Maguire invented terms to suit his new story for the pre-Dorothy Oz for Wicked Musical Tie-in Edition : The Life... [new browser window]

The musical has it's own vocabulary. Here's an inside story from Carol de Giere:

Wicked's Writers Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book) used humor to help them face the endless writing and reworking required for this vast project, which was conceived in 1996 and required about four years of concentrated work. (See also Wicked History).

Early on in the writing process, Holzman created a kind of "Oz Speak" for the show, mostly used by Glinda and Madame Morrible. When Glinda explained something might have been confusing, she instead says it was "confusifying." When she needed to say, "He means no disrespect," it became "disrespectation," giving an additional bit of whimsy to her character.

Soon Holzman was hearing Oz speak spoken back at her. When revisions had to be made, Schwartz would say with a wry smile, "Well, we'll have to make an 'adjustification.'"

Schwartz, too, had words to invent for the musical. For his "No Good Deed" song he came up with: "Eleka nahmen nahmen/Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen." He says "I just made up words that I thought sounded kind of chant like."

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