Low strings. A distant hum.] ELPHABA (soft): I walked these marble corridors With whispers at my back, Every shining smile a blade, Every kindness cracked. I bent beneath your judging eyes Like branches in a storm— But roots grow stronger in the dark, And I am being reborn. ENSEMBLE (hushed): Never one of us, Never quite the same, Shadow born of emerald fire, Marked by silent shame. ELPHABA (lifting): You can gild your fragile towers With illusion, gold, and lies— But truth is climbing higher. I see it in your eyes. You called me “strange,” “unnatural,” As if I should conceal— But difference is the spark That makes a power real. If I am storm, then let me thunder. If I am spark, then let me blaze. I will not stand here torn asunder To fit inside your careful maze. [Heartbeat percussion begins.] You built a kingdom out of fear And crowned it holy law— But fear is just a trembling thing, And I am done with awe. You want a villain? Want a threat? A shadow you can blame? Then I will give you something Greater than your shame. [Chorus – soaring] I rise in emerald flame, Higher than your narrow sky. Let the whole world know my name— I was never meant to hide. If you need a monster, If you need a name— I will stand before you Unashamed. I rise— I rise— I rise. ENSEMBLE (overlapping): Dangerous— Defiant— Uncontained— ELPHABA: I tried to be your hero, I tried to make you see, I tried to dull the edges You were scared to see in me. But kindness met with cruelty Is sharpened into steel, And every scar you gave me Taught my heart to feel. [Music drops low.] ELPHABA (quiet, cutting): Do you hear it? The trembling in your throne? The crack inside the mirror Where your certainty was sewn? You painted me a monster Before I spoke a word— But monsters are reflections Of the lies you’ve always served. ENSEMBLE (whisper): Turn away… Bend the knee… ELPHABA (low, steady): No. I am exactly what I should be. [Key change. Drums rise.] Let the banners shake. Let the sirens cry. Let the righteous quake As I testify. If goodness means surrender, If virtue means restraint, Then keep your spotless halos— I refuse the saint. [Climactic build] I am fury. I am grace. I am truth you can’t erase. I am consequence and flame. I am more than shame. If I burn, I burn in glory. If I fall, I fall confessed— [Music cuts. Spotlight.] ELPHABA (deep. Chilling.): You want the darkness? You want the threat? Listen closely. You wrote the story. You cast the role. And now— I am the Wicked Witch of the West. And I am not afraid. [Orchestra explodes.] If wicked means I won’t submit, If wicked means I will not quit, If wicked means I stand alone— Then wicked let me be. [Final Chorus – full harmony] I rise in emerald flame, Watch the heavens rearrange. Call me wicked. Call my name. I rise— I rise— I rise in emerald flame. [Sustained final note. Blackout.]

I Rise in Emerald Flame