Get ready to explore the magical world of Oz like never before! Join us as we delve into how "Wicked" both honors and reinvents the classic tale of "The Wizard of Oz." From costume design that pays homage to the original, to a fresh focus on untold stories and themes, we'll uncover what stays true and what takes a new path. Discover how Elphaba and Glinda's journey offers both nostalgia and novelty in this captivating narrative.
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00:00How do you find it weighing visually?
00:03You have to make up your own version of it.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the ways Wicked follows
00:10the yellow brick road set by The Wizard of Oz, and how it veers off the beaten track.
00:15If you're yet to see Part 1, or you haven't seen the show, be gone before someone drops
00:19some spoilers on you.
00:21We're kidding of course, but this is your spoiler warning for both Part 1 and Part 2
00:26of Wicked.
00:27Creating costumes for a movie as big as Wicked
00:38meant honoring The Wizard of Oz, nodding to Broadway, and still surprising fans.
00:43And Paul Tazwell's team delivered.
00:55The Wicked Witch of the West is that witch in pop culture, so keeping her iconic silhouette
01:00just made sense, though they gave her style some modern updates.
01:13As for Glinda, while Broadway's bubble dress is blue, Billy Burke's bubble entrance is
01:17an unforgettable image that served as inspiration here.
01:29It's also why the movie's Glinda practically lives in pink.
01:33You'll also spot the return of the original silver slippers, although there's a nod to
01:37the ruby pair too.
01:38Also, Nessa Rose's shoes feature tornado-shaped heels, foreshadowing her fate.
01:46The focus of the story
01:58While The Wizard of Oz focuses on Dorothy's adventures in Oz, she's essentially just a
02:02footnote in Wicked.
02:04In fact, she only appears momentarily.
02:06Gregory Maguire, who wrote the source novel, was inspired by events in the 90s and the
02:10power the media has to shape public opinion.
02:13He considered how the most famous fictional Wicked character is only known by that label
02:18without further exploring her story.
02:24He took the fantastical world of Oz and grounded it in reality, dealing with issues like friendships,
02:30power struggles, love, and how society rejects those seen as different.
02:44The musical explores identity, injustice, and how perceptions are formed, leading to
02:48Elphaba's fate and Glinda's rise as the Good Witch.
02:57Perhaps one of the most frustratingly catchy numbers in The Wizard of Oz is Follow the
03:01Yellow Brick Road.
03:09Yet it's a key part of Dorothy's journey, helping her meet new friends and leading her
03:13to the Wizard.
03:14On Broadway, the Yellow Brick Road doesn't play as big of a role, though the Wizard explains
03:18to Elphaba why he built it, and that melody even appears in Defying Gravity.
03:31In the film, the Wizard unveils his grand plan for an Oz where all paths lead to him
03:36— we're surprised he even needed a hot air balloon with such an inflated ego.
03:40All that's missing is the perfect color, and that's where Elphaba and Glinda leave their
03:44first mark on Oz.
04:01In L. Frank Baum's book, anyone entering the Emerald City has to wear emerald-tinted glasses.
04:13They're told it's because the city's brightness and glory would be too much for their eyes,
04:21but really it's just to uphold the Wizard's illusion.
04:24The 1939 film takes a different approach, convincing everyone that the Emerald City
04:28is a jolly old town, which Dorothy and her friends accept, no questions asked.
04:41Elphaba and Glinda are initially dazzled by the city's grandeur, too, but after meeting
04:46the Wizard, Elphaba starts to spot the cracks in the facade.
04:49She takes off her metaphorical glasses and pulls back the curtain, revealing a regime
04:53built on the very prejudices she's been fighting.
05:073. Stays True — Origin Stories for Characters
05:12If you have no idea what's coming up in Part 2, you may want to skip ahead.
05:16All clear?
05:17Okay, let's talk about how Wicked gives Dorothy's companions their origin stories,
05:21starting with the Scarecrow.
05:22In Dancing Through Life, Fiyero sings,
05:28an ode to living the unexamined life.
05:31See where we're going with this?
05:32Now for Bok.
05:33His storyline shows how he loses his heart to Glinda,
05:40but when she doesn't feel the same, he settles for Nessarose.
05:43By Act 2, he literally becomes heartless.
05:54Sound familiar?
05:55Finally, there's the trembling, caged lion cub Elphaba and Fiyero rescue.
05:59Elphaba gets blamed for his nervous disposition rather than those who caged him,
06:03which brings us to our next point.
06:183. Totally Different — Justice for Animals
06:22In The Wizard of Oz, we see the horse of a different color and the flying monkeys,
06:26both serving human masters.
06:28The cowardly lion is the only speaking animal, and he has hope for his future in Oz.
06:43In Wicked, animals represent marginalized and oppressed groups,
06:46showing the prejudice and injustice of being treated as other.
06:50Once, animals and humans lived in peace, but after a severe drought,
06:54people needed someone to blame.
06:56There was a time before you were born when life in Oz was different.
07:02So, when and why did this change?
07:07From what I've read, the Great Drought.
07:08The Wizard took advantage of this,
07:10promising a better future if people followed his lead.
07:13Soon, animals were cast out, losing the qualities that once made them equals.
07:18This serves as a chilling reflection of social injustices in history and even today.
07:23Listen to me, you're not being told the whole story!
07:272. Stays True — The Wizard is a Fraud
07:31Toward the end of The Wizard of Oz,
07:33Toto pulls back the curtain on the wizard to reveal a man
07:36with little more than a knack for showmanship.
07:38Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
07:42The Great and Powerful has spoken!
07:46Who are you?
07:48I am the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.
07:52Dorothy calls him a bad man,
07:54but he's quick to explain that he's not bad,
07:56he's just not the leader everyone expects him to be.
07:59In both versions, he also explains how he ended up in this position of power.
08:03I will be wonderful, and they said wonderful.
08:11Believe me, it's hard to resist!
08:15In Wicked, Elphaba catches on to the wizard's scam pretty quickly.
08:19Folks have come to expect that sort of thing,
08:21and you gotta give the people what they want.
08:25The most magical thing he does in the film is pull a coin from behind her ear,
08:29and she spots a poster from his circus days.
08:32This wizard also tries to convince Elphaba he's not so bad,
08:35and it almost works. Almost.
08:38You have no real power!
08:40Exactly. That's why I need you.
08:432. Totally Different — The Ending
08:46Dorothy goes on this epic adventure in Oz,
08:49culminating with her melting the Wicked Witch and clicking her heels together,
08:52only to find out it was all a dream.
08:55But it wasn't a dream. It was a place. And you, and you, and you, and you were there.
09:01Oh, that's right.
09:04But you couldn't have been, could you?
09:06Wicked may not be a literal prequel to The Wizard of Oz,
09:08but if it was, Dorothy sure has a powerful subconscious
09:12to dream up a backstory for everyone she meets.
09:14Wicked ends with Elphaba and Glinda parting ways
09:17for what seems like the very last time,
09:19leading up to that famous melting scene.
09:21Melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world!
09:26Who would have thought a good little girl like you
09:29could destroy my beautiful wickedness?
09:31But without giving too much away,
09:33unlike The Wicked Witch, Elphaba's story doesn't end there.
09:37Who can say if Wicked's ending was changed for the better?
09:40But one thing's for sure, it stayed with us for good.
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10:10Number 1. Stays true. The power of friendship.
10:14The Wizard of Oz is all about self-discovery, inner strength,
10:17and realizing that home isn't just a place, but a feeling of love and belonging.
10:22Friendship plays a huge role,
10:24teaching the value of trust and support on life's big journey.
10:27We know each other now, don't we?
10:29That's right, we do. To Oz, to Oz.
10:33We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
10:37In Wicked, Elphaba and Glinda's bond shapes their lives and the choices they make, too.
10:42Despite their differences, they form an unlikely friendship that helps them grow.
10:46After you, madame. Let's see.
10:51Pink goes good with green.
10:53Goes well with green.
10:55So does.
10:56Their relationship faces challenges, misunderstandings, jealousy, and conflicting beliefs,
11:01but proves that true friendship can survive it all,
11:04as they deal with power, identity, and societal pressure.
11:07Their friendship remains a constant source of strength.
11:10It provides emotional support in a world that often tries to pull them apart.
11:14You can do anything.
11:17I know.
11:18I think that we are all deserving of friendship and kindness and love, no matter who we are.
11:25And this film celebrates that.
11:28Number 1. Totally different. Are people born wicked?
11:32In The Wizard of Oz, we're told that the very objective scale of attractiveness
11:37is enough to determine whether someone is good or bad.
11:40I'm Glinda, the Witch of the North.
11:42You are?
11:44I beg your pardon, but I've never heard of a beautiful witch before.
11:49Only bad witches are ugly.
11:51Yep, that's all it takes.
11:52But Wicked flips that tired trope on its head in its opening number, asking,
11:57Are people born wicked?
12:02Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?
12:06Take Elphaba. She's got a huge heart, but most people can't see beyond her skin color,
12:11making her feel like a perpetual outsider.
12:14Then there's Galinda, or Glinda,
12:16who might seem like your textbook mean queen bee, but actually shows a lot of goodness, too.
12:21She doesn't give a twink when anyone thinks.
12:23Something is not the same.
12:26Of course she does. She just pretends not to.
12:29Meanwhile, the wizard beloved by Oz is nothing but a self-serving charlatan
12:34hiding behind smoke and mirrors.
12:35So how did Elphaba end up as the Wicked One?
12:38The best way to bring folks together is to get a real good head of me.
12:44Did we miss any similarities or differences that should have hit us
12:47like a house falling from the sky?
12:49Let us know in the comments.
12:51Everybody is going to remember that if you just follow the road,
12:55it's going to lead you right to hell.
12:57You're right. To me.
13:01Do you agree with our picks?
13:02Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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13:27you