Note: Minor spoilers ahead for “Wicked: For Good.”
Even the most loyal fans of Broadway’s “Wicked” are in for surprises and unfamiliar tunes when they watch Elphaba and Glinda’s latest turn on the big screen.
“Wicked: For Good,” in theaters now, is the sequel to last year’s blockbuster starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. It adapts the second act of the stage show, which typically runs for about an hour.
The film, however, clocks in at two hours and 17 minutes — more than double the original runtime.
When director Jon M. Chu decided to split “Wicked” into two movies, he reimagined the second half to include new scenes for its lead actors. He also enlisted “Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz to write brand new songs for the movie — not that Schwartz needed convincing.
Schwartz told NBC affiliate KGET that he’s always felt Act II of “Wicked” could have used more storytelling and character development, but the time constraints of a live production meant that many key moments had to happen offstage.
When he signed on as composer, lyricist, and executive producer for Chu’s big-budget adaptation, Schwartz already had fresh material in his back pocket.
“We really had a wonderful opportunity to explore aspects of the story and the characters that we weren’t able to in the show,” he said.
“To be perfectly honest, if we didn’t have a length issue with the show, ‘Girl in the Bubble’ probably would have arisen as an idea for the show because it’s an important event in the story,” Schwartz added.
‘The Girl in the Bubble’ is an emotional solo for Glinda
One of the movie’s two new songs, “The Girl in the Bubble,” is performed by Grande as a disillusioned Glinda.
It’s the penultimate musical number, and by this point in the story, Glinda is finally coming to grips with her “beautiful life built on lies.” The song title refers to both the literal bubble that Glinda uses for transportation and the privilege that’s kept her popular and protected.
“In this film, Glinda reaches a point of crisis where she just cannot continue to live the way she has been. She has been insulated from what is really going on, cutting off her own morality and sense of decency in order to have the trappings of what she thinks she wants,” Schwartz told Rolling Stone India. “Finally, there is a moment where she must confront this, and it felt essential that we take the time to have a song in which to do that.”
Elphaba’s new solo, ‘No Place Like Home,’ explores her complicated relationship with Oz
Erivo performs “No Place Like Home” earlier in the movie, when a still-hopeful Elphaba comes across a group of animals fleeing Oz. They tell her they have no choice but to leave since their species has been demonized by the Wizard, and some have even been kidnapped by his military forces.
The lyrics illustrate Elphaba’s determination to fight for a better future in Oz, even as hate is taking hold.
“When you want to leave, discouraged and resigned / That’s what they want you to do,” she sings. “But think how you’ll grieve for all you’ll leave behind / Oz belongs to you, too.”
“Without giving spoilers about the ending, I will say that the character of Elphaba makes a great sacrifice, and it has to do with giving up something she dearly loves, which is her land Oz,” Schwartz told KGET of the new song. “It was clear that from a storytelling point of view, that was the emotion we wanted to express.”
Schwartz also consulted Erivo during the song’s writing process to make sure the lyrics resonated with her character.
“Before, it was sort of like a grand platitude to everyone, but it needed to really connect with her and her experience as well,” Erivo told USA Today. “So there were some lyric shifts and changes just to make it feel really human, because I think in the specificity, it then connects with everybody else as well.”
“No Place Like Home” is a deliberate callback to “The Wizard of Oz.” In the classic 1939 film, Dorothy (Judy Garland) returns home to Kansas by clicking the heels of her magic slippers and chanting, “There’s no place like home.”
Older songs have also been tweaked and lengthened for the movie
The “Wicked: For Good” soundtrack album, released concurrently with the film, primarily features familiar tunes from the Broadway show, including “As Long As You’re Mine,” “No Good Deed,” and the titular duet.
But even these have been updated with fresh compositions and, in some cases, extra lyrics. The opening number, “Every Day More Wicked,” features new material to reacquaint audiences with key characters. (It’s a little more disorienting to wait a full year to watch Act II, versus a 15-minute intermission.)
The Wizard’s signature song “Wonderful,” performed primarily in the film by Jeff Goldblum, has also been partially rewritten to include a part for Grande.
Notably, “The Wicked Witch of the East,” performed by Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Erivo as Elphaba, is featured on the “Wicked: For Good” soundtrack album at track four. Although a version of the song is performed in the stage production, it was never released as an official recording by the Broadway cast.
“I’m especially happy that the soundtrack album for ‘Wicked: For Good’ has so much new music on it,” Schwartz said in a press release. “So not only listeners coming to the score for the first time, but longtime fans of the original Broadway cast album, will have a great deal to discover.”
“Wicked: For Good” is in theaters now.
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