Howdy y'all! originally from a small Texas town, I've been here in Austin quite a while. It's doubtful any of y'all have been
around(on earth that is)as long as me, so I think to skip the I'm ___ years old bit. If y'all have any classic Oz knowlege and math skills y'all will figure it out anyway.

Well, the moderator asked to tell how we got here, so settle in kiddies,"cause you've got an awf'lly long way to go.." Hope y'all won't be too bored, just imagine it's Shiz University.

First about the book(novel)and the musical.There are probably some fans of the musical who didn't read the book. I know there are readers of the book who liked it but didn't like the musical, as well as those who liked both. I am in the third category
I didn't like the book but love the musical. The connection that wtm fans have with Oz varies as well. There may be some(esp. the very young ones) fans who have never seen THE WIZARD OF OZ, although it's probably a small section. Of those fans who Have seen that film, they either are fans of both or only WICKED! There is I am supposing a much smaller subset of WICKED fans whose Oz involvement extends to the Oz books as well. That's right I said books, not book. Now, if it shows up look at my avatar. That is Books of Wonder Publishing's facsimile of the 1st edition of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, which MGM adapted to the 1939 film with Judy Garland,Ray Bolger and Co. The author was L. Frank Baum and it was published in 1900. Some WICKED FANS may not realize it until now, but it is really L. Frank Baum who we have to thank ultimately for this wonderful musical treat we have all taken to our hearts and minds. His imagination in telling stories to his sons and neighborhood children made it all possible. Dorothy,Tin Woodsman,Lion,Scarecrow,Wicked Witch of the West,Emerald City, Land of Oz, Glinda, winged monkeys and Oz the Great and Terrible were created by him. The silver shoes and wicked witch of the east his as well. My personal involvement goes back to when I was very young.

I seem to have been predisposed to like the MGM musical and Wicked! I was born darn near almost exactly 100 years after
L. Frank Baum(I know that must make me sound ancient)! They started showing Judy's Wizard of Oz on tv the year I was born. I don't know for sure, but it was likely the very first movie I saw, and my favorite(many emotional ties)of all time. The witch terrified me when I was little, but until I saw my first colour tv I didn't know her face was green. So, we have MGM to thank for Elphaba's green face. The Wizard would also seem to be the first musical I saw. BTW, the official Oz series is 40 books long(14 by Baum and 26 by others).

Alright, before I lose my audience I will speed things up........ I have been a musical(started with films)fan for a long time.
Faves Rodgers and Hammerstein films,Gene Kelly,Judy Garland, Sound of Music,Mary Poppins,King and I, etc. I hadn't seen any stage musicals until at a local college I saw Shenendoah. Then The Music Man in a local production with Larry Gatlin(formerly a country singer)as Harold Hill. Then I saw a favorite of mine Oklahoma. Those were the only ones I had seen until recently.

Now WICKED: I think I read the book first, but not until I had heard of the musical. My reaction to the book was mixed but on the negative side because of all the sex scenes. I read it again recently and found it incredibly boring(Glinda almost non-existant and Elphaba unlikeable. I first came away from the book thinking that if a musical of that was made I had no desire to see it. Then I on a whim found the official wicked site and saw it described as something for the entire family. Out of curiosity I got the OBC cd and played it and played it and played it! You get the picture. Then when it was nominated for 10 tonys I decided to watch the tonys for the 1st time(2004). It seems a crime today it only got three awards doesn't it?
After seeing Idina and Kristin on the show and other tv appearances I wanted desperately to see it but the only way it ever happened was on my computer. Next I got the grimmerie and somehow I had fallen under it's spell. I dreamed of it coming to my city. So, I frequently checked the official site's list of Wicked cities where the tour was coming. I was frequently disappointed until it was going to come to Houston and Dallas. I made plans around my birthday to see it in one of those places, but saddly it fell through. I was disheartened and stopped checking the site and sort of drifted from Wicked for a year or so. In the meantime I (horrors)missed the chance to see the Phantom in Austin, and kicked myself about it.
Then last year at one of my church groups worship services my aunt handed me a brochure she had gotten somewhere for
Bass Concert Hall's 08-09 Season. You may have heard of something called Broadway Across America? This was their brochure for BAA Austin. Guess what was on the cover? You guessed it, see attachment. Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Needless to say I was freaking out. Five year dream finally coming true. On May 16th this year I got tickets for my sister and myself to the Aug. 21st show. However, I couldn't wait and went myself and saw my first live Wicked(Helene and Marcie) on Wednesday Aug. 12th, opening day. Seeing it live can't be beat!! It was wonderful!

I have a lot of other musical interests as well...classical,classic rock/pop, Gilbert and Sullivan,country,bluegrass and opera to name a few. Recently I found this site and have been enjoying the posts. This is my first.

I am happy to say that BAA has really changed the Broadway musical scene in Austin. This year there was Annie, Avenue Q,
Legally Blonde. Spamalot, Rent. The only one I have seen though is wicked. Next year Topal's farewell tour Austin appearance in Fiddler on the Roof, Stage Version of The Wizard of Oz and yay!!! The Phantom is coming back!!!!!!!!

ps. one of the things I do thank McGuire for is the character of Elphaba(although the musical does her better). This is how he came up with the name. The initials of L. Frank Baum(Frank hated his first name Lyman): L F B

El PHA BA
neat huh?

Last thought: Who are the elphie and Glinda in the brochure I showed y'all. Is one Kendra?

Welcome to WoO.

Any questions/concerns just PM me. Please make sure you have read through the rules before you start posting elsewhere on the board.


It is Victoria Matlock (Elphaba) and Christina De-Cicco (Glinda) on the brochure.

hello , welcome !! i am also new to these forums =]

that's wicked you FINALLY got to see wicked !! here's too a million times more ~.^

love that wicked book cover you've got there !!

y'know , i never actually saw the ol' wizard of oz film until after i saw the musical. it was really strange seeing it having seen the musical ; i kept yelling things out at the tv , XD. margaret hamilton really didn't make the wicked witch young or beautiful , ha ha !! but i think she makes a pretty good witch , just not 'elphaba' to me knowing the background of the character and all .. "i'll get you , my pretty , and your little dog , too" =] i've never read any of the oz books either [ i know , i fail , lol ] ; i'm going to try and buy them in the new year then start my oz-reading ~.^ only problem .. i'm , like , the worst reader ever. i start a book but never finish it.

i love gilbert and sullivan , too !! have you been to any of their productions ?
also , have you been to the phantom of the opera musical yet ? =]

well , hope you have a great day ~.^

I should have said I certainly feel that it is neccessary to treat the 39' musical and wicked as seperate entities. There is no way any of the lovely ladies who were/are elphaba could end up looking like the film's wicked witch of the west, no offence to Maggie(as Hamilton's close friends referred to her.

Phantom I won't see until it comes to Austin in 2010. About Gilbert and Sullivan. I have only seen local Austin productions(Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin)and have always enjoyed them. Seen Pirates of Penzance,H.M.S. Pinafore, Patience, The Mikado, Ruddigore, and Iolanthe in person. I've also seen English and Canadian productions on tv and dvd.

yes !! they make elphaba look so beautiful in the musical =]
i still love margaret hamilton's interpretation ~.^

trust me , phantom of the opera is worth waiting for ! it's TERRIFIC !!

i've seen hms pinafore and pirate of penzance ; they are both wonderful productions.

Yeah she was great. Pirates and pinafore are two of my faves, also a lot of fun is Iolanthe.