It’s safe to say that for us theater fans and at this point, the general public, Wicked: For Good is poised to be one of the biggest movie events of the year. Based on the second act of the beloved Broadway musical, the picture will focus on the aftermath of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) life choices and how these events eventually intersect with The Wizard of Oz. Wicked: For Good’s first trailer already revealed several key differences between the stage show and the adaptation, something that many of us who know and love the show expected. However, a topic that has been less discussed is the way the film will have to reconstruct the stage show’s timeline. While it may work great in the world of theater, the more literal world of film (even when it comes to a high-end fantasy such as Wicked) is certainly a task that requires a lot of magic.
‘Wicked’s Second Act Follows a Vague Timeline

Wicked has been nothing short of a phenomenon ever since it opened on Broadway in October of 2003. Despite its more than 20-year run, the original Broadway production continues to run and sell out New York City’s Gershwin Theatre (the largest house on Broadway) and continues to stage new productions, both in replica format and reimagined. While most will agree Wicked’s first act is perhaps the most memorable, running longer than Act Two and featuring the iconic “Defying Gravity,” the second act is the piece that packs a greater emotional punch. Leaving behind most of the whimsy and humor of Act One, the concluding half deeply explores the consequences of both Elphaba and Glinda’s decisions and even reveals that those decisions set in motion the events of The Wizard of Oz. Interestingly, however, while Act One more or less follows a relatively defined timeline, allowing the first film to remain largely faithful to the stage show, Act Two’s canon is much more vague. Picking up an undisclosed amount of time after “Defying Gravity,” things have clearly changed in Oz, with Elphaba well into her fugitive reign, Glinda beloved by all of Oz, and Nessa (Marissa Bode) already deemed the Wicked Witch of the East. In some ways, it seems as though this could be a mere few days before Dorothy’s arrival in Oz, but the actual timeline only becomes more imprecise as the second act progresses. It should be noted that the brilliant writing team behind the show, Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz, famously had to cut several sequences when the show was in the middle of its pre-Broadway run in San Francisco, which likely contributed to the less defined timeline. But, while this works well on stage, it certainly has to be reconfigured for the film, especially when it comes to specific character arcs and continuity.
‘Wicked: For Good’ Will Have to Fix the Musical’s Timeline

When Wicked: For Good’s first trailer dropped, it already revealed several key differences from the stage show. The opening sequence, which features a confrontation between Glinda and Elphaba, does not exist in the stage show and also shows Elphaba living a fugitive lifestyle in the forest, something else that never occurs in the musical. Additionally, we know the movie will feature two new songs written specifically for the adaptation. But the picture’s biggest task will be reconfiguring the picture’s continuity, specifically for some of its characters, and how it relates to The Wizard of Oz. Two of the musical’s characters become surprisingly key players in Dorothy’s journey down the Yellow Brick Road: Boq (Ethan Slater) and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). For those who are unaware, Boq becomes Nessa’s unwilling live-in servant, but after he confesses that he never stopped loving Glinda, Nessa takes the Grimmerie from Elphaba, uses it, and accidentally casts a spell that shrinks his heart. In an effort to save him, Elphaba casts a spell that will require him to no longer need a heart, ultimately turning him into the Tinman. As previously stated, Act Two’s timeline seems to kick off a few days before Dorothy’s arrival, but we know he needs to be able to rust still before Dorothy meets him.

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Likewise, Fiyero, who becomes increasingly unhappy with his role in the Emerald City and eventually runs off with Elphaba. Moments after Dorothy arrives in Oz and starts down the Yellow Brick Road, he attempts to save Elphaba from the Wizard’s guards. They string him up to a post in a cornfield and attempt to kill him, but Elphaba casts a spell to turn him into the legendary Scarecrow to save him. While this is a brilliant twist to incorporate the beloved icon into the Wicked timeline, it doesn’t really line up with Dorothy’s journey in any pre-existing Wizard of Oz canon. Additionally, Wicked: The Musical ends with a secret plan conducted by Fiyero and Elphaba. While we won’t spoil their grand finale here, the fact that Fiyero spends most of Act Two with Dorothy doesn’t exactly leave a lot of room for this “offstage” plan to occur. Wicked: For Good is truly gearing up to be something special. With a number of surprises already built into the trailer, we’re excited to see how the show’s second act will be reinvented. It’s no small task, but we could not be more excited to return to the land of Oz when Wicked: For Good hits theaters this November.

Wicked

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

160 Minutes

Writers

Gregory Maguire, Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, L. Frank Baum