All Things Oz
Jun. 16th, 2012 02:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23A collection of various Oz reviews from the last few months
Wicked- The Musical -music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz - Although adored by middle-aged housewives, I had to say I was a little excited to see Wicked. Even more, i have to say I enjoyed seeing the musical performed. It tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, and casts her as the story of the protagonist in L. Frank Baum's world.
The story takes a few surprising plotlines to get everyone to where The Wizard of Oz begins, but does it in a way that mostly will surprise and cause delight upon discovery. the sets are amazing, capturing Oz onstage, and the music is quite enjoyable. It's heavy on the melodramatic side, but the whole thing just seems to work. Oz is a bit Orwellian in this setting, and so there's themes of acceptance and what happens when it's the closed minds that are running things (Dang, I probably shouldn't have made that 'housewives' comment).
This is largely enjoyable, and while it has gotten the reputation that everyone will like it, and the groaning "Even guys will like this musical" accompanying comment. It's true, though, so there you go. if you don't normally consider yourself a musical person, you will like it. if you are a fan of musicals, you'll likely be enthralled (and you've probably already seen it now, so what am i telling you).
Wicked -The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West -the book- written by Gregory Maguire - I read Maguire's revisionist Oz history in conjunction with seeing the musical. I don't know what I expected, but it's probably not this. I suppose I expected something light and accessible. With the musical as popular as it is, I expected something that fit my view of what I picture as the target audience of such ventures- Fifty Shades of Oz maybe.
It is in large part (especially at the beginning) a fantasy novel, so at the end of the day, it's not that much different from a Terry Brooks novel. There are some great sociological thoughts put into the book, and it's not unlike The Wizard of 1984. Racial and role stereotypes and the people who wish to maintain them help form the Maguire universe. It's not a kid's novel in any way either.
Characters are well developed and the Wicked Witch (Elphaba) is a character the reader will be drawn into. As you can guess, it spins on its axis, what it means to be Evil.
There's a lot to take in, and at nearly 600 pages, it's a bit of a long, hard slog (I read it and put it down breaking it into three or four parts). I certainly was won over to Macguire, but at the same time, not rushing out to read another 500 pages of his any time soon.
i definitely recommend it but I am well aware that it's not for everyone. It's a pretty dense book, and although there is much to the reward the reader, people with short attention spans will liekly give this one up quick.
Ozma of Oz- book written by L. Frank Baum- Somewhere in there, I tried to check out Baum's sequel to the Wizard of Oz. Baum is someone I've heard has a lot to like, and Ozma's amazon page is filled with five-star reviews (including one from Boyd rice).
Ozma does reveal an interesting imaginative world filled with unforgettable characters- a talking chicken, a wind-up mechanical man named TikTok, and the Wheelers who have wheels instead of feet. There is probably a lot here for children, but this book is designed for a very young reader. I would say that I liked it for what it was, but am not planning on reading any more Baum. According to some reviews I read, this may be tuned to a slightly younger audience than his other books. Not really my thing, then.
Wicked- The Musical -music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz - Although adored by middle-aged housewives, I had to say I was a little excited to see Wicked. Even more, i have to say I enjoyed seeing the musical performed. It tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, and casts her as the story of the protagonist in L. Frank Baum's world.
The story takes a few surprising plotlines to get everyone to where The Wizard of Oz begins, but does it in a way that mostly will surprise and cause delight upon discovery. the sets are amazing, capturing Oz onstage, and the music is quite enjoyable. It's heavy on the melodramatic side, but the whole thing just seems to work. Oz is a bit Orwellian in this setting, and so there's themes of acceptance and what happens when it's the closed minds that are running things (Dang, I probably shouldn't have made that 'housewives' comment).
This is largely enjoyable, and while it has gotten the reputation that everyone will like it, and the groaning "Even guys will like this musical" accompanying comment. It's true, though, so there you go. if you don't normally consider yourself a musical person, you will like it. if you are a fan of musicals, you'll likely be enthralled (and you've probably already seen it now, so what am i telling you).
Wicked -The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West -the book- written by Gregory Maguire - I read Maguire's revisionist Oz history in conjunction with seeing the musical. I don't know what I expected, but it's probably not this. I suppose I expected something light and accessible. With the musical as popular as it is, I expected something that fit my view of what I picture as the target audience of such ventures- Fifty Shades of Oz maybe.
It is in large part (especially at the beginning) a fantasy novel, so at the end of the day, it's not that much different from a Terry Brooks novel. There are some great sociological thoughts put into the book, and it's not unlike The Wizard of 1984. Racial and role stereotypes and the people who wish to maintain them help form the Maguire universe. It's not a kid's novel in any way either.
Characters are well developed and the Wicked Witch (Elphaba) is a character the reader will be drawn into. As you can guess, it spins on its axis, what it means to be Evil.
There's a lot to take in, and at nearly 600 pages, it's a bit of a long, hard slog (I read it and put it down breaking it into three or four parts). I certainly was won over to Macguire, but at the same time, not rushing out to read another 500 pages of his any time soon.
i definitely recommend it but I am well aware that it's not for everyone. It's a pretty dense book, and although there is much to the reward the reader, people with short attention spans will liekly give this one up quick.
Ozma of Oz- book written by L. Frank Baum- Somewhere in there, I tried to check out Baum's sequel to the Wizard of Oz. Baum is someone I've heard has a lot to like, and Ozma's amazon page is filled with five-star reviews (including one from Boyd rice).
Ozma does reveal an interesting imaginative world filled with unforgettable characters- a talking chicken, a wind-up mechanical man named TikTok, and the Wheelers who have wheels instead of feet. There is probably a lot here for children, but this book is designed for a very young reader. I would say that I liked it for what it was, but am not planning on reading any more Baum. According to some reviews I read, this may be tuned to a slightly younger audience than his other books. Not really my thing, then.
