Post by Scarecrow on Jul 21, 2004 5:06:33 GMT -5
I had the amazing good fortune of literally bumping into Wicked author Gregory Maguire at the Gershwin, 7/18, just after the show ended. We talked for a solid 10, covering all aspects Ozzy... as he graciously answered so many of my questions. Here's much of how it went down:
ME: Are you Gregory Maguire?
GM: Yes. How did you recognize me?
ME: I think your photo is in my copy of Wicked.
GM: Oh. Most people don't pay attention to it.
ME: I've read it 4 times.
GM: Thanks.
ME: So tell me. Where were you and when and how did you come up with the idea to write about Oz from the Wicked Witch's perspective?
GM: I actually had been thinking about it for about 4 or 5 years before writing it. I knew I wanted to write about evil. I was thinking about writing about Hitler. But then my next thought was to write about the Wicked Witch of the West. And then I knew it was a brilliant idea.
ME: So what's your favorite song/moment in WICKED, the musical?
GM: I like defying gravity... at the end, when the witch goes up.
ME: Me too. The musical is so much brighter and upbeat than your book. Do you find any moment in the musical that really stays true to the integrity of your novel?
GM: I think the opening number "No One Mourns the Wicked" really gets closest to what the book's about... in sentiment.
ME: When's the movie gonna happen?
GM: I think they're developing a feature film based on the musical... and a made-for-tv-movie based on the book.
We talked some more about differences between L. Frank Baum's Oz and his revisionist view. And He was super cool. I was so excited about talking to him and his being so open... I can hardly remember everything he said.
I hope you enjoyed reading his comments! He was very approachable and cool.
ME: Are you Gregory Maguire?
GM: Yes. How did you recognize me?
ME: I think your photo is in my copy of Wicked.
GM: Oh. Most people don't pay attention to it.
ME: I've read it 4 times.
GM: Thanks.
ME: So tell me. Where were you and when and how did you come up with the idea to write about Oz from the Wicked Witch's perspective?
GM: I actually had been thinking about it for about 4 or 5 years before writing it. I knew I wanted to write about evil. I was thinking about writing about Hitler. But then my next thought was to write about the Wicked Witch of the West. And then I knew it was a brilliant idea.
ME: So what's your favorite song/moment in WICKED, the musical?
GM: I like defying gravity... at the end, when the witch goes up.
ME: Me too. The musical is so much brighter and upbeat than your book. Do you find any moment in the musical that really stays true to the integrity of your novel?
GM: I think the opening number "No One Mourns the Wicked" really gets closest to what the book's about... in sentiment.
ME: When's the movie gonna happen?
GM: I think they're developing a feature film based on the musical... and a made-for-tv-movie based on the book.
We talked some more about differences between L. Frank Baum's Oz and his revisionist view. And He was super cool. I was so excited about talking to him and his being so open... I can hardly remember everything he said.
I hope you enjoyed reading his comments! He was very approachable and cool.
- Yero, the Wonder Winkie
- Dee, the Talented Tongue
