Nov. 22 may very well be dubbed Wicked Movie Day, since that’s when the long-awaited movie musical finally arrived in theaters after what felt like a lifetime of promotions. But the Wicked movie comes with a rather important caveat: It’s only Part 1 of the wonderful musical originally written by Winne Holzman and Stephen Schwartz, and based on the Wicked book by Gregory Maguire. Warning: Spoilers for Wicked follow.
This year’s Wicked movie covers the first act, which ends with the infamous “Defying Gravity” riff that I’m certain Cynthia Erivo will deliver perfectly. Eager audience members unfamiliar with the original production may then be left wondering: How does the Wicked musical end? Better than the end of the first act, in my opinion.Â
While Act 1 is chock-full of notable songs, from Elphaba and Galinda’s “What is this Feeling” to Fiyero’s “Dancing Through Life,” Act 2 (which will apparently feature two new songs for the movie adaptation) concludes with one of my personal favorites, “For Good,” preceding the finale song.Â
“For Good” is so critical because it sums up the relationship between Galinda (at that point, Glinda) and Elphaba. (There’s also a beautiful story behind the writing of that song, which you can hear in Wicked’s Tiny Desk Concert.) After everything that goes down at dear old Shiz in Act 1, Act 2 covers a post-school world and the events of the original Wizard of Oz from a new perspective. As one might expect, Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship has gone through many changes. Nevertheless, the two women acknowledge that their friendship has changed them “for good.” Leaning into the dual meaning of the phrase, the audience is faced one final time with what Wicked does to the truth of good and evil.Â
I consider that the real closing of the play, but there are a couple more loose ends to wrap up. Firstly, Glinda returns to the Emerald City and learns that the Wizard is actually Elphaba’s biological father — and that it was his magic elixir that turned her green. Next, we learn that the Wicked Witch’s melting in the original Wizard of Oz story was a trick, and Fiyero — who becomes the Scarecrow after Elphaba puts a spell on him to save his life — knocks on a trap door from which emerges Elphaba — alive.Â
Elphaba and Fiyero leave Oz together, while Glinda is left to try and truly earn her title as “Glinda the Good.”Â
If you find yourself unable to wait until 2025 for Wicked: Part 2 to come out in theaters, give the original Broadway cast recording a chance for a sense of the remaining story — I can promise you it will change you, for good.