The Differences Between the Movie and the Broadway Show

The following post contains minor SPOILERS for Wicked. I assume you’re reading this because you want to know how the film compares to the Broadway show. If you don’t, you’re about to have one short day in the Emerald City.

In some ways, the Wicked movie is one of the most faithful adaptations of a hit Broadway musical. It features all of the show’s best-known songs, including “Defying Gravity,” “The Wizard and I,” and “Popular.” All of the show’s characters appear in their familiar roles. Even some of the dialogue is repeated verbatim on the big screen.

In other ways, it is drastically different from the play. Has any movie musical based on a stage play ever adapted just half of the original show before? That’s the case here.

As the dad of two deeply obsessed Wicked girls (and the husband of a Wicked obsessed wife who got the kids hooked on the show in the first place) I’m extremely familiar with Broadway’s Wicked. In fact, I saw it for the third time for my daughter’s birthday less than a month ago. Also my family has listened to the Wicked soundtrack approximately 38,000 times, and my daughters perform their favorite numbers nightly in our living room. (They’re actually getting pretty good at “Loathing.” Please don’t tell them I said that, it will only encourage them.)

Long story short: I’ve got a pretty good handle on the differences between the two Wickeds. There are other minor changes. (“Defying Gravity” is extended with a lot of additional dialogue between the verses, for example.), but these are the big ones.

READ MORE: The Best Movie Musicals For People Who Hate Musicals