"The Wizard and I" is a musical number from the hit musical ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

''. It is primarily a solo number for the character of Elphaba, though the character

Madame Morrible ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...

also sings in the introduction to the song.

Context

The song is performed in the beginning of the first act of the musical. In it, Madame Morrible tells Elphaba of her talents, and tells her that she will arrange a meeting with the Wizard. This begins Elphaba's desire to change herself, with the aid of the Wizard, whom she still believes to be genuine, and able to help her with all of her problems. Elphaba also sings about redeeming herself in her father, Frexspar's, and her sister

Nessarose ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by '' Son of ...

's eyes, and having the Wizard cure her of her strange green appearance. Also, Elphaba dreams about becoming a new person, not only on the outside, but doing great deeds in league with the Wizard, and forming Oz's "favorite team."

Music

"The Wizard and I" features the "Unlimited" theme present throughout the musical. In this piece, Elphaba prophesizes a celebration throughout Oz regarding her, though she does not know it regards her "death" at the end of the musical, after being "melted" by Dorothy, which Elphaba ironically sings about in saying that she is "so happy I could melt." She also imagines that "when people see me lphabathey will scream" from love, not fear. Toward the song’s climax, she declares that she will be the center of a “celebration throughout Oz” that occurs in the show’s opening. Another notable characteristic of the song is the numerous times that the word "good" appears in the libretto. The beginning of the song features many elements of the song "Making Good," which was cut from the final drafts of the musical. The original German recording of this song, "Der Zauberer und ich", is sung by

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

actress,

Willemijn Verkaik Willemijn Verkaik (; born 16 June 1975) is a Dutch singer and actress. She is best known for her stage roles in '' Wicked'' and '' Elisabeth'', and for providing the singing voice for Elsa in both the German and Dutch versions of Disney's '' F ...

. She sings this song in three languages -

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. In an interview, Verkaik said that for her, "The Wizard and I" is the hardest song for her to sing in the English productions. This is not the case for the German and Dutch productions, where " No Good Deed" was considerably harder.

Other versions

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' and '' Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowv ...

has a reworking of the song for his self-titled album ''

'' titled "The

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

and I", which is an exclusive bonus track on iTunes.

References

Songs about wizards Idina Menzel songs Songs from Wicked (musical) Songs from musicals Female vocal duets Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer) 2003 songs {{Show-tune-stub