They'll never bring her down!
As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
For the books, see here
Wicked (the musical)
- "So if you care to find me—look to the western sky!" Defying Gravity is unspeakably amazing, in person or on the soundtrack.
- In the show, towards the climax of the song, they lifted the actress up on a cable as pretty much every resource the stage crew had available was incorporated to make the scene as unbelievably epic as possible. It really must be experienced to be understood.
- The original stage design had Elphaba on a rising platform or cherry picker. Some newer, non-replica productions have replaced that with some really incredible wire work. In the German non replicated revival, Elphaba not only belts out Defying Gravity while floating in midair, she ends the song by FLYING INTO THE AUDIENCE THE SAME CAN BE SAID ABOUT THE BRAZILIAN NON REPLICATED PRODUCTION TOO!
- Even the moment that leads up to Elphaba being lifted up is epic. Elphaba and Glinda have just wished each other happiness, and Elphaba runs off. Then a bunch of guards attack Glinda, thinking she's the one they're after. We then hear Elphaba's voice shouting at them to release her, for it's not Glinda they want, it's her. Cue epic lifting moment and climax of the most epic musical theatre song in years.
- The staging and score get in on it. Immediately beforehand, Elphaba disappears into the darkness as soon as she's finished singing. It looks like she's chosen to unceremoniously run away with no fanfare. Glinda is left exposed in a cold white light at the front of the stage. The guards break in, it looks like Glinda will take the fall, there's a miniature Darkest Hour as the music grows more and more frenetic (helped by a Truck Driver's Gear Change). Then there's a single column of light - "She has nothing to do with it, I'm the one you want! It's me!" And suddenly everything is as bright as the sun - "It's me—" - and Elphaba is rising.
- The dialogue leading up to it is chillingly cool, too. This exchange in particular is awesome as it comes right after Elphaba is dubbed a Wicked Witch and her worst fear of being reviled by everyone she meets is effectively realized:Glinda: Don't be afraid.
Elphaba: I'm not. It's The Wizard who should be afraid. Of me.- Before Morrible delivers her proclamation, Glinda tries to encourage Elphaba to apologize, that it's not too late to get what she's worked for. Elphaba responds with "But I don't want it. No. I can't want it...anymore." Given that the entirety of Elphaba's motivation (up until this point) is to not be ostracized and become adored...her morals and beliefs are more important to her than her desire to belong.
- Any actress doing her final performance as Elphaba cuts loose for her final song, especially near the end.
- This may be the earliest extant recording of "Defying Gravity", made in October 2001 when Stephen Schwartz previewed the song for a very small group of people courtesy of Broadway luminary — and longtime Non-Singing Voice of animated princesses — Liz Callaway, who has what may very well be one of the greatest voices the Great White Way has ever seen.
- You know they're doing it right when the entire audience erupts into wild cheers and applause as Elphaba rises, crying "It's me!"
- In the show, towards the climax of the song, they lifted the actress up on a cable as pretty much every resource the stage crew had available was incorporated to make the scene as unbelievably epic as possible. It really must be experienced to be understood.
- Glinda getting sweet revenge on those in Oz who have wronged Elphaba - by staging an epic coup to take over Ozian politics at the end of the musical and give one humongous and whopping "Fuck you all!" to Oz, starting by ordering the Wizard out of Oz and sending Morrible straight to jail with one hell of an Ironic Echo.Glinda: Madame, have you ever considered how you'd fare in captivity?
Morrible: What?
Glinda: Captivity! Prison! Personally, I can't imagine you'll hold up very well. You see, my personal opinion that you do not have what it takes. I hope you'll prove me wrong. I doubt you will, (to the guards) TAKE HER AWAY!- The fact that, apart from Elphaba and Fiyero, Glinda plays the entirety of Oz like a kazoonote like the racist class-ist idiots they are by merely listening. In What is this Feeling all the Students at Shiz University say that they're on her side, which she uses to win them over in the finale, kick out the wizard and get Morrible sent to prison because all of Oz is on "her" side and if she's against Morrible, so are they. More importantly, Glinda knows the truth of Elphaba - that she was not evil and subtly reveals it in the finale and sings about how Elphaba did make her better. Now that she's in power, everything Elphaba was trying to implement can be done, just by Glinda, thus allowing the two of them to subtly give an enormous "Fuck You" to everyone else in Oz.
- When the Wizard's guards capture Elphaba during her catfight with Glinda, Fiyero swings in on a vine and/or rope with his rifle and yells, "Let the green girl go!" The line is a little Narmy and the vine/rope doesn't make much sense since they're supposed to be in the middle of a corn field, but it makes his entrance hilariously awesome.
- "No Good Deed" not only gives shivers, but it draws you right into Elphaba's mind. It's terrifying and heartbreaking, but it helps you sympathize with her.
- A sign of a great actress? The audience bursts into cheers and applause at Elphaba's second belt of "FIYERO!" sounding like a sung scream.
- The Disney Death of Elphaba. It turns the original plot of Oz into one massive Thanatos Gambit, and allows her to earn her happy ending at last.
- The buildup to the moment is this. The plot is wrapped up. The Wizard is going back to Kansas. Morrible is in jail. Glinda is in position to implement the changes Elphaba wanted to bring. And Elphaba and Fiyero are dead. As the chorus mournfully sings a Dark Reprise of "No One Mourns The Wicked", the Scarecrow crosses the stage to where Elphaba's hat is, picks it up and knocks on the floor. He says in a familiar voice, "It worked!" A trap door opens and out pops a smiling Elphaba. It almost always gets a loud round of cheers and applause from the audience.
- Teeny-weeny Kristin Chenoweth (who's four foot eleven inches tall, by the way!), manages to actually appear very deadly with her wand.
