Wicked-Wizard of Oz Comparison Help

[musikman]

Posted: 1/13/20 at 11:37am

Hello Citizens of Oz,

When Steven Schwartz was composing Wicked, he added in a few melodic nuggets to his songs as an homage to the music in Wizard of Oz.

The two examples:

1. The Unlimited theme is borrowed from the notes of somewhere over the (rainbow)

2. (I) couldnt be happier = the same notes as follow the yellow brick road

It came to my attention a week or so ago - and confirmed by Schwartz himself - that theres a *THIRD* example of it somewhere in wicked. Its been racking my brain ever since that I just cannot find it. It could be in song, or I suppose even a purely orchestral moment.

Any of you experts out there happen to know ?

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 1/13/20 at 11:42am

Somewhat off-topic, but I always found it interesting that Schwartz explicitly refers to Galinda's blondeness in "What is This Feeling," but both Billie Burke and the original Oz book illustrations show Glinda as a redhead.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/13/20 at 11:54am

Glinda, like Billie Burke in the movie, is strawberry blonde in the novel that Wicked is loosely based upon. Megan Hilty’s wig had a bit more red in it and I liked that.

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the original book, Glinda is the witch of South, not the North. The Oz canon is over a hundred years old and isn’t know for being consistent in the many retellings and spinoffs.

I remember Schwartz saying that he used Mrs. Gulch’s theme in the score somewhere, no?

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 1/13/20 at 12:14pm

I remember years ago on the Stephen Schwartz message board, there were 5 musical nods to "The Wizard of Oz". I don't recall the one about the Yellow Brick Road/Couldn't be happier.

There is the "Optimistic Voices" from Oz played by the flutes or reeds during the section of "One Short Day" (So, I'll be back for good some day..."

Also, when *SPOILER* Fiyero comes out as the Scarecrow, the notes for "If I Only Had A Brain" are played. 

[whatdoesntkillme]

Posted: 1/13/20 at 9:32pm

Not sure if this counts as a third but the final "because I knew you" in "For Good" (the one with the octave jump on "because" ) is also the first few notes of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

I discovered that one on my own and, I gotta say, I was pretty proud of myself

Updated On: 1/13/20 at 09:32 PM

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 6:02am

TotallyEffed said: "Glinda, like Billie Burke in the movie, is strawberry blonde in the novel that Wicked is loosely based upon. Megan Hilty’s wig had a bit more red in it and I liked that.

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the original book, Glinda is the witch of South, not the North. The Oz canon is over a hundred years old and isn’t know for being consistent in the many retellings and spinoffs.

I remember Schwartz saying that he used Mrs. Gulch’s theme in the score somewhere, no?"

Billie Burke is more red then strawberry. Glinda is a red head in the original book series as each corner of Oz has a primary colour associated with it (this was due to the limited colour plates available when printing the original illustrations) Good Witches wear white, Munchkinland in the East is blue (they are very taken with Dorothy’s dress as the gingham brings to mind a good witch with a respect for Munchkin traditions) Gillikin Country, in the North is Purple. Winkie Country in the West is Yellow and Gillikin Country in the South is red (hence Glinda’s hair as in the books she is the Good Witch of the South)

In the original workshops of Wicked, Glinda was referred to as the Good Witch of the North but that along with several other nods to the movie was removed after the Warner Bros lawyers got involved. 

[Totomike]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 4:05am

In the book life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West The writer makes her a Blond bombshell, with social statues due to her family and breading, Red heads would or are not easily manipulated by the press or by the statues qo, so he created a Glinda that cared more about upper crust and objects and finding a man with money. But they do leave out in the book that she marries for money and sorta loves her husband, but wishes she had married for love. and in the book she dos not love or want Fyario at all, there is no love triangle in the original book that was all Shwartz and Winnie Holsman. 

But in the original books she is a smart, well educated, and very powerful witch of the SOUTH, not the North. 

[ohjustjake]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 7:22am

fashionguru_23 said: "I remember years ago on the Stephen Schwartz message board, there were 5 musical nods to "The Wizard of Oz". I don't recall the one about the Yellow Brick Road/Couldn't be happier.

There is the "Optimistic Voices" from Ozplayed by the flutes or reeds during the section of "One Short Day" (So, I'll be back for good some day..."

Also, when *SPOILER* Fiyero comes out as the Scarecrow, the notes for "If I Only Had A Brain" are played."

I love that little nod to Optimistic Voices! It's more obvious in the Exit Music - https://youtu.be/2cpmazd6558?t=116

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 1/16/20 at 12:15pm

Isn’t the first few notes of No One Mourns The Wicked the same as Over The Rainbow but they’re in a different key or something like that?