Fellow Ozians, let us be glad that Wicked is finally here! Many amazing musical movie adaptations have been created (Tick, Tick…Boom!, Chicago, and West Side Story, to name a few), and fans have long awaited for Wicked to have its time to shine in theaters. Literally, multiple development roadblocks, including the pandemic, led to the movie being over a decade in the making. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo now finally get to share their interpretations of the beloved Good Witch and Wicked Witch of the West, respectively, in Wicked: Part 1.
Many people hold the stage production of Wicked near and dear to their hearts, and know every word and note by heart. Of course, changes have been made to adapt the story to the big screen. Spoiler alert: It’s still amazing. What is this feeling? It’s excitement! After years of waiting, we finally get to see our favorite musical on the big screen. We’ve got you covered if you’re curious about some changes from the show. Here are 12 differences between the Wicked musical and the new Wicked film. Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for Wicked Part 1 follow.
- Wicked: Part 1 Is Just The Beginning
-
Of course, the biggest difference is that the Wicked movie is split into two parts. The musical has two acts, but you can see both in one sitting. We’ll have to wait until 2025 for Wicked: Part 2.
- Glinda’s Dress
-
Glinda’s bubble dress is a huge part of her look. In the stage production, her dress is famously blue. In the movie, they decided to make it Glinda’s signature pink.
- Galindafied
-
Speaking of Glinda’s signature look, she sticks with pink throughout the movie. However, in the Broadway show, she wears only one pink outfit (in the Ozdust Ballroom scene).
- Glinda’s Singing “No One Mourns The Wicked”
-
Fans of the musical always listen to hear each Glinda’s interpretation of “The Wicked Die Alone” while singing the film’s opening number, “No One Mourns The Wicked.” Here’s a fan-favorite belt from Louise Dearman. However, Grande does not do that particular belt in the movie. She does do the opt-up at the end, which is also a fun addition to the song.
- Glinda Burning The Wicked Witch Statue
-
After singing “No One Mourns The Wicked,” Glinda burns a statue of Elphaba in the movie. This does not happen in the musical.
- Elphaba and Nessarose at Shiz
-
In the movie, Elphaba wasn’t supposed to attend Shiz University. She was just there to drop off her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), but their father made her stay to ensure Nessa was well-adjusted. After a magical incident (more on that next), Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) convinces Elphaba to enroll at Shiz. In the musical, Elphaba’s already enrolled in the school to look after Nessa. Also, in the Broadway show, when Elphaba is about to leave for Oz, Boq (Ethan Slater) confronts Glinda and runs off, and Nessarose thinks it’s her fault. This didn’t happen in the movie.
- The Nessarose Incident
-
In the movie, Madame Coddle (a new character who works at Shiz) tries walking away with Nessarose, which upsets Elphaba and causes her to unleash her power and wreak havoc. In the show, Madam Morrible is the one who does this. Also, Nessarose just spins around in the show, but in the movie, she’s fully lifted in the air and out of Coddle’s reach.
When Elphaba does this, the building cracks and a motif falls off showing animal professors underneath. This doesn’t happen in the Broadway show, and it’s an early foreshadowing of the fact that the Wizard is behind the cruelty against the animals.
- Fiyero’s Ride
-
On Broadway, when Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey in the film) runs into Elphaba in the forest, where they first meet, Fiyero’s driver, Maverick, is a human. But in the movie, Maverick is a horse. Fun fact: it’s the same horse Bailey worked with on Bridgerton.
- “One Short Day” In The Emerald City
-
When Elphaba invites Glinda to the Emerald City in the Broadway show, she doesn’t think twice about going. In the movie, she goes back and forth and then jumps on the train. Also, Elphaba and Glinda aren’t wearing sunglasses in the Emerald City in the movie. They both do in the show, and Grande even referenced Glinda’s stage look in this part of the show at the London Wicked premiere.
- The OG Witches
-
There are super special cameos in Wicked: Part 1. The original Elphaba and Glinda — Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth — have their own verses added to “One Short Day.”
Fans of the musical are going to FREAK OUT when they see their favorite witches together in the Emerald City.
- The Origins Of The Yellow Brick Road
-
While meeting The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), Glinda helps him pick the color of the famous yellow brick road. This doesn’t happen in the musical, but it’s such a fan nod to The Wizard Of Oz.
- The Wizard of Oz
-
After meeting the Wizard, Glinda and Elphaba run away while being chased by the flying monkeys, who are convinced Elphaba put the spell on them on purpose after Madame Morrible accused her of being wicked. The movie’s hallway scene with the monkeys attacking Glinda doesn’t happen in the Broadway show. Another fun nod to The Wizard Of Oz was the pair trying to escape in the hot air balloon the Wizard came to Oz in, which also didn’t happen in the Broadway show.
Fans of the musical will fall in love with this story all over again after seeing Wicked: Part 1.