Yet, none have come close to matching the triumph that is MGM’s 1939 masterpiece.
The first of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
AsThe Daily Beastreports, reviews were mixed when the show opened, butWickedfound a devoted and enthusiastic audience.
Custom Image by Zanda Rice
To answer the question “IsWicked(the stage show) an exact prequel to theJudy Garlandfilm?”
one has to look closely atWicked’s plot details,specifically in its second act.
So it was no surprise that most audiences came to the show viewing it as such.
The story of how a green-skinned woman framed by the Wizard of Oz becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The first of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
But the nature ofWicked’s canonical line-up withthe ‘39 filmis more complex than that.
Though disdainful of each other initially,the enemies become unlikely friends.
Somewhere over the rainbow, this bizarre tune exists.
When Elphaba and Nessarose arrive at Shiz, their father gifts Nessarose a pair of silver shoes.
One of the most famouschanges the 1939 film madefromL.
Frank Baum’s original novel was switching the silver shoes tothe famous ruby slippers.
In theory, this should suggest thatWickedis actually a prequel to Baum’s book.
Some time has passed, and Nessarose has become the Wicked Witch of the East.
In an effort to free her from her wheelchair, Elphaba casts a spell to help her sister walk.
The silver shoes turn into ruby slippers, butfurther continuity connections come into play when Dorothy arrives in Oz.
After the confrontation, both witches leave andDorothy famously begins her journey down the Yellow Brick Road.
However, inWicked, the scene opens just after Dorothy has headed off for the Emerald City.
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Elphaba confronts Glinda about giving away Nessarose’s shoes, and the two end up in a brawl.
While iconic,it couldn’t possibly take place while following the events of the movie.
Wickedlater stages Elphaba’s bucket of water demise by pulling a scrim across the stage.
Image via Warner Bros.
The way the show portrays the events is drastically different.
The two set aside their differences in a beautiful ballad that serves as a heart-wrenching goodbye.
Despite what marketing would have audiences believe,Wickedis not exactly a prequel to 1939’sThe Wizard of Oz.
It is, instead, its own take on the Oz lore,filled with nostalgiafor the beloved film.
Wickedis in theaters November 27, 2024.
