I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s this small musical movie coming out this year called Wicked that is based off an equally underground and niche Broadway musical.
I mean, it only got a nomination for best musical at the Tony’s in 2004 and is the fourth longest running Broadway musical at 8,080 performances as of the 8th of September in 2024.
Okay, I’m going to drop the sarcasm now, partly because that’s hard to convey over text and don’t want people to think that I am belittling this show’s accolades. Actually, Wicked was the first show I saw on Broadway, so when I heard that this was being made into a movie, I was apprehensive. I usually am when a personally sentimental piece of media gets a “new” adaptation, whether it be books being made into movies or movie musicals. But it does get me thinking: why do adaptations always seem to go south? They aren’t all bad, and there are rare occasions when it’s as good as or on par with the original, but why are those the exceptions? With that thought permeating my mind, I started to get a brain blast of ideas about what to write about, but the hardest part for me is always the answer to one simple question: Where do I even start?
Well, let’s start at the very beginning, I hear it’s a very good place to start, and when you read, you begin with ABC. However, when you think about theatre you begin with Do Re Mi Aristotle.
At this point, dear readers, you might be thinking, “Is Aristotle really the beginning of theatre?”, and the answer to that is…no. The oldest surviving play is called The Persians by a different Greek dramatist named Aeschylus, who wrote hits like Prometheus Bound. Technicalities aside, I do believe that we should start with Aristotle simply because of his musings in his writing, Poetics. This text is considered by many to be the foundation for a lot of literary theory and criticism today, even though a lot of his philosophies have been broken or redefined by other dramatists as time moved on. But what he does excellently is break down six specific elements of a play or story that are necessary in order to have a successful show. For if you understand the building blocks, you can then see what is missing. On a less serious note, I also love how he uses his theory in this text and applies it to other plays to call out their weaknesses and strengths. Aristotle really was all about the DRAMA. Anyway, let’s look at these six elements, shall we?
1. Plot
Ah, yes; plots and plot structure. I’m sure we’ve covered this in our Language Arts classes growing up and have all talked about the shape of a plot in many a book report. But there is a good reason why this is listed as the first element, as it is considered the most important. I mean, without a plot there would be no clear problems for the characters to solve, just people wandering the stage aimlessly. Our good philosopher also considered this important because through a plot, we learn to sympathize with the characters and create a feeling of suspense that is later relieved and creates catharsis. Aristotle did state that most plots should happen within a 24-hour period in one location with one plot, calling those the three unities of time, place and action. In that regard, it is important to remember that everyone can be wrong about some things.
2. Character
Now within a plot, obviously we have got to have players to enact the action and provide the motivations or reason to the events that unfold. It’s important that each character is consistent and appropriate to their role within the story and, ultimately, be believable. It bothers me when characters make decisions or do something that falls outside of who they have been set up to be with no development or reason for their choices.
3. Thought
To round out our apparent revisit to English class, we have reached the next important element of the play: the thought. What are the themes, ideas and philosophical issues that the play is trying to convey and pass on to the audience? Now I don’t think that these themes need to be completely thought-provoking or deep to be considered good; sometimes themes can be simple or silly but still have an importance. There are movies and adaptations where I can tell that the intent was hollow, confusing or just a feeling that it was made just to make money. Without that fun or thought provocation, it doesn’t leave that catharsis that Aristotle said was important for the audience to get out of entertainment.
4. Diction
Up next, we have arrived at diction. Simply put, this means the language used in the play, including word choice, metaphor and other literary devices. Once again, Aristotle states that the language of a show must be appropriate for the characters and the situation, while also being elevated, rhythmic and expressive, as this will heighten the emotional and overall impact of the play itself. This is especially important for shows that might be more stripped down or that use fewer props and sets; the language helps flesh out the characters and contributes to the overall realism of the show to provide information about where they are from, social status and other shorthand that won’t take the audience too far out of the suspension of disbelief.
5. Music
The music or the melody of a show is tied in with diction. Of course, there are obvious uses of music like backing tracks or accompaniment, but the musicality of a show also encompasses the language of the show. How are the words spoken? What is the cadence and flow of dialogue? Even stretches of silence and how it is used add to the musicality of the show, ties together other aspects and invites the audience in. It also should be noted that the Greek Chorus was a prominent feature of Greek dramatics, so the musicality of the songs and chants really was a necessary element in that regard.
6. Spectacle
Finally, we reach the end of the six elements, spectacle, a broad and all-encompassing element that basically is everything visual. Costumes, props, and sets all fall under the spectacle part of theatre. However, even though it is broad and covers a lot of topics, Aristotle considers it to be the least important of the elements. I can see why. Do too much, and it can overshadow the story or overall dramatic experience. It does enhance performances, but it should be used judiciously and have a purpose. Spectacles are cool and interesting, but if you leave and that’s all you remember, then it further enhances the weakness of the show itself.
That brings us to the end of this crash course in literary/theatrical criticism. Honestly, it might seem obvious when you see it in front of you and isn’t anything mind-blowing, I mean, how revolutionary can something written in 300 BCE be? But similarly to how I had a lot of thoughts at the start of this blog process and was unsure of where to even focus, it can be hard to know where to start with how you felt about a show you liked or didn’t like. Having these elements could give you the language needed to put words to feelings that are sometimes hard to describe. I also want to say that it’s okay to not want to overanalyze or just like something because you like it. As Ranganathan says, “every book its reader (or, in our case, every show, its audience.)
I may revisit this topic of adaptations in the future, as there are other aspects of theatre I want to dive into, but for today I’ll just end on my own adaptation of lyrics. So, who can say if the Wicked movie will be changed for the better, but I hope they are changed for good.