I plant seeds of possibility there. But I will tell you that I planted these seeds because I wanted this book to be an examination of how we view people as the end result of trauma, and that we are all actually bigger than our traumas. So, at the very beginning, the moment she was born, the question arises: does she have both sexual organs? Maybe this was just a trick of the light? Well, you could spend the rest of her life and yours wondering whether she did it or not. But whether she did or not wouldn’t change the path she had to take.

We are all greater than the sum of the things that happen to us biologically, biochemically, emotionally, experientially and culturally. we are all bigger. This is survival. Discover the vastness and reach of your own soul, despite and because of what is happening to you. So I won’t answer the question of whether she is, but I think it’s absolutely relevant to ask the question.

Is Elphaba really intersex? Explaining the fan theory based on the original Evil Book

After all, we are in queer media.

In the book, Elphaba and Glinda actually share a kiss, which doesn’t actually make it into the musical. But with the release of the film, there is a lot of talk about the sapphic tension between the two. Was that intentional?

It was intentional, and it was so humble and reserved and sophisticated that you could imagine that one of these two young women had felt more than the other and didn’t want to say it. Or maybe because a novelist can’t write every scene, maybe the girls had sex in bed on the way to the Emerald City with the lights out and the novelist smoking in the back alley. I wanted to suggest this possibility, but didn’t want to comment on it declaratively.

Have you seen any of the internet memes or anything related to the film?

No, I don’t even know where you would look for an internet meme. I’m not even sure what it is.

The book has been available for 30 years. Do you always find something new in it when it is transposed? As you rewatch it each time, do you discover new things in the story or in Elphaba’s story?

When Stephen Schwartz came to me, I said: If I trust you with this, I will trust you completely. I will not demand a veto. I won’t ask to see scripts. I will not ask to be involved in the production.

I didn’t want to be distracted by any arguments that might arise from working together. I also wanted to honor the ambition, strength, talent and vision of other artists and not hinder them, just as I didn’t feel like L. Frank Baum had risen from his grave and bothered me. And I thought it would just be an honor to say that, as long as you’ve proven to me that you know why I wrote this book, then go ahead. And it won’t be the story of the novel, but that’s okay. If you put my intentions into action and people leave the theater thinking about what to think about when they close the back of the book, then everything will be fine. Continue. And I am very happy that I made this decision.

Is there a song you like best in the musical?

I admire the construction and delivery of the second act, “No Good Deed.” This is my favorite song to sing on stage. I can’t wait to hear how Cynthia sums it up.

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