For Good’s new songs fix a long-running major issue of the musical
Wicked has long suffered with its pacing, especially in the second act of the musical. Ending the first half of both the musical and the first movie of Jon M Chu’s two-part adaptation on the electrifying spectacle ‘Defying Gravity’ creates a major issue: once you reach such a dramatic climax, there’s nowhere left to go tonally, but down.
The first act (and first movie) is packed with musical theatre anthems, humorous quips, plenty of moments for Glinda to ‘toss toss’ her long blonde hair and an infectious energy that leaves everyone dancing on an emerald-washed high. By contrast, the snappy, hour-long second part on stage skips as much of the plot as it shares, delving into the darker themes of the musical such as the undercurrent of political unrest. But Chu works to address this stark contrast in Wicked: For Good.
By staying faithful to the source material, Wicked: For Good sets a different tone to the first movie: one of reflection, struggle, loss and melancholy. Yet Chu, who has been released from the time constraints and impracticality of showcasing a flying witch on stage, has endeavoured to flesh out some of the rushed motivations and character arcs that are essential to explain some of the changes of heart that occur in the second half of the musical. And this is mainly seen in two new songs.
Composer Stephen Schwartz returned two decades later to write songs specifically for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba to bridge gaps within the plot and the links to The Wizard of Oz. Glinda’s new ballad ‘The Girl in the Bubble’ arrives at a pivotal moment, as the angry mob of witch hunters gather outside her tower, to offer audiences an insight into her redemption arc as the ‘good’ witch of Oz.
The whimsical and poetic lyrics serve as a poignant internal monologue where Glinda realises by passively choosing to remain popular in service of the Wizard and his accomplice Madame Morrible, she’s in a way become complicit with their malicious schemes against Elphaba. Reminiscent of modern musicals such as Dear Evan Hansen, it’s a magical listen that injects more vulnerability to her character than seen on-stage.
In flashbacks, it’s shown that from an early age Glinda is positioned almost as a public-facing influencer, practicing to smile in the mirror with hollow tricks to create an illusion of magic, when she isn’t able to produce anything other than boosting the spirit of others. After Nessarose’s death, Glinda realises the extent of the bubble she’s been living in as she not only hoped Elphaba would reconcile with the Wizard, but that Fiyero loved her – not Elphaba.
This welcomed emotional beat towards the end of the movie gives Glinda the opportunity to become a more three-dimensional character to reinforce the strong dual presence that Erivo and Grande naturally set up in the first movie. Without it, Elphaba tends to take the lead in the musical as the central focus of the plot with monumental songs such as ‘No Good Deed’ and ‘As Long as You’re Mine’ defining the second act.
Meanwhile, Elphaba’s new rousing tune ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ strengthens the musical’s ties to The Wizard of Oz, harking back to Dorothy’s ruby-slipper-tapping motto. Elphaba discovers a herd of animals fleeing in a tunnel under the Yellow Brick Road, including her childhood nanny Dulcibear, and they try to persuade her to leave Oz too.
Outcast and alone, Elphaba is resigned to stay in a place “that doesn’t love her” as she contemplates the inner conflict of being displaced and pushed out of the only place that’s ever been home. Elphaba urges the animals to stay and fight alongside her against the Wizard, but no one will stand with her. This is a crucial addition as it explains why Elphaba is alone in this fight for justice in Oz, which she does on behalf of the persecuted minority of animals.
It also feels like an incredibly relevant reflection with lyrics that muse on being forced out of your native home and relinquishing that sense of belonging and community for safety and protection. It isn’t just Dorothy who is sad she isn’t in Kansas anymore; everyone is homesick for the Oz they once knew.
Both of the songs, as well as additional verses and duets including Glinda’s light-hearted energy with the Wizard in ‘Wonderful’, continue to position the dual heroines as the main emotional backbone of this story. Romantic love is usually positioned as women’s destiny in stories, but it takes a back seat to this powerful platonic love between unconventional, almost star-crossed lovers-style friends.
Wicked: For Good has broken the mould of the musical to hone in on what everyone loved about the first movie (and the overly-emotional press tour): the bond between these two women. Despite the strong love triangle in the movie, and that electric duet between Jonathan Bailey and Erivo, friendship continues to be championed as central to both Glinda and Elphaba’s fate and future actions.
After ‘The Girl in the Bubble’, Glinda pops out of this air-headed existence and rather than floating above the chaos, she descends into it to take charge and make hard decisions that make her unpopular for the greater good of Oz. While Elphaba accepts the solitude and finality of her fate, that she cannot ever go home, she will always be persecuted and eventually Dorothy will try to melt her out of existence.
Sure, Wicked: For Good isn’t a perfect movie. It still has its own pacing issues and it suffers from not being as light-hearted and dynamic as Wicked, but it benefits from the attempt to address the shortcomings of the musical within the new songs. It elongates the ever-growing emotion and lands that deep heartbreak of Elphaba and Glinda’s final reunion in ‘For Good’.
Wicked: For Good shines as it avoids descending into binaries with Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West to craft two nuanced, flawed heroines, and with the two new songs, the musical has been changed for the better too.
For more on Wicked: For Good, check out:
• Wicked: For Good review
• Who plays Dorothy in Wicked: For Good?
• When will Wicked: For Good be available to stream?
• How long is Wicked: For Good?
• The best Wicked: For Good gifts and merchandise
• Why Wicked: For Good‘s ruby slippers aren’t ruby slippers at all
Wicked: For Good is out now in cinemas.
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Jess is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for over-analysing everyone’s favourite movies and TV shows. As an English graduate from the University of York with an MA in Creative Writing, Jess worked as a magazine editor before turning freelance. Since then, Jess has written for outlets such as GQ, The Guardian, Inverse, Huff Post, Stylist, and Insider. She specialises in the representation of mental health, grief, and women in film. She’s also a major Marvel nerd and is writing a YA fantasy novel. LinkedIn
