At the time of this post, the Wicked movie is now less than a month away, and trust me, there is going to be a ton of gravity-defying content on this blog, from the music to the movie, and more surprises to come when the one short day in the emerald city arrives. But as I was scrolling on YouTube late at night, I watched a video documentary on how Wicked won some Tony Awards but lost some including Best Musical in 2004 to Avenue Q. It inspired me to talk about this puppet musical that poses the question "What if Sesame Street was rated R?" and covered topics of adult life. I have not seen a production of this show yet but I have listened to the album many times, there is some stuff that is classified as dated in this musical, and there are some jokes that have aged better than others, but there is plenty here that still works today. So I wanted to talk about the show in general before I get into the movie based on the mega-musical on the horizon and so many aspects both of the stage show and the film, I thought I would explore the show through smart marketing, pulled off the win and saved itself from closing. Also absolutely go watch the video, it is so well-made and informative.
This show hits you from the beginning, the opening shows you everything you are about to get, jokes left and right that are not suitable for younger ears, even though puppets take the stage they are not here to teach you anything, they are here to cuss, talk about bills, love, life, and so much more. From songs about laughing at the misfortune of others, to not wearing underwear today, this show is wild. But then the show surprises you with moments and songs like "Purpose", "There's A Fine Fine Line" and "For Now" where the jokes either mostly or entirely subside and the show embraces its still very real themes. Felt puppets may be singing about unrequited love, finding one's place in the world, or accepting things as they are for now, but the topics in these cases are very real, reaching the listener and giving them something to walk away with. The moments the comedy which sometimes is absolutely hilarious aside and talking about very real things the listener could be feeling or has felt in their life.
The comedy pulls no punches and no topic is sacred, from race to sexuality, Avenue Q, aside from being extremely crass has the philosophy of "If it can be made fun of, make fun of it". But the jokes and themes can only carry so far, what about the music carrying them?
The songs have memorable lyrics whether in seriousness or jest, and infectious melodies. Whether a solo or a group number, these songs are catchy with a wide scope of instrumentation, and as someone who has only watched a couple clips but has spent most of their time with this show in the confines of the cast album, these songs are great. I may not stick with all of them, but the ones that stick really do stick. Whether landing a joke or having a moment to reflect on, the lyrics are mostly genius. Yes some of them contain super dated jokes, but some of the shorter songs entailing having a fake girlfriend, or once again simply not wearing underpants are still super funny. Some of the more edgy songs also have solid jokes, great wordplay, and pitch-perfect timing. Before the South Park team brought their troupe of singing Mormons to the stage with that South Park wit and style, this was the original low-brow musical.
I love many of the songs and will someday have to dive deeper into them, but one I will explore in the future I want to touch on briefly is "For Now", as the show closes we are not given a big, bombastic, comedy driven piece but rather something more. We end on the note of accepting things we can not avoid, both good and bad, a very real moral that holds weight in varying stages of life, one about enjoying things big and small even if you don't hold all the answers. This song is so powerful and ends the show on such a quiet but strong note that I still think about this song regularly, and can never just listen to it once, it sits with me as the final notes are played, and if seen, the lights go out. In a quiet moment, the lead accepts his life and goes home, all the craziness that began with ACT One vanishes as each character one by one shuffle off stage to leave Princeton to sing the final notes. Truly showing how even the show, or in my case, the album was only for now, until my next trip to Avenue Q on a car ride or while relaxing. A show that holds so much more than what is shown at face value, enough that it was able to stand against, and coexist with the biggest musical in the world at the time.
Source/Instrumentation: How Wicked Lost The 2004 Tony Awards, Wait In The Wings Youtube Channel, Youtube Video
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