Context
The song is performed during the first act of the musical. Just prior to the song, Fiyero, the famed Winkie prince, arrives at Shiz University, where he meets Glinda (at this point known as Galinda) and Boq. During the song, Fiyero sings about his beliefs regarding the problem with schools, and believes that people should ignore school, and live the "unexamined life." Also during this song, Boq confesses to Galinda his infatuation with her, and asks her to save a dance for him, after Fiyero invites everyone to the "most swankified" place in town, the Ozdust Ballroom.
Upon hearing Boq, Galinda tells him that someone would be her hero if they asked Nessarose, the disabled sister of Elphaba, to the dance (inadvertently dooming Boq to becoming the Tin Woodman) in order to shake him off so she can spend the evening with Fiyero, with whom she has become infatuated. Nessarose is thrilled at the possibility of having a fun night at the Ozdust Ballroom, and begins her infatuation with Boq, hinting at later events to come in the musical. Elphaba is later given a black, pointed hat, by Galinda, who was originally given the hat by her grandmother. Galinda gives this hat to Elphaba to ridicule her in front of others, reminiscent of "What is This Feeling?". Nessarose and Elphaba try to find a way to repay Galinda.
During the ball, Madame Morrible confronts Galinda, and gives her a training wand, saying it was at the request of Elphaba that Galinda begin sorcery training, though Madame Morrible has doubts of Galinda's abilities. However, she gives Galinda the wand. Later, Elphaba arrives at the ball, wearing the hat, and begins to dance, alone. Soon filled with remorse, Galinda joins her, and eventually, so does much of the audience, beginning their friendship. Boq and Nessarose begin their relationship, though Boq is only willingly participating to impress Galinda.
Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his Oz novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country South of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.
Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappeared in many other subsequent Oz books in the series. In late 19th-century America, men made out of various tin pieces were used in advertising and political cartoons. Baum, who was editing a magazine on decorating shop windows when he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was reportedly inspired to invent the Tin Woodman by a figure he had built out of metal parts for a shop display.
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator W.W. Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely naïve. Throughout the course of the novel, he proves to have the brains he seeks and is later recognized as "the wisest man in all of Oz," although he continues to credit the Wizard for them. He is, however, wise enough to know his own limitations and all too happy to hand the rulership of Oz, passed to him by the Wizard, to Princess Ozma, and become one of her trusted advisors, though he typically spends more time having fun than advising.
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent Oz novels, it is the Nome King who is the principal villain; the Wicked Witch of the West is rarely even referred to again after her death in the first book.
The Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of Oz novels, most notably The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).
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 Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. In 2003, it was adapted as the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Wicked. The musical is in the process of being adapted into a feature film.
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked.
Nessarose Thropp is the name of the woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked. She is the beautiful and physically disabled younger sister of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Son of a Witch is a fantasy novel written by Gregory Maguire. The book is Maguire’s fifth revisionist story and the second set in the land of Oz originally conceived by L. Frank Baum. Son of a Witch continues the story after the fall from power of the Wizard of Oz and the death of Elphaba by recounting the life of Elphaba’s son, Liir. The book is dedicated to the cast of the Broadway musical version of Wicked.
Wicked is a 2003 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is based on the characters and setting of the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz.
Boq is a minor character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. He becomes a more prominent character in Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which purports to show the lives of some of Baum's characters from another perspective, and more prominent still in the 2003 Broadway musical Wicked which is based on Maguire's novel.
"For Good" is a musical number from the hit musical Wicked. It is sung as a duet between Elphaba and Glinda as a farewell. The song's score and lyrics were written by composer Stephen Schwartz.
"No Good Deed" is a musical number from the hit Broadway musical Wicked. It is sung by Elphaba, the main character of the show. It is widely regarded as the most powerful piece of the musical; and the most emotional.
"The Wizard and I" is a musical number from the hit musical Wicked. It is primarily a solo number for the character of Elphaba, though the character Madame Morrible also sings in the introduction to the song.
"What is this Feeling?" is a song from the hit musical Wicked. It is sung between Elphaba, Galinda, and the students at Shiz University, expressing their loathing for each other's contrasting personalities as newly-assigned roommates.
"I'm Not that Girl" is a showtune from the musical Wicked, based on the novel, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West", by Gregory Maguire. It was composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (reprise) on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003. It is a solo sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba Thropp in the first act and Glinda in the reprise in the second act.
Dorothy of Oz is a 1989 children's novel written by L. Frank Baum's great-grandson Roger S. Baum. The book details Dorothy Gale returning to the Land of Oz when a Jester has been using the wand of the Wicked Witch of the West to take over the Land of Oz. The book was adapted into a film called Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return in 2014 by Clarius Entertainment.
Nicolas Dromard is a Canadian singer and stage actor, best known for his performances as Fiyero in the San Francisco sit-down production of the musical Wicked. He also performed in the Broadway musical version of Mary Poppins as part of the original Broadway cast ensemble, and later as Bert on Broadway and in the National Tour. He recently performed in the national tour and Broadway productions of Jersey Boys as Tommy DeVito.
