Nicole's Swankified "Wicked" Trivia Quiz

Answer: October 30, 2003

"Wicked" opened on October 30, 2003 at the Gershwin Theater after three weeks of previews, beginning October 8. October 2 was the opening of "Little Shop of Horrors," and October 16 was the opening of "The Boy from Oz."

Answer: rejoicify

I will try to refrain from revealing any major plot points in "Wicked" for those who are only familiar with the CD or are simply playing this quiz for the heck of it. "No One Mourns the Wicked" is sung by Glinda (Kristin Chenoweth) and ensemble as they are celebrating the fall of the Wicked Witch of the West. As a stark contrast to the jubilant "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead" from "The Wizard of Oz" this opening song is darker and quite haunting.

"And goodness knows the Wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows the Wicked die alone
It just shows when you're wicked
You're left only on your own..."

Answer: different

Glinda asks the people of Oz, "Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" The scene then flashes back to Elphaba's birth, where all present are horrified at her green skin.

"Like a froggy, ferny cabbage
The baby is unnaturally ...green!"

Her father tells the nurse to "take it away," to which Glinda, looking back, notes, "So you see, it couldn't have been easy."

Answer: proudliest

The land of Oz is known for its unique twist on the English language. Such examples of Oz-speak include rejoicify ("No One Mourns the Wicked"), proudliest ("Dear Old Shiz"), degreenify ("The Wizard and I"), braverism ("Thank Goodness") and many more.

Answer: Thank Goodness

"Unlimited" first appears in "The Wizard and I," where Elphaba dreams about her meeting with the Wizard.

"Unlimited
My future is unlimited
And I just had a vision
Almost like a prophecy
I know--it sounds truly crazy
And true, the vision's hazy
But I swear, someday there'll be
A celebration throughout Oz
That's all to do with me!"

"Unlimited" next appears in "Defying Gravity," where Elphaba asks Glinda to join her.

"Unlimited
Together we're unlimited
Together we'll be the greatest team
There's ever been
Glinda--dreams the way we planned 'em
If we work in tandem..."

Finally, the "Unlimited" motif appears in the introduction to "For Good," where Elphaba passes the torch, so to speak, to Glinda.

"I'm limited
Just look at me--I'm limited
And just look at you--
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda
So now it's up to you
For both of us--now it's up to you..."

Answer: Elphaba

In "What Is This Feeling?" Galinda and Elphaba complain about having each other as roommates. Galinda and Elphaba:

"There's been confusion over rooming here at Shiz...
There's been some confusion for you see my roommate is..."

Galinda: "Unusually and exceeding peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe..."

Elphaba: "Blonde!"

Answer: pink

"Dancing Through Life" served as the inspiration for the title and introduction of this quiz. The title, of course, pays homage to Fiyero's wonderfully shallow conversation with Galinda.

"So...What's the most swankified place in town?"
"That would be the Ozdust Ballroom."
"Sounds perfect!"

The opening of the introduction comes from the next line in the song, sung by Fiyero.

"Let's go down to the Ozdust Ballroom
We'll meet there later tonight
We can dance till it's light."

Answer: Elphie

When listening to the soundtrack, we first hear Galinda call Elphaba "Elphie," during "Popular." Galinda says, "Elphie...now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project," to which Elphaba replies, "you really don't have to do that." Then, in truly Galinda fashion, Galinda says, completely seriously, "I know...that's what makes me so nice!"

Answer: personality dialysis

In this number, Galinda (Kristin Chenoweth at her very best) attempts to make over Elphaba so that she may become "popular."

"Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I
And let's face it, who isn't less fortunate than I
My tender heart tends to start to bleed.
And when someone needs a makeover
I simply have to take over
I know, I know exactly what they need."

Answer: It's all grand

In "One Short Day," Elphaba and Glinda spend the day together touring the Emerald City, where Elphaba has a meeting with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Glinda, in fact, sings "It's all grand" to which Elphaba responds, "and it's all green!" Then, they both sing "I think we've found the place where we belong." Elphaba loves the Emerald City because, for once, she blends in.

Answer: western sky

As the high-octane finish to Act I, "Defying Gravity" showcases Elphaba's choice to "trust my instincts close my eyes and leap" as well as Idina Menzel's amazing vocal ability (How does she do it?).

"To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me...
Tell them how I am defying gravity
I'm flying high defying gravity!
And soon I'll match them in renown.
And nobody in all of Oz
No wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!"

Answer: "I hear she has a third eye that always remains awake!"

Actually, the line is "I hear she has an EXTRA eye that always remains awake!" This paranoia felt by the people of Oz is amazingly allegorical to today's society. I'll stop there, lest I offend anyone politically.

Answer: history

The Wizard of Oz is not actually from Oz. Remember in "The Wizard of Oz," he is blown to Oz by the "State Fair Omaha" balloon. This song is yet another brilliant parallel to society today.

"A man's called a traitor--or liberator
A rich man's a thief--or philanthropist
Is one a crusader--or ruthless invader?
It's all in which label is able to persist.
There are precious few at ease
With moral ambiguities
So we act as though they don't exist."

Answer: Glinda

Elphaba sings "I'm Not That Girl" the first time. However, it is reprised by Glinda.

"Don't wish
Don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart...
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl."

Answer: heartless

"The March of the Witch Hunters" directly follows "No Good Deed," which is sung by Elphaba. In the song (another vocal powerhouse song), Elphaba wonders why everything good that she tried to do went astray.

"No good deed goes unpunished
All helpful urges should be circumvented
No good deed goes unpunished
Sure, I meant well--
Well, look at what well meant did."

This further emphasizes that Elphaba is simply misunderstood, not inherently evil.

Answer: "But then, I guess we know there's blame to share"--Elphaba

"But then, I guess we know there's blame to share" is sung by Glinda. Elphaba also sings "Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood." In "For Good," Glinda and Elphaba realize how much they mean to one another.

"Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But, because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

This song is very moving.

Answer: wicked

Appropriately enough, the last word sung in "Wicked," is "wicked." The "Finale" is a beautiful couterpoint of the Ensemble singing a reprise of "No One Mourns the Wicked" while Glinda and Elphaba sing a reprise of "For Good."

Glinda: "Because I knew you,"
Glinda and Elphaba: "I have been changed..."
Ensemble: "No one mourns the Wicked...Wicked...Wicked!"

Answer: 10

"Wicked" earned more 2004 Tony nominations than any other show. It was nominated for the following: Best New Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Winnie Holzman), Best Original Score (Steven Schwartz), Best Actress in a Musical (Kristin Chenoweth), Best Actress in a Musical (Idina Menzel), Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), Best Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner), Best Choreography (Wayne Cilento), and Best Orchestrations (William David Brohn).

Information courtesy of www.tonyawards.com.

Answer: 3

"Avenue Q" upset "Wicked" for Best New Musical. However, "Wicked" still came home with three Tony Awards--One for Idina Menzel (Best Actress in a Musical), one for Eugene Lee (Best Scenic Design), and one for Susan Hilferty (Best Costume Design). Information courtesy of www.wickedthemusical.com.

Answer: Idina Menzel

It's a rarity that two actresses from the same musical are both nominated in the "leading actress" category. However, in this case, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel share the stage beautifully, and both definitely deserved their nomination. Idina Menzel even thanked Kristin Chenoweth in her acceptance speech. Well, I hope you enjoyed my totally swankified "Wicked" quiz. Please rate and feel free to comment.