Down with Galinda!

Good news of the week: my friend just got two tickets for us to see Wicked when they come to Los Angeles!

I have wanted to see Wicked since my high school graduating class sang For Good during the finale of our senior Variety Show. And I am finally getting my chance!

Being the prepared person that I am (but mostly due to the fact that I’m so excited to see this famous Broadway show), I found myself searching through YouTube’s vast library for clips of Wicked on Broadway. Defying Gravity and For Good were obvious musical selections, and I listened to each more than five times. Yes, they are THAT amazing.

I decided to broaden my horizons and search for other Stephen Schwartz pieces in Wicked, when I came across Popular. As in the other two songs, these singers had amazing voices. I was mesmerized to the point where I could only focus on the clarity of their sound rather than the lyrics of the song. But during round two of Popular, I began to key in on Galinda’s arrogant and egotistical attitude.

At this point in the plot, Galinda is trying to get Elphaba to be her “new project”. And just what does this entail?

Galinda wants to change Elphaba’s look and personality in an attempt to make Elphaba as popular as she is. According the Galinda, Elphaba is “less fortunate”, which of naturally triggers Galinda’s good-natured self to give Elphaba a complete makeover.

But this is no ordinary makeover – not like the ones you see on the Style channel.

Galinda sings, “Don’t be offended by my frank analysis. Think of it as a personality dialysis.”

A PERSONALITY DIALYSIS?!?

What kind of blunt, insensitive jargon is this?

Dialysis, from what I know as an undergraduate biology major, involves removing toxins and other unwanted macromolecules from a medium, such as blood. A “personality dialysis” seems to imply that Galinda wants to rid Elphaba’s personality of toxins, brining her one step closer to becoming popular.

Not only does this sound unethical and downright rude, but also Elphaba’s personality is what makes her such an interesting character! She is unique and still likable as a character in Wicked because her personality is so different from Galinda’s. But in Galinda’s world, Elphaba is merely an outsider, someone who yearns to be popular in the same context and within the same guidelines as Galinda.

Galinda further clarifies that “it’s not about aptitude, it’s the way you’re viewed” that determines one’s popularity. So not only does Elphaba have to change her personality, she has to change her appearance as well.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Galinda should join Big Bird in their similar attempts to make everyone the same.

Sadly, even in mythical worlds, like the Land of Oz, influential characters promote conformity to a norm that is more accepted and admired. Now I wait the next two months to see Wicked, which were previously overflowing with anxious excitement, but are now filled with tainted images of Wicked’s characters.