I’ve only just finished part one, so there’s room for growth of course.
But, it feels like the author puts in grotesqueness at least once every chapter for no reason. For example, when the priest gets pushed over then kicked in the asshole so he shits his pants (and for those who haven’t read, I do not mean he gets his ass kicked, I meant literally foot to asshole then shit comes out) and that’s all that happens to him. He was then carried off to safety with no further injury. Why even write that. Sure, it could be some odd metaphor about how he’s dirty just like everyone else but there are about a dozen better ways to get that across, surely.
I’m failing to see how such a crass book became an LGTBQ+ powerhouse of a musical. Surely there were other stories with similar narratives and less babies sniffing piss, right?
I suppose I don’t want an actual explanation. I’m more ranting, but I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts
EDIT:
Finished the book. It was awful. I cannot fathom how this became one of the biggest movies of 2025, I really can’t.
If you want my full review I wrote one on bookwyrm
https://bookwyrm.social/book/100941/s/wicked-the-life-and-times-of-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west
I read the book decades ago and absolutely hated it. Just gross and depressing. I never saw the musical but friends tell me it takes basically nothing from the book - just the core idea of telling the story from the perspective of the wicked witch, who was bullied in her youth.
I’ve now finished the book and I can say I’m with you. It was dreadful. Slow, crass (in the wrong ways), and overly high and mighty, it was a slog just to get through it.
The number of times the author references a child’s sexual development is insane. I don’t need to know that the little boy got his first boner, Maguire, I really don’t.
Urine is referenced at least once every five chapters. If it isn’t, then we must reference feces. If neither are referenced then we’re at the end of the book.
I thought the story was going to get good when Madame Morrible put them under the spell, but if anything it got worse after that. I thought it would get really fun and interesting and instead became a huge snoozefest.
What a letdown. I’m even more confused at how this became a musical than I was when I started
You could ask the question about almost any musical. Hamilton was based off of Chernow’s biography of the man. Come From Away was based on events during 9/11. In the entirety of Les Misérables, somehow, someone found a musical in there. And don’t even get me started on Shucked or Cats.
People who write and compose musicals get inspiration in the strangest of places. Sometimes they have intention sometimes they read or see something and they must needs to write.
Probably by leaving out the gross stuff and adding more songs
No idea. I actually saw the musical first and the read the book. “Crass” is the perfect word for it. I would have never connected the two outside of it being about the Wicked Witch. I’m glad that it was changed, because the book felt like it was written by an edge lord.
Because people like musicals
Well that is the 🎼🎵stupidest thing that I have ever hearrrrrd!🎶
as they say in the industry, “they sing when speaking isn’t enough any more.”
Musical theatre is both a genre and an umbrella of multiple genres that loosely obey rules like any genre (cyberpunk wouldn’t feel good if the story didn’t centre around a crime, a western wouldn’t feel good if it took place in a large city and was about people living comfortable rich lives)
You can take practically any (or no) story and fit it to the structure. And people have: The Bible has both Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, TS Eliots poems were made into Cats, multiple Hans Christian Anderson and Brothers Grim stories are musicals both Disney and not, a handful of chapters of War and Peace became Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.
But that isn’t much different from Shakespeare, classical opera etc, who did the same thing.
Out of the loop. Is the wicked witch of the west a lesbian?
Replied in another comment, but I’ll paste here as well:
She is straight in the book, for the most part. She has a male love interest and that’s the only serious partner we hear about
The author uses the phrase “shared a bed” when talking about her trip to Oz with Glinda, but I’m honestly not convinced that isn’t just literal bed sharing because they were traveling.
Not in the musical, she has a male love interest. I don’t remember the book.
She is straight in the book, for the most part. She has a male love interest and that’s the only serious partner we hear about
The author uses the phrase “shared a bed” when talking about her trip to Oz with Glinda, but I’m honestly not convinced that isn’t just literal bed sharing because they were traveling.
Well why not. Everyone else is these days.
Because of woke, right?
No, loads of people in entertainment being gay predates woke.
