Community Book Group with John Dizikes

Led by Julie Minnis with a discussion with John Dizikes
Book Choice: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
* please note 7:00pm start time of this event

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Our next Community Book Group celebrates Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. Following the traditions of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Gardner and J.R.R. Tolkien, Wicked is a richly woven tale that takes us to the darker side of the rainbow as novelist Gregory Maguire chronicles the Wicked Witch of the West's odyssey through the complex world of Oz--where people call you wicked if you tell the truth. First published in 1995, the novel was called a work of vision and re-vision. Fifteen years later, Wicked is not only a best-selling novel, but it’s also been made into a hit Broadway play.

The Chicago Sun says this of the play, “Wicked has worked its magic the old-fashioned way: not with reviews or awards or heavy marketing, but by connecting with audiences through its accessible music, story and characters…the show's themes--the rewards and trials of friendship, outsiderness vs. popularity, courage in the face of an oppressive system--have struck a deep chord in theatergoers....”       

                                             
Our Book Group facilitator Julie Minnis will be joined by UCSC’s emeritus professor of American Studies, John Dizikes, (who is also a National Book Critics Circle Award winner for his book, Opera in America: A Cultural History, as well as a self-proclaimed Broadway enthusiast) to discuss the book, and then carry things a step further by talking about the Broadway play.  Can any book become a musical? Is there something in the story that Maguire tells that allows it to carry over to sound and movement?  Is this story indicative of a new style of Broadway, or is there something familiar in it compared to yesterday’s hits? Join us as we discuss the nuances of the story, sound, and stage surrounding Maguire’s Wicked. 
This is sure to be a night filled with insight, laughter, and dialogue you won’t want to miss!