The Best Showgirls are a Wicked Kind of Wonderful pt. 1

If you’re new here, welcome! Here inside the nuance diaries (formerly Wild Cozy Free), I write the things that highly observant, deeply feeling people are thinking, but rarely say aloud. Writing is how I attempt to make sense of this sharp, messy, imperfect, wild world.Paid subscribers ($7/month) get at least one essay each week + access to my archive of 140+ posts and podcasts + other fun perks, while free subscribers get an occasional free essay (like today’s!) and previews of paid ones (like this.) You can learn more about me here, and the vibe of my Substack here.Also, check out last week’s piece, which is now my most-read EVER!And if you’re not new here, stay tuned for an update/explanation of the name change soon — I’m excited about it!I listened to The Life of A Show Girl in its entirety on an early morning train ride to a different borough this morning. I will probably listen to it again when I venture to yet another borough later today. And then when I get home, I will dance around my house and dance to The Fate Of Ophelia choreography while I make dinner, before collapsing into bed. But for now, I sit here powered by caffeine and the 50-degree weather that finally made it possible for me to wear a turtleneck. And since I can’t blast The Life of A Showgirl in public without raising a few eyebrows, I thought I’d write to you about the Wicked parallels I’ve found in what I am declaring a no-skip album. THERE ARE WICKED FOR GOOD SPOILERS AHEAD. Proceed at your own risk!That being said, if you are a Swiftie who isn’t into theater, or a theater kid that doesn’t love Taylor — I think there’s something for both sides of the Venn Diagram here. And if you fall in the middle like me…well you’re in for a treat.And if you’re definitively not in either of those camps, here are a few other reading suggestions for you. (That last one is now my most read ever.)Okay! Last chance to turn back, here come the Wicked spoilers! Maya and Craig, if you are still reading, stop reading. THE FATE OF OPHELIASo deeply Elphaba and Fiyero coded. From ‘I heard you calling on the megaphone’ to ‘eldest daughter of a nobleman.’ (If Elphaba’s father Frexspar Thropp has no haters, I am dead.) There’s also the shared fate between Ophelia and Elphaba — dying due to being submerged in water (drowning and melting, respectively). In Wicked Act II, Fiyero literally becomes the Captain of the Wizard’s Guard just so he can “hone his powers” and help find Elphaba. He is literally calling for her on the megaphone because he literally wants to see her all alone and save her from being persecuted. All that time I sat alone in my tower, you were just honing your powers.And if you’d never come for me, I might’ve drowned in the melancholyNo longer drowning and deceived, all because you came for meFiyero is by no means a Disney prince rescuing Elphaba from a tower (neither is Taylor.) He is very instrumental in helping her flee from the Wizard’s Guard, and eventually from Oz altogether. And while Elphaba does keep herself physically safe while in exile, Fiyero will save her heart, and wake her up to all kinds of feelings she’s never felt, when they hook up in that forest (so much more on that to come). It’s ‘bout to be the sleepless night, you’ve been dreaming of…Also, a notable mention for don’t care where the hell you’ve been, ‘cause now you’re mine, because the fact that Fiyero “chose” Glinda is kind of a non-issue after Fiyero saves Elphaba in Part 2. This line also evokes the jab Elphaba will throw at Glinda during their epic fight in Part 2, which goes something like, “He never loved you, he loves me.” Speaking of Glinda…ELIZABETH TAYLOR Oftentimes, it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me.This is pretty much Glinda’s thesis in Wicked for Good. As we saw a glimpse of in the beginning of Wicked Part, Glinda is smiling through the pain. She is the girl in the bubble ‘who has everything and nothing at once.’ I’m not sure if it’s an equal comparison, but Glinda’s big song, Thank Goodness, is kind of her Defying Gravity moment, where she steps into some big truths that have similar themes to Elizabeth Taylor. Everyone thinks Glinda’s life is amazing. She has everything she ever wanted. Except for the fact that her man is pining after her best friend, who is a fugitive being persecuted by all of Oz. If you ever leave me high and dry, I’d cry my eyes violet Elizabeth Taylor, tell me for real, do you think it’s forever?Been number one, but I never had two, and I can’t have fun if I can’t have you.Glinda’s life is quite different when she steps out of that bubble, just like a showgirl’s life is different when she steps offstage. She “would trade the Cartier for someone to trust.” Speaking of girls who just want someone to trust…OPALITE So this is how I think Nessa feels about Boq. I think it works if you picture this song being sung in a more delusional and less sincere way than Taylor does. Picture King George from Hamilton singing Opalite in the same tone that he sings ‘You’ll Be Back.’ You were in it for real, she was in her phone, and you were just a poseThese lyrics are very funny when you picture Nessa singing them about Boq because they foreshadow his transformation into the Tin Man (‘you were just a pose.’) If you go back and watch the first movie, you can also see a very subtle yet distinct nod to the Tin Man in Boq’s body language/rigid stance when he first meets Glinda on the first day at Shiz. Nessa also totally sees Glinda as the girl who was ‘in her phone’, not paying any attention to Boq. This is just a storm inside a teacup, but shelter here with me, my loveThunder like a drum, this life will beat you up, up, up, up This is just a temporary speed bump, but failure brings you freedomAnd I can bring you loveI can picture Nessa singing the bridge of Opalite to herself in Act II from the governor’s mansion where she has essentially imprisoned Boq. She’s like ‘this is fine! Everything is fine! This is a temporary speed bump and he will eventually see how much I love him and forget about Glinda and also forgive me for making him my servant and then we’ll be so happy!'“ This life will beat you up is also quite the nod to Nessa’s untimely demise when Dorothy drops on the scene (pun intended.) Oh, and speaking of untimely demises…FATHER FIGURE The only person I hate more than Frexspar Thropp is the Wizard. Like I said, if Elphaba’s father(s) have no enemies, I am dead.When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold.So the obvious father figure of Wicked would be The Wizard, but I also think it’s interesting to listen to this song through the lens of Madame Morrible and Elphaba’s relationship.Morrible literally takes Elphaba in. She is the first to see Elphaba’s potential, and encourage her, and ‘teach’ her. This love is pure profit, just step into my officeAlthough we don’t have details on how The Wizard and Madame Morrible met, I’m sure that they had similar beginnings too, when The Wizard teamed up with her. They want to see you rise, they don’t want you to reignThis reminds me of one specific moment in Sentimental Man when The Wizard sings, “so Elphaba I’d like to raise you high.” It’s a brilliant line, musically, because when he sings the word ‘high’, his voice actually drops down low — foreshadowing the fact that he does not want her to reign or really rise for that matter. All I ask for is your loyalty, my dear protege.The cost of his loyalty is steep, and the reward isn’t always exactly as it seems. Elphaba can have the honor and prestige she’s fantasized about as long as she does exactly what The Wizard says and helps him suppress the animals (which she is not at all on board with.) Your thoughtless ambition sparked the ignition on foolish decisions which led to misguided visions that to fulfill your dreams you had to get rid of meI protect the family. As hurt as Elphaba is by Morrible and The Wizard’s swift betrayal and demonization, she is also empowered, emboldened, and fueled it too. She wipes her tears, gives us a quick toss toss with her cape, and heads to the western sky to protect the family and do everything she can to save and free the animals. She sees The Wizard for who he is, a man with no power, thoughtless ambition, and misguided visions who thought that he had to vilify her to get what he wanted. She goes from being his greatest potential asset to his biggest threat in seconds — which is what the outro of Father Figure is all about. In the song, it sounds like the father figure has been the same person the whole time on a surface level. And yet if we approach the lyrics with more context, there’s a subtle shift after the bridge where the tables turn and the protege becomes the powerful one. *For those less familiar with the Swiftie lore, many people think that Father Figure is about Taylor’s relationship with Scott Borchetta and the fight to get her masters back. You could argue that deep down, The Wizard thinks he’s on track to ‘win’ and maintain control at the end of Part I (even though he honestly looks scared shitless when all the lights go out in the Emerald City as Elphaba flies through the sky more powerful than ever.) But in Part II, he gets brought down. He wants a fight, and he found it. He pulled the wrong trigger. The empire does not in fact belong to him. (All lyric references to Father Figure.)You made a deal with the devil turns out my d*cks bigger. When Glinda stays behind instead of getting on the broom, she ends up making a deal with the devil by outwardly siding with Morrible and The Wizard. She thinks she has chosen the side of true power and influence.But in reality, Elphaba’s the one with the real power. Her d*ck’s bigger. Full stop. She protects Glinda, the only real friend she’s ever had, right to the very end when she makes Glinda promise not to clear her name. Much more on how Elphaba protects herself and the people she loves, in PART TWO where I start by diving into why Elphaba is the OG Eldest Daughter. Part 2 will take us from Eldest Daughter - Wi$h Li$t. And we’ll finish off with Wood - The Life of a Showgirl in part 3.And here’s some further reading for both my swifties and fellow ozians. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenuancediaries.substack.com/subscribe