Had the pleasure of seeing Wicked last night, and had a great time. It's a great play (and that comes from someone who doesn't like musicals that much) and worth the cash if you have it. What was really great about it is that the characters had great depth to them, each one represented a certain kind of personality struggling for positive change in an unjust world. And that's not me being pretentious, it touches on political and social issues in a clear way that, at the same time, isn't heavy handed. The one character I really related to was Fiyero, but my (smart-arsed) companion had a very simplistic view of him by the end of the play. Try as I might to explain how I related to him on a few levels, I couldn't convince her. So, here's my breakdown of why Fiyero's character is far deeper than he appears. Warning, this will be long and will contain spoilers.
When we first meet Fiyero, he arrives at Shiz University asleep in a carriage, showing disdain for the serious Elphaba and declaring that it must be his job to "once again corrupt the students at this academy." He quickly takes to the popular and attractive Galinda/Glinda, and in the song "The Unexamined Life," endorses a shallow, carefree life free of too much meaning or insight. His character is, at least on the surface, established as the silver tongued larrakin with very little depth. From the outset it appears that he and Galinda/Glinda are made for each other, both attractive, popular and a little on the dense side. It is only after Glinda (I cannot be arsed referring to her by both names) warms to Elphaba and trying to make her popular (pop! yew-lerr) that Fiyero begins to show a new side to his character.
After Dr. Dillamond is taken away and the students of Shiz are shown how to use a cage and "contain" an animal, Elphaba has an outburst causing all those in the class except Fiyero to become distracted. Confused, the two liberate the young lion cub and escape with the intention of setting it free. This offers a strange insight into Fiyero's mind; why would someone so obviously carefree care about something as incidental as a lion cub? Although, given his self awareness regarding his self-proclaimed shallowness, this action is not really surprising. He is not an airheaded socialite, rather an insightful and intelligent person putting on a front. While releasing the cub, Elphaba and Fiyero share a moment of closeness where Fiyero realises that he is not content just to coast through life, and wants something more.
Despite Elphaba's obliviousness to the situation, Fiyero grows more distant from Glinda, dissatisfied with her, for want of a better word, simplicity, while pining for the interesting and misunderstood Elphaba. Although he cannot bring himself to admit how he feels in front of Glinda as Elphaba heads to the Emerald City, he also cannot keep up his charade with Glinda, driving them further apart. Glinda refuses to accept the obvious and goes further into denial.
Later in the play, with Elphaba a fugitive, Fiyero finds himself unhappily engaged to a deeply-in-deinal Glinda. Despite this, he searches constantly for Elphaba, ostensibly as the captain of the guard searching for her, although his refusal to buy into all the negative propaganda about Elphaba betrays his true feelings. Fiyero's reactions to the situation at hand offer yet another insight into the workings of his mind; although he very clearly knows what he wants, he is too fixated on keeping everybody else happy to do it. Unlike Glinda, who wants everyone to love her to fulfill her need for attention, Fiyero feels the need to keep everyone happy, even at the cost of his own happiness. His shallowness and popularity, previously shown as a sign of apathy, now reveals a deep seated sense of empathy.
Further in the play, as Fiyero abandons Glinda for Elphaba, leaving his position in the guard and effectively becoming a fugitive with her, he begins to see the world through "different eyes" and finally has who he really wants. Although this drives a temporary wedge between Elphaba and Glinda, it also marks the first time Fiyero goes against the consensus of what is "cool" or accepted, marking a turning point in his character. Captured for liberating Elphaba from the clutches of the guard, he sacrifices himself to save her, showing yet more depth of character. Inadvertently turned into The Scarecrow by Elphaba to spare him the pain of their beatings, we do not see him again until the final scene, where he and Elphaba decide to escape from Oz so they can finally live in peace together. However, as anyone who has seen The Wizard of Oz knows, this is after he visits the "Mighty Wizard of Oz" to receive his brain, only to be informed that he "already has one." However, by this point in the story, we already know that.
Fiyero's character is complex and multilayered. Desperate to keep everyone he meets happy and carefree, he adopts a persona that does not reflect the person he is. Only after meeting Elphaba does he realise there is an alternative, and as he struggles with his sense of self versus his sense of empathy, he is revealed to be a smart, sensitive and dedicated person. Fiyero represents any person who hides their true self, their true personality, under a crowd-pleasing veneer in order to keep the peace.
Was going to read your self-reflection, but someone thought I should wait until after I have seen the show for myself. Had to laugh at your companions simple mindedness, so much so ended up in a fit of coughing. Needless to say only time will tell in regards to your depth. Glad you both had a good night.
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