From Hannah: In our next show, we’re tackling populism, propaganda, and resistance — through Wicked (the film, the musical, the book series) and its source material the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. The world of Oz has always been political (especially in terms of American politics) since The Wonderful Wizard of Oz first appeared in 1900. And retellings of this story (The Wiz, for example) or reimaginings — from one of the most successful Broadway musicals ever made (Wicked, opened in 2003) to the unfortunate Oz the Great and Powerful (2013 film) — remain interested in using Oz to explore socio-political questions underneath the glitz of the Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City.
While Wicked premiered during the first term of George W. Bush presidency, it is perhaps only fitting that the film adaptation come out in 2024. Listening to the original soundtrack these past few weeks, I’m convinced that Wicked and, indeed, questions raised by the original series have never been more relevant. Several of our hosts are fans of various forms of Oz-related media, and we’ve seen it referenced across other pieces of pop culture (Wayne noted Agatha All Along featured meaningful references, as a recent example). So we want to talk about Oz (and, okay, Wicked for sure) in honor of the film premiering on Friday.
Why does the land of Oz appeal to us even now? What themes continue to be relevant to us in the contemporary moment? How do reimaginings like Wicked build on these themes and politics (or not)? And is the new film going to live up to the hype?
Call for Comments: Wicked and the Wonderful (?) World of OZ
November 19, 2024
From Hannah: In our next show, we’re tackling populism, propaganda, and resistance — through Wicked (the film, the musical, the book series) and its source material the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. The world of Oz has always been political (especially in terms of American politics) since The Wonderful Wizard of Oz first appeared in 1900. And retellings of this story (The Wiz, for example) or reimaginings — from one of the most successful Broadway musicals ever made (Wicked, opened in 2003) to the unfortunate Oz the Great and Powerful (2013 film) — remain interested in using Oz to explore socio-political questions underneath the glitz of the Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City.
While Wicked premiered during the first term of George W. Bush presidency, it is perhaps only fitting that the film adaptation come out in 2024. Listening to the original soundtrack these past few weeks, I’m convinced that Wicked and, indeed, questions raised by the original series have never been more relevant. Several of our hosts are fans of various forms of Oz-related media, and we’ve seen it referenced across other pieces of pop culture (Wayne noted Agatha All Along featured meaningful references, as a recent example). So we want to talk about Oz (and, okay, Wicked for sure) in honor of the film premiering on Friday.
Why does the land of Oz appeal to us even now? What themes continue to be relevant to us in the contemporary moment? How do reimaginings like Wicked build on these themes and politics (or not)? And is the new film going to live up to the hype?
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