Woweeee

This sequel is a whole different game to it's predecessor - while one focusses on the story of elphaba and issues that affects her as a woman, son of a which completely inverts the world from the perspective of her son liir, a young boy who has had very little support in life and goes through the motions of radicalisation that many young men without direction may find themselves in. Liir cannot see himself as a valuable person, and falls into whichever dangerous figures will take him, until more certain figures allow him the space to question what he has learned. Liir subsequently begins to learn the lessons of the women that struggle around him, and his place within that struggle (including finally understanding the emotional insights of his mother, and why she was so distant to him). Seeing him develop into (and understand that he always was) the best and worst attributes of his mother and father was such an interesting journey, and I have so much to think about!!

I think overall wicked feels slightly stronger, possibly owing to it covering a far longer period of time, but this was a pure delight and a huge thematic surprise!! I also did feel the pacing slowed a bit more, but the ending built up well and was an incredibly fast and tense finale!