We marvel att the marriage of art and technology and the ingenuity of those who can master that integration.  Steve Jobs and his folks at Apple are prime examples.  In the same vein, there is a marriage of literature, art, and culture that can culminate in the same kind of experience.  Probably the best example in our current culture is the Broadway musical.

Critics claim that a lot of these productions are over produced, over acted and too expensive.  But that is our climate.  That is the American experience.  Big.  Loud.  Exciting.  From Cats to Les Miserable to Rent to Hair Spray, the reinventing of the opera and the merger of music and literature have created some of the most powerful experiences that our new age has to offer.

From concept to execution, Wicked is one of the great stories in contemporary literature.  I read the book Wicked about a year and a half ago, and I have just begun listening to the soundtrack from the musical.  I admit, I have not yet seen the musical, but the music creates a cohesiveness in the story and adds an element of entertainment that the book lacks.  Between the book and the musical, there is an experience that provides plenty of fodder for thought and discussion.

Wicked is on tour, and I intend to see it this spring.  You can get the show dates and locations at wickedthemusical.com.  This is the clip from the Tony’s with the original cast doing “Defying Gravity.”

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A true marriage of literature, music, art and culture.