‘It Couldn’t Happen Here in Oz’: Wicked and the creation of a ‘critic-proof’ musical

Wicked falls into the mold of shows like Cats and Phantom of the Opera, which had mixed reviews from critics but became enormously popular with the public. Such shows are sometimes called ‘critic-proof’, meaning that the opinions of reviewers have little influence on the public. This article examines the status of Wicked as a ‘critic-proof’ show with a detailed survey of its critical reception by New York City reviewers and consideration of the reasons for its great popularity, including the continuing resonance of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz stories, book writer Winnie Holzman’s successful portrayal of young female relationships in the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda and Stephen Schwartz’s popular score. Each of Schwartz’s major songs for Wicked is described in terms of its musical models and effectiveness, demonstrating how important the score of Wicked was in securing the show’s unofficial designation as ‘critic-proof’.