How did Wicked become such a popular Broadway play?

[DodgerGirl]

Ever since it opened on Broadway in the 2000's I never imagined how Wicked would develop a fanbase and become so popular. Is it because Wicked is a unique Broadway play or is it because it has a different type of The Wizard Of Oz story to it? Because I have seen Wicked on clothing merchandise and other things and the songs Defying Gravity and Popular have become popular songs. I didn't even know what Wicked was until my aunt watched the play on Youtube and she liked it. But I think the movie version has made Wicked even popular and I think it will break a world record for being the longest Broadway play ever second to Cats. But I think the movie version of Wicked will gain the Broadway play of Wicked an even bigger fanbase and more people will watch it

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Honestly, I think all of the most successful musicals find that success in the music itself. There are all kinds of great shows, but it takes songs that are wildly popular (no pun intended) with the people to make it a true hit with staying power. There are all kinds of music scholars out there who study the fundamentals of what goes into making a hit for the various music genres, but whatever it is, Wicked's music has that "it-factor." Yes, it helps that the story is derived from something as popular as the Wizard of Oz, but you noted Cats, which was taken from T.S. Eliot's writings on cats. The storyline for that one, in my opinion, is not nearly as strong but the amazing music, costumes, and dancing made it a tremendous long-running hit. All of the great musicals running through my mind right now have that same appeal angle... i.e. songs that hit well with audiences kept it alive and thriving. So, I think the success relies heavily on the original music.

 

[elgerber]

While I have never seen it on Broadway, I first saw it in 2006, and have seen it 8 times in total. It's a wonderful story, with amazing music. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. Its a musical families can watch together. I do agree, the movie is going to make the stage show even more popular than it already was.

 

[monsterkitty]

First, Wicked is a musical not a play. In a play, the storyline is told through spoken words, not singing. In a musical, the storyline will be spoken words that break into singing with the song continuing the storyline. An opera is singing only with maybe some recitative (singing that resembles spoken dialogue in speed but will still need to follow the pitches and rhythms.)

Second, like Hamilton, the movie version will create more of an interest and following as it allows for a wider audience to view the musical. Stage versions of musicals, plays, and operas can only reach those who have access to venues that perform the show whereas movies and streaming service reach that broader audience.

 

[kdonnel]

While not specific to Wicked, Freakonomics Radio just had a 3 part series on Live theater that I found interesting. They offer up some theories behind why some productions are a success and others are not.

https://freakonomics.com/series/freakonomics-radio/

Episodes 629, 630 and 631.

 

[Kennywood]

I think that the superb acting and outstanding singing of both Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel are what made the musical such a hit. Had lesser talent been cast, the musical probably would have been successful for a while and then faded away.

 

[jimmymc]

The big songs lend themselves to being performed live. They give the most talented singers a chance to show off while also still being catchy, and those combine to resonate with audiences.

 

[LuvOrlando]

@DodgerGirl

unrelated to the thread but I just saw this and thought you might like it

Lady Fluffernutter

 

[NotUrsula]

The Broadway Musical is a unique American theatrical form. The concept has migrated to other countries with some success, but at its heart it is purely American. Its signature is that strange phenomenon of actors, who are otherwise naturally delivering lines in a play, suddenly bursting into song and executing dance moves that are supposedly spontaneous, but which have obviously been meticulously rehearsed for weeks on weeks. That sudden suspension of any resemblance to the way things happen in real life is what tends to create polarized opinions about them so often; people tend to either love or hate big musicals, but very seldom have an opinion that's anywhere in the middle.

Like the majority of big original musicals to be produced since the 1970s, Wicked is adapted from a successful published book, and was not originally conceived as a theatrical piece. So it has a solidly-plotted and popular story as a foundation. With this category of show (as opposed to the older form, where the story is written specifically for the stage, with the intention of using it to provide a framework for a series of songs) it is a three-legged approach, with the music (and sometimes the staging as well) as the extra factors that provide the fuel to propel it to financial success on Broadway.

Wicked has all those things going for it, with very catchy songs that lend themselves to concert performance as well (which means that more people hear them and become curious about the show they come from), and innovative staging, which manages to make the fantastical happen right before your eyes; no camera tricks involved.