Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Wicked book and musical. Reader’s discretion is advised.
Imagine this: it’s a lovely day, you’re a small-town farm girl, hanging out with your pretty dog Toto, when all of a sudden a tornado essentially kidnaps you, and your dog to a weird town, far from Kansas.
Turns out, your house (and you) were taken to the city of Munchkinland, where you seemingly helped the Munchkin-landers by destroying the vile Witch of the East. When you look down at your feet, because your Converse feel a bit weird, you notice bright ruby red shoes that belonged to the witch you just killed, unable to take them off.
You try to get home but according to some random girl in a bubble, you have to walk all the way to a city made out of emeralds to meet some wizard. On your journey over you meet a furry, a tin can, and a scarecrow, who all want the wizard’s help. Eventually, the Witch of the East’s older sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, wants your shoes and kidnaps you. Of course, you killed her by pouring a bucket of water on her and made your way back to this all-powerful wizard.
In the end, you return home safely; clicking your heels three times and chanting the classic “there’s no place like home.”
This story, of course, is The Wizard of Oz, a classic children’s story beloved by people of all ages. The compelling plot intrigued readers far and wide, especially with the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. For years, readers have wondered what made her so evil. What is her backstory? And most importantly, why is she green?
Background
Well in 1995, Gregory Maguire decided to change that. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West became an intriguing and impactful story about how the Wicked Witch truly became “wicked.” Her name is Elphaba, a play on L. Frank Baum’s initials (LFB). She is seen as scary and corrupted from the moment she is born, with sharp teeth and that unforgettable bright green skin.
Throughout her life, she is immensely disliked and mistreated by her family and peers because of her “evil appearance.” However, when she starts to attend Shiz University, the Harvard of the Oz World, at the age of 17, she meets people that will decide the course of her narrative.
She soon meets Galinda, a girl with blue eyes, fair skin, and red hair who is liked by everyone she meets; a complete opposite of Elphaba. Although they butt heads at the beginning, they eventually become close friends.
She also meets Dr. Dillamond, her Animal professor who quickly bonds with her, making Elphaba his lab assistant. In this universe, Animals are creatures who can speak and act like humans. Elphaba quickly becomes an advocate for Animals, whose rights are stripped away throughout Oz.
We are later introduced to Fiyero Tigelaar, a quiet prince with blue diamond tattoos on his body. At this time, Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, also starts attending Shiz and brings along Nanny, who watched their mother when she was a child and then took care of Elphaba when she was born. Although Nessarose was born without arms, she is described to be extremely beautiful and the favorite child. This causes their father to leave her the gift of silver shoes, a display of his blatant favoritism.
After Madame Morrible, the Headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz, tries to convince Elphaba and Glinda to work for her and the Wizard, the two girls head to the Emerald City to discuss their worries. Elphaba goes to discuss the injustices of Animals, and Glinda goes to support her. At this point, Galinda has taken on the pronunciation of “Glinda” to honor Dr. Dillamond, who was brutally murdered. When the Wizard ignores them, Elphaba decides she will not be returning to Shiz, causing Glinda to return without her.
The rest of the book goes into Dorothy’s journey through Oz and Elphaba’s mission to retrieve Nessa’s shoes after Dorothy’s house crushed her. And of course, the book ends with the demise of Elphaba after Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her, which Elphaba is allergic to.
From Book to Musical to Movie
The book is intense and impactful, following themes unsuitable for young kids or teens. It makes it a tough read. As I read, I constantly have to stop and think about what happened. It is a lot for a young mind to take on; it’s a story intended for young adults 16 or older.
In 2003, the Wicked book was transformed into a hit Broadway musical. Debuting on October 30, it has left an outstanding mark on Broadway, having multiple award nominations and winning several Tony’s. However, the musical is vastly different from the book. It is the Disney-fied version suitable for people of all ages. Any teens and children, who are entranced by the musical and try to read the book, thinking it will be similar to the fantastical and Disney fairy-tale vibes of the adaptation, will be quite surprised by the differences.
The musical also focuses on the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda (or Galinda) and less on activism for Animal rights. A love triangle between Fiyero, Glinda, and Elphaba was also established, where Fiyero and Glinda were together before Fiyero left her for Elphaba. This is completely different from the book where Fiyero cheats on his wife with Elphaba.
The musical is also extremely fast-paced, as most musicals
are. It is very rushed, another reason why it doesn’t go over all of the topics discussed in the novel. The songs, however, are extremely catchy and well-known. Defying Gravity, which takes place at the end of Act One, is one of the most famous songs in Broadway history. Every theater kid knows it. What also made Wicked so popular was the two stars: Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. These two women absolutely killed these roles, leaving behind a high bar for the actresses after them to meet.
Mercedes Padilla, a junior at Mt. SAC Early College Academy shares, “Idina has a very powerful personality on the stage, and Kristin Chenoweth makes it her own.” ” Padilla, who has experience in theater as she performs in plays and musicals outside of school, says, “I’ve seen the show live, and I think that some of the actresses [from the Broadway productions] can live up to their portrayals.”
Recently, lots of musicals have started to be adapted into movies, and Wicked fans are ecstatic about the new Wicked movie hitting theaters this November 22. Tickets for the movie went on sale October 9 and according to the Wicked movie’s Instagram, it became the second-best first-day ticket pre-seller of 2024, the best PG-rated first-day ticket pre-seller of 2024, and the third-best PG-rated first-day ticket pre-seller of all time. And who wouldn’t have guessed that considering Ariana Grande is playing Glinda.
The movie version of Wicked is split into two parts, the first part, releasing November 22, is the first act of the musical. The second act will be a part of the second movie and will be released in November 2025. Portraying Elphaba in the movies is Cynthia Erivo, an outstanding actress in both Broadway and film. Some of her singing has already been used in advertisements such as trailers, dolls, and even toy microphones.
This version also includes other well-renowned actors and actresses such as Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, and the admired Johnathan Bailey as Fiyero. This cast is packed with stars, leaving fans with high hopes. Every time a new trailer or teaser drops, fans become ecstatic, especially with the outstanding vocals from the cast.
According to IMDb, the movie will clock in at 2 hours and 40 minutes long, which is about the same length as the whole Broadway musical including intermission. Director Jon M. Chu, who also directed the movie production of In the Heights, is making sure to not rush the story.
“I have very high expectations,” said Padilla. “But judging by the trailers and the clips so far, I think my expectations will be met.”
The movie is already turning out to be extremely successful before it has even been released. Many fans can hardly wait for November 22 to arrive, anticipating the new adaptation will be everything they dreamed of and more.
