This is not a review of the musical, Wicked. I sort of did that for Wicked the stage play. This is more about how Wicked is great at illustrating the struggles of minority. It will draw on parts of the stage play and the film but because the two are very similar, I will not compare them (yet). This is because, until Part 2, we do not know how the film is going to handle the disability of Nessarose. As the actress who uses a wheelchair, I doubt she will be cured of her disability in the second part, so we need to wait until November 2025 for that comparison and whether it works.
For the purpose of this post, I am going to be focusing only on the first part of the musical where possible. This is to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn’t watched the stage play but also because more people would have had access to the cinematic edition compared to the stage play edition. There will be references to the second part but they will be kept at a minimum.
I will also not focus on Nessarose until I see the full picture. I am attentive as to how they handle Nessarose but we will see when we see.
Bit of background on Wicked
Wicked is very political from the get go. Even the book by Gregory Maguire has a strong political voice. I first read the book when I was a teenager, suffering from temporary aqua urticaria and I absolutely loved seeing Elphaba had the same condition but permanent. Aqua urticaria is an allergy to water. Only 1% of the population suffers from it, and it is frequently temporary (thankfully) but can return. Maguire used a real condition to add to the fantasy world and explain why the Wicked Witch dies from water at the end of the Wizard of Oz.
Just like Malorie Blackman turned the privileged race on its head by having Black People the superior race in Noughts and Crosses, Gregory Maguire does the same with women and men. It is women who inherit titles first, not the men of the family. There is also a lot of tones of racism and other political aspects, all to point out what is wrong with society.
I remember as a teenager not liking the novel version of Wicked much, but maybe now that I am an adult I will. For those who are thinking about getting the book though, be aware that this book shies from no taboo subjects, politically and emotionally. There are traumas that the characters go through that are not for the faint hearted, traumas that many minorities will be familiar with, including how Elphaba’s mother conceived Elphaba in the first place.
Wicked represents minorities
In may ways, Elphaba illustrates a shared past between minorities, whether that is because of sex, race or disability. At Shiz, she is socially isolated. There is no one there that she can relate to… other than her goat professor, Doctor Dillamand.
In Oz, the animals are treated much like Black and other ‘minor ethnicities’ in our world. They are used as the scape goat of why something has gone wrong in Oz (hence why Dillamand is a goat). Their whole culture and race is attacked by human Ozians and they begin to lose the power of speech. Much like when slavery became less about debt, crime and war prisoners, and more about the colour of someone’s skin. The moment we enslaved people because of skin colour was the moment we took the power of speech from Black people purely because they were black.
There are problems with using animals to represent race. Mainly because ancestors (and probably the remaining one brain-celled individuals) used to treat Black people and other ethnicities as animals. However, I do believe the film is sensitive with this and builds up to the mistreatment and abuse that other cultures have been subjected to. Quite literally removing their power to speak to demonstrate the harm it causes.
Elphaba also faces discrimination because of her skin colour. It can be misconstrued as racism, but I think it is more than that. Dillamand and the other animals, they have a culture they share. Others like them. They’re a whole community being oppressed for the same reason. The wizard needed an enemy to blame.
Relevance to today
The government in the UK are currently blaming disabled people for the cost of living and the state of the country. The government is blaming disabled people ‘refusing to work’ for unmaintained roadworks and underfunded NHS. But disabled people who can work are not refusing to work, it is hard to find a job as a disabled person.
I recently found a low-paying job as a disabled individual that is 40 miles away. It’s not ideal, it is going to be a strain on my stamina, and I am qualified for higher. But in the current market, it is hard to find something better. I am more dependent than some and with AI taking remote work, those that need help with personal care are finding it even harder to be employed.
The animals are the scape goat to OZ as disabled people are to governments now. And Scape goats are nothing new. Before disabled people, it was Black people. Before that, it was the fault of working class men, or rioting women, or pirates.
Wicked highlights that the people in power always select someone to make an enemy so that the focus is not on the leaders and is instead on the ‘wicked’ minority.
All minorities have this shared experience because we are not minorities due to our numbers. I am sure many minorities are equal to or surpass the privileged class in some cases. We are minorities because we are overlooked and oppressed.
The Double Coding of The Wicked Witch
Elphaba is sort of double-coded. She is discriminated against because her skin is green. Because of this, there are a lot of parallels with racism. But it is not just racism that she parallels with because her ethnicity isn’t Green person in the same way I am a White woman, or my friends are Black or Chinese. My Chinese friend embraces her culture, as she should. She celebrates her new year with us and others from her community. My former lecturer celebrates Hanukkah. Each culture has a history of traditions passed down from each other.
There are no Green People for Elphaba to share a culture. She is the only one. There is no culture for the privileged race to make her ashamed of. No traditions for them to try and block. It is too simple to say Elphaba is discriminated against because of her race. Those who experience racism need more than that. Cultures and traditions have been destroyed by the tyranny race, lives ruined.
Her race is Munchkin – or partially Munchkin, though the other characters are unaware of her mixed heritage and that is the culture Elphaba shares with others. However, just like many who have experienced racism, Elphaba is excluded because of her skin colour. This is where the double coding comes in. Because while there are parallels of racism in the movie, there’s also another parallel.
Green-skinned is a disability in Oz
Elphaba isn’t bullied for being a munchkin, she is bullied for being different to all other munchkins… for this her green skin (which we naturally see as racism) becomes a disability. Not one that affects her physically, but one that socially disables her. She is unable to form any connections to most others due to their pre-judgement of her.
In the film, this is further highlighted by Galinda when they first meet. Galinda apologies for Elphaba’s condition with a line along the lines of ‘I am so sorry you have had to live with this [green skin]’. Any disabled person who has had their disability on display through medical devices will be familiar with similar sayings. As a child I wore a lot of splints. People assumed I broke my arm/leg/hand. When I told them it was a disability, they would then say “Oh I am so sorry”. I once asked what for, the response was… “you know”.
No. I don’t.
All I know is an implied meaning. “I’m sorry you have to live that way”. Just as Galinda says to Elphaba.
The Gifted Disabled in Wicked
Elphaba’s acceptance at Shiz is only because of her gifted ability. Much like Autism is stereotypically seen as being gifted at Maths, Elphaba’s natural ability to use magic is seen as exceptional. Especially as magic is taught in Oz, not a gift people are born with. Because sorcery can be taught, it also stops Elphaba from becoming a super-crip for majority of the musical.
A super-crip is a disabled individual who possesses a gift other characters do not. It is so powerful that the disability is erased or ignored in favour of the gift. When Elphaba reveals her magic, Madame Morrible is the only person to… I’m going to say… tolerate her green skin rather than accept her. Morrible and the Wizard are the only characters who pretend not to notice her green skin, not because they have found respect for Elphaba, but because they see a weapon that they want to use and manipulate. Everyone else still ostracises Elphaba because of her skin except for the one open-minded character, Fiyero, and other minorities that can relate to Elphaba like Dillamond.
Galinda and Madame Morrible using sorcery, as well as the other characters treating Elphaba as other still, stops Elphaba becoming a super-crip. Galinda becomes the ‘Good Witch’ after all, and in the book, Nessarose also becomes a witch. The only difference is that Galinda (and Nessarose) have to learn every foundation of magic and struggle (like many do with maths) while Elphaba understands it easily but just needs to learn how to control it.
The Grimmerie
Elphaba’s ability to read the Grimmerie does unfortunately reverse this. Elphaba is able to read a book others cannot. The novel goes into detail as to why she should be able to read this. Unlike the movie, the Wizard is also able to read the Grimmerie simply because it comes from our realm. In the book plot, Elphaba must keep the book away from the wizard. In both forms of the musical, the wizard is unable to read it. I dunno, maybe its latin.
The Grimmerie is why Madame Morrible and the Wizard wanted her in the first place. Her natural talents gave them hope that she, somehow, would be able to understand the text where they failed with years of studying. I think its fine giving her a magical ability that she is born with but must learn to develop and control. Some people have an innate skill, but everyone has to develop these skills. The idea that she can pick up a book, look at a language we assume she has never seen before, and read from it however is a push.
The only way this would work is if the phonetic system and writing was similar to that of Earth. If that’s the case though, then others would be able to read it. Unless she read it out loud without actually understanding what she was reading.
The Prophecy
Elphaba is prophesied to be able to read the Grimmerie during Oz’s darkest hour. The stage musical and the book do not use prophesies. She reads it and people marvel at her talent… much like how someone with a neurodivergence is marvelled at for solving an equation or inventing something.
However, now that she is a prophecy child, she becomes a super-crip.
By bringing in the prophecy and mentioning it’s during the darkest hour, it really takes away from Elphaba’s other but not in a good way and it really doesn’t add anything. I think they added it so Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (the original broadway actors of the protagonists) could cameo in the movie. The prophecy seems like a small thing but the mention of it now questions how much of Elphaba’s actions are her own… and as she is the only one that should be able to read the Grimmerie, we can assume not much.
Elphaba’s free will now evaporates. Her principles to stick up for the down-trodden becomes fate. Her struggles a means to push her into the prophecy. Now, she is not: the green-skinned munchkin, born that way and shunned. She is a prophesied entity that needs to save the world. There really was no need to make her fate sealed with a prophecy.
As a disabled individual myself, I pride myself on standing up for minorities, whether that is someone who also has a disability, race, or someone’s sexual/gender identity. No one had to say: The gods at be prophecies that this disabled lass will stand up for others. It’s simply because I can relate due to experiencing the trauma of society. I can see right from wrong. So could Elphaba without the prophecy for the same reasons.
The Importance of Galinda
Galinda gets a lot of stick from audiences, and for a good reason. She is a portrayal of the superficial Barbie. The perfect body with all the privileges possible. After all, in Oz, Women are the ones that inherit positions before men. A reversal of the patriarchal society. So she reeks of privilege because she quite literally has it all.
She’s important to the narrative because she highlights the ridiculousness of society and privilege. This is demonstrated when she first encounters Elphaba in the movie. As well as apologising to Elphaba for the way Elphaba looks, she goes one step further. She promises to cure Elphaba when she learns sorcery.
Elphaba responds in the same way every disabled person wants to do. She calls Galinda out:
“Offering to help someone that you don’t know with skills that you don’t have. I’m sure everyone is duly impressed.”
Aware that she is seen as a fraud, Galinda is offended and marches of. Scenes I have seen so many times in my life from the people believing that they did nothing wrong.
Not everyone in the world is ableist
I think this is important to know not everyone is ableist. Some are just ignorant but they can grow and learn if they want to. Galinda wanted to. Just, when you are swimming in a sea of prejudice, it is hard to see the friendly fish amongst the deadly. This is probably why there is only one Fiyero. And Fiyero masks well.
Everyone believes Fiyero is just as self-absorbed and righteous as the rest of the privileged group. He stays away from Elphaba in groups and spends time with the popular crowd. Alone, another side of him is seen. He sees Elphaba as an equal.
Galinda needs to be shown that Elphaba is her equal. This turn-point is at the party. Galinda has always cared what others think of her, so when she sees Elphaba dancing by herself after being humiliated, she realises for the first time Elphaba does too. The difference – Elphaba cannot blend in and change how others see her because her green-skin prevents it.
Galinda isnit ableist for ableist sake. Her privilege made her close-minded. As she gets to know Elphaba, she sees the injustice and realises she has all the skills to survive a cold society and realises others do not. Her name change to Glinda first starts off as superficial, but as she realises that the Wizard is making her only real friend the scapegoat, Galinda’s reactions in that moment is of true understanding. At this point, she goes from being superficial to seeing society for what it is and pleads with Elphaba to stay, not for ambition but for her safety. Aware too well what is going to happen because she was one of those who used to treat the animals as the enemy.
Wicked Enemy to Good friends
Galinda and Elphaba hate each other the moment they meet. Galinda has everything Elphaba should have. Not only is she admired and greeted by others, Galinda can quite literally fly through life without meeting unnecessary hard obstacles. On the other scale, Elphaba reminds Galinda that not everything is secure. She is there to show that Galinda’s success is not hard-earned and highlights privilege. No one likes looking into the darker parts of themselves, and that is what Elphaba forces Galinda to do.
For majority of Part 1, Galinda and Elphaba fight tooth and nail with each other, wishing the other no longer existed. It is only when Galinda sees that Elphaba cares just as much as Galinda does about what other people think, they become friends. This is because Galinda realises that she is able to display a persona that people want from her, but the same skill is not available for Elphaba because the persona people want from Elphaba is ‘not green’. However, it took a kind act from Elphaba to get Galinda to see this within herself.
Elphaba helped Galinda to get into Madame Morrible’s class (different from the book) after she thought Galinda gave her a gift as a peace offering. In reality, the gift was a form of bullying masked as a present because Galinda did not like the ugly hat. Seeing the ugly hat adding to Elphaba’s torture while holding the wand from Madame Morrible made Galinda look inside her and see how she treated Elphaba.
Why Galinda is important
Galinda and Elphaba are on the same journey in Wicked, though they don’t appear to be at the start. They both want true acceptance. But Galinda’s privilege makes it hard for her to see what true acceptance is until she befriends Elphaba. Together, they both learn what love actually looks like.
At the turn point of the film (end of part 1) the two go in different directions but they are not the same as they are before. Galinda is clearly in pain when she is telling Elphaba’s story at the start. In the second part of the musical, Galinda is working on the inside. She slips, betrays Elphaba who accidently hurt her, but her intent was not to hurt Elphaba to the extent it did. Her initial intent when staying behind is to give Elphaba the chance to be who she needs to be while also keeping an eye on the inside.
At least thats my take on it. Its mostly implied in the second part of the musical.
The search for an acceptable cure
Galinda mentioned on first meeting that she would try cure Elphaba. Realising when they are friends, that this is not actually possible, she attempts another approach. Give Elphaba a makeover that would make her popular so her green skin wouldn’t matter.
Let’s translate that to ‘if we make you popular enough, people will not see the wheelchair you’re in’. I think Stephen Hawking can confirm being famous doesn’t stop people associating him with his wheelchair and robot voice.
A friend of mine told me that their friend wouldn’t let their child listen to the song because it teaches that popularity is important. Without context, I can understand their point. But everything boils down to concept. In this point in time, everyone can agree that Galinda is ignorant and unable to see things from others perspectives. But the aim of the movie… the whole plot of Wicked is that what is good is wicked, and what is wicked is good.
Galinda is the Good Witch of Oz… meaning she is the wicked witch. Popular is sung by Galinda, meaning that popularity is actually giving a bad message… and it is supposed to because Galinda the Good is not good, she is… in this point in time, wicked.
Learning the difference between self-love, acceptance and tolerance.
Elphaba needs self-love, not popularity. But Elphaba is only a munchkin much like we are human. She is tempted by popularity because she has the false notion that popularity is acceptance rather than tolerance. She has not seen any acceptance from anyone but her professor and Fiyero. I’d imagine, as Nessarose is 3 years younger, Elphaba is 21 when she starts university. In 21 years, she has seen no acceptance, only tolerance so when real acceptance comes, she doesn’t notice it and craves for the tolerance given to the popular, mistaking that for acceptance.
At the beginning of the movie/play, Elphaba wants to not be green. She literally sings about the wizard de-greenifying her when singing the Wizard and I. Yet, by the midpoint of the story (end of part 1) she realises that she doesn’t need to be an acceptable colour. There’s nothing wrong with her skin. It is the system. It is the Wizard. The person of power.
These lines from defying gravity sum Elphaba’s growth and the journey of many disabled individuals, including myself.
“♪ I’m through accepting limits. ‘Cause someone says they’re so. Some things I cannot change. But till I try, I’ll never know ♪”
It is this point where Elphaba decides against popularity by going against the wizard and chooses her principles. If she decided to stay with the wizard, she would have decided to be tolerated due to her power and position. Just as Galinda is tolerated and given false love at the start for the same reasons.
How Defying Gravity resinates with me
As a disabled woman, I was told so many times that I would not amount to much by teachers and peers. Then one day, with the support of family and friends, something clicked in my brain that what society wants me to believe doesn’t have to be true. I can push my own limits, see where I want to be in life.
This happens with Elphaba too. She has Doctor Dillamond, Fiyero and Galinda as her first true friends. Three different people. One she can relate with due to similar societal treatment. One who saw her as an equal the moment they met. And the other who opened her mind. This illustrates to her that it wasn’t the green skin that was holding her back, it was others and herself.
“Some things I cannot change” means both her skin, and the minds of others. Galinda changed her mind by opening her eyes after she saw Elphaba’s mistreatment, but not everyone had their eyes open.
However, Elphaba realises that she is in control of her own limits. She decides whether she can fight for her own voice. Illustrated by Galinda’s “can I say you’re having delusions of grandeur” because Galinda knows that defeating society is not a possible task. I think Elphaba realises this too, but also knows that if she does nothing, then nothing will change. But Elphaba understands staying still only empowers Wizard which uses illusions to make others believe they have power. When these illusions fail, the Wizard looks for an scapegoat, this time pinning the blame on Elphaba.
Just like, in our own history, we moved the blame from one minority to another. Pirates. Rioting Working Class. Women. Immigrants and Ethnicity. Disabled people. Throughout time, there will always be a class of people who are to be blamed for the failings of government. It is up to us to understand when this happens and open our own eyes so that everyone has a chance to fly.
Wicked is an important production
Whether book, movie or stage, Wicked covers so many important topics. It is an important production. I am glad the movie came out in 2024, because I think if it came out even a decade earlier, it wouldn’t be the same. Many of the important aspects it covers would be overlooked in a 2010s cinematic production, I think.
One of the things I learned in my Masters is that theatre is often the first open to change. The production has been going on for 20 years. I never saw it in the noughties, but I know some changes were made, including Elphaba’s hair colour as ginger is often connotated with bad. Personally, I would have kept her ginger hair for that reason. After all, it’s a story that shows badness is determined by society, not by action, and not all things classed as bad is really bad.
I also wish the movie and stage play included was Elphaba’s aqua urticaria. It explained more as to why the water destroyed her at the Wizard of Oz but strengthen the disability aspect too as she would not be able to go anywhere near water, even when it rained. However, both musical adaptions do give a small nod to those who have read the book. When it rains, Elphaba is sheltered from the water by Madame Morrible.
However, I think this was adapted into a film at the right time. I still love the stage play as well and I want to give the book another go now that I am an adult. I cannot wait until Part 2 in November 2025