If you ever get a chance to see or read the play, do.

“History says stand up,
and we totter and collapse,
weeping, moved, but not
sufficient.”

Our physical location—a mere stone’s throw away from the highest seats of power in the “free world”—was keenly felt.

In the years since, I have been reminded of the play and of the history it was based on—the fall of the Weimar Republic—so often.

It’s spooky how similar things are today.

I would still read

So someday, years from now, when this painting hangs in a museum, people are going to have all these theories about what the artist meant, when it was just a bit of teenage drama and embarrassment.

Solo telling Juliet about elephants was adorable and reminded me of LoTR. I can totally see Solo being the Samwise to Juliet’s Frodo.

Addendum: The fact that Governor Thropp forced his wife to chew milk flowers so that Nessa wouldn’t be born green is even more egregious when you remember that Elphaba’s mother is Black in the film.

Absolutely vile man.

Anyway, that’s why I love stories and all their adaptations. There is always something new to discover in a story, no matter how well you know it.

If Dorothy gets screen time in part 2, will we see her with her found family—Glinda, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion?

What a foil that would be. 🧵8/8

And even Glinda falters.

Glinda, who told her she could do anything, now begging her to not rock the boat. The person who knows Elphaba better, loves her better, than her own sister, fails her. 🧵7/8

We celebrate in life and stories the idea of the “found family.” Elphaba’s story seems to be building to a happily ever after with her own family—in a city made from emeralds, no less.

And then: Betrayal. Madam Morrible and the Wizard are evil. Oz is built on lies and cruelty. 🧵6/8

And then there’s Glinda, playing the role of Elphaba’s chosen sister. Glinda, who sees Elphaba as beautiful and someone who could do anything.

Whereas Nessarose chose not to stand up for her own sister at the Ozdust Ballroom. 🧵5/8

A mother with power, a mother who reminds her of herself, a mother who isn’t weak.

Oh goodness. 🧵4/8

After all, Elphaba’s otherness is attributed to Melena Thropp, even if the Thropp family doesn’t grasp the significance of the little green bottle.

Of course she would be drawn to a maternal figure who not only encourages her magic abilities but possess her own powers. 🧵3/8

Elphaba’s longing for a loving father is made clear several times in both the film and stage play. But I hadn’t put together that Elphaba might view Madam Morrible as a surrogate mother, too. 🧵2/8