“Wicked,” the award-winning Broadway musical, officially received its long-awaited movie adaptation on Friday, Nov. 24, as it was released into theaters. As a longtime fan of musicals, I decided to break down a few of the most notable differences between the film and Broadway production. 

Receiving rave reviews, the movie has left audiences “rejoicified” with its beautiful cinematography, compelling score and brilliant performances by lead actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande who play the titular roles of Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda the Good. 

While offering a faithful adaptation, the film featured differences from its stage counterpart. 

Run Time 

Perhaps the biggest difference from stage to screen was Wicked’s movie adaptation being split into two parts.  

The split of the film came as a shock to many fans who believed it would be adapted to run as the same length as the musical, similar to previous film adaptations of Broadway musicals. 

Audiences were made aware of the change when Director Jon M. Chu wrote a Twitter statement on April 26, 2022. 

​​In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chu explained that he decided to split the film in two because he realized it was extremely difficult to leave it as one without cutting integral parts of the story.

Running at two hours and 40 minutes, “Wicked Part One” only covers Act One of the stage adaptation, yet is nearly as long as the entire Broadway musical. 

Arrivals at Shiz

When Elphaba arrives at Shiz University in the film, it is revealed that she is not enrolled in the school and is merely there to support her sister Nessarose’s (Marissa Bode) “fresh start.” 

Nessa, who is paraplegic and uses a wheelchair, strives for independence and Elphaba encourages her sister’s freedom. Despite Nessa repeatedly asking the faculty not to push her around, they ignore her, insisting she needs assistance and angering Elphaba. 

Elphaba’s strong emotions result in her using magic, which impresses Shiz’s headmistress, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), earning her a spot in the school. 

In the stage version, Elphaba and Nessa arrive at Shiz under the impression that Elphaba is already enrolled in the school, as their father has tasked her to live with and take care of Nessa. 

Madame Morrible reveals that the girls’ father never mentioned Elphaba, but decides to allow her in. However, she decides that Nessa will be living with her and not Elphaba.

Out of anger over the decision and fear of not following her father’s orders, her desire to fix what she deems unjust, causes her to use magic.

The charming prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) joins Elphaba and Nessa in alternate arrivals to the magical university. 

In the film, Fiyero travels by talking horse to the university, and en route bumps into Elphaba in the forest outside the school. 

The two immediately form a banter-like relationship before they part ways and the scene cuts to the following morning showing a perked-up Glinda, as she perfectly prepares to meet Fiyero. 

Trying to gain his affection, Glinda guides Fiyero on a school tour, stopping at the library where he recognizes Elphaba before starting the entertaining “Dancing Through Life.”

Unlike his entrance in the movie, on stage Fiyero arrives at Shiz’s courtyard asleep, with his driver having to abruptly wake him. 

Glinda eagerly watches him arrive before he approaches her to ask for directions. After a conversation with her and a fellow student, Boq, he jumps into the song and interacts with Elphaba until later in the story. 

“One Short Day” featuring the Wise Ones 

In both the film and musical, the song “One Short Day” begins as Elphaba and Glinda embark on their journey to the Emerald City. 

During the song, the girls enjoy a show known as “Wizomania,” however the movie adaptation uses this portion to offer a background of the Wizard’s arrival. 

This lengthens the song from three minutes and four seconds to nearly six and a half minutes, as it also introduces two new characters known as the “Wise Ones.”

The “Wise Ones,” who are revealed to be the former rulers of Oz and writers of the Grimmerie, are played by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway. 

The addition of Menzel and Chenoweth’s characters offers a fun backstory that was not featured in the musical, allowing fans to learn more about the world of Oz.

 New/Extended Scenes

Similar to the “One Short Day” scene, the lengthy runtime of the movie allowed for scenes to be added or extended, while also providing further backstory on characters.

A scene featuring an adolescent Elphaba and Nessa reading a pop-up book escalates when children begin taunting Elphaba for her green appearance. Nessa becomes visibly upset and in turn causes her sister to use magic, foreshadowing Nessa’s desires for a “fresh start” and Elphaba’s unexpected magical outbursts. 

Another scene that is expanded on is during the song “Something Bad,” in which Shiz professor Doctor Dillamond begins the song with other animal professors, while Elphaba listens from outside. Unlike the stage version where the song is solely between the two characters. 

The extended version of the scene provides further context of the animals going missing throughout Oz and their loss of speech. 

Completely new to the “Wicked” universe is the scene in which Elphaba and Glinda try to escape the Wizard’s palace through his hot air balloon. 

The girls participate in a lengthy battle with the palace guards, groveling sandbags at their heads as the balloon rises, eventually igniting in flames.

The film, like Act I of the musical, ends with the show-stopping “Defying Gravity” and audiences will have to wait until Nov. 21, 2025, to continue diving into the world of Oz.