Podcast Summary: All the changes in WICKED: For Good

Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: MickeyJoTheatre (Mickey Jo)
Episode: All the changes in WICKED: For Good | The differences between the stage musical and film adaptation
Date: December 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and in-depth episode, Mickey Jo breaks down the substantial changes between the stage production of the beloved musical Wicked and its film adaptation, Wicked: For Good (the second of two movies). Drawing on his vast knowledge as a theatre critic and superfan of the show, he details both narrative and musical differences, touching on story structure, song adaptations, character arcs, and even specific lines—with his usual humor and fan-focused tone. Whether you’re a stage loyalist or excited for the film, this episode is an invaluable resource on how Wicked has been reimagined for the big screen.

Main Discussion Points and Detailed Insights

1. Framework of the Analysis

• Mickey Jo outlines that he’ll address the differences between Wicked on stage and on screen (Wicked: For Good) across the following broad areas:
  • Storytelling/Plot (05:01)
  • Musical Numbers (25:58)
  • Character Arcs and Dialogue (43:15)

2. Storytelling & Structural Changes

(Starting at 05:01)

A. Expanded World-building and Story Beats

• The film leverages its runtime to broaden the perspective beyond the stage’s limits.

• Opening of Act 2: Instead of focusing solely on the Emerald City’s AAN press event, the film shows citizens of Oz throughout the realm reacting to “Every Day More Wicked,” including scenes from Munchkinland and the notably expanded construction of the Yellow Brick Road — which, in a dark twist, is revealed to be built using animal slave labor.

  “We see flashes of fear from across the land, particularly in Munchkin Land, Elphaba’s former home. That one’s got to hurt.” (05:19)

• Elphaba’s Heroic Action: Elphaba arrives superhero-style, freeing animals and paint-splashing guards before escaping on her broom, pursued by flying monkeys. The “Marvel superhero” energy is specifically called out by Mickey Jo for her dramatic poses and exits.

B. Major Scene Re-Stagings

• Thank Goodness Engagement Scene: In the musical, this event is orchestrated by Madame Morrible in Emerald City. The movie shifts it to Munchkinland to coincide with the Yellow Brick Road unveiling, geographically and thematically connecting it to Oz’s politics.
• Expanded Glinda/Bubble Lore: The iconic “bubble” makes a return as part of Glinda’s arc; Madame Morrible gifts her a bubble wand and explains its propaganda use, completing Glinda’s persona as a magical figure, a scene not present in the stage show.

  “This is just the beginning of a slightly more detailed version of Glinda’s arc in this film, which we’re going to come back to...” (07:39)

C. Secondary Character Highlights

• Nessa and Boq’s relationship is more explicitly detailed:
  • The film creates an entire sequence showing Nessa’s political tyranny, including her pressured signing of the “Animal Anti-Motility Law” and a heart-wrenching train station departure with Boq.
• The moment when Elphaba empowers Nessa is changed:
  • Instead of enchanting her shoes so Nessa can walk, in the film, Elphaba causes Nessa to levitate and experience joy—reflecting consultations with Marisa Bodie (stage Nessa actress) for improved disability representation.

  “In the film, however, she simply floats up into the sky. She’s real happy about it. And then Boq walks in, says something unfortunate and it causes her to deflate...” (09:27)

• The iconic "There's no place like home" is shifted, as it has already been sung at length in a new number (see below).

D. Reworked Character Meetings and Timeline Pacing

• The musical’s engagement ball becomes an actual wedding in the film—heightening drama and leading to earlier Glinda-Elphaba reconciliation.
• Elphaba’s zingers (“we can’t all come and go by bubble”) appear earlier and in more playful, less confrontational contexts.

E. Wizard and Animal Liberation

• The film features Elphaba freeing an entire room of caged animals (not just the monkeys), deepening the Wizard’s villainy with explicit imagery and Dr. Dillamond’s tragic fate.
• The lack of monkeys for the Wizard is now given as the explicit reason it will be harder to catch Elphaba, tightening the plot’s logic.

F. “As Long As You’re Mine” and the Tornado

• The stage musical has a flying house interrupt Elphaba and Fiyero’s duet, while the film ensures their intimacy is established before a dramatic new tornado-creation scene by Madame Morrible splits the number.

G. Climax and Final Confrontations

• The post-Dorothy scenes are subtly but poignantly adjusted, with less comic relief and more direct emotional exchanges between Glinda and Elphaba.
• The ending, including the Wizard’s paternal revelation and Madame Morrible’s arrest, now plays out in two separate scenes rather than one, with notable lines reassigned for clarity.
• A new speech by Glinda calls for “all Ozians” to end animal persecution, providing a more hopeful, activist note than the musical’s ambiguous crowd scene.

3. Songs: Musical Number Adaptations

(Starting at 25:58)

A. Additional Underscoring and Thematic Reprises

• The film is filled with newly orchestrated underscoring—echoing earlier musical themes, often to help audiences recall Act 1, as the films are a year apart.
• “Every Day More Wicked” is vocally rearranged (‘sits in a lower place’), and incorporates medleys of Act I reprises (08:49).

  “There is even a reprise of the melody of Glinda’s song ‘Popular’ as she sings ‘La la la’… The notion that that goes on to become an entire military chant is quite fun.” (27:13)

B. Song Deletions and Reworkings

• Madame Morrible loses her solo in “Thank Goodness,” likely to avoid confusing the audience after so much recapping.
• New Songs Added:
  • “No Place Like Home” (Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba): a power ballad for Elphaba encouraging animals to stay in Oz, deepening her parallel with Dorothy and the film’s themes of displacement and belonging.
  • “Girl in the Box Bubble” (Ariana Grande as Glinda): a reflective solo, giving Glinda character depth at the story’s climax.
• “The Wicked Witch of the East” is lyrically rewritten to remove ableist undertones and highlight Nessa’s emotional longing instead of disability resentment.

C. Adjustments to Previous Numbers

• “Wonderful” gets a retooled opening (new melody/lyrics) for the Wizard, expanding his Kansas backstory, with Glinda present throughout—she even gets her own sung interjections.
• Lyric tweaks for consistency: swapping the order of good/bad pairings for better parallelism (“is one an invader or noble crusader?”).

D. Minor Lyric & Structural Tweaks

• In “No Good Deed”, Elphaba’s pronunciation and phrasing is clarified:

  “In the film, it makes it a little bit more clear that it’s two distinct ideas.” (38:23)

• The ensemble “Witch Hunters” number includes different wordings for their “punished, but good/for good” refrain—Mickey Jo notes Spotify’s lyric confusion.

E. Cut Numbers:

• The “Sentimental Man” reprise (Wizard’s reflection after discovering he’s Elphaba’s father) is cut from the film.

4. Major Character & Arc Developments

(Starting at 43:15)

A. Elphaba

• Framed more as an action heroine (“Marvel superhero”), with dramatic magical heroics and earlier, more direct confrontations.

B. Glinda

• Expanded with a childhood flashback, showing her yearning for acceptance and magical validation.

  “This is what kind of sets it up to feel like Wicked for Good is the Glinda story because young Elphaba got a flashback in the first film...” (43:44)

• Glinda’s quips are toned down for a slightly more nuanced and less comic-relief-heavy performance.
• She still delivers critical lines referencing her original name (Gerlinda), reinforcing their bond.

C. Fiyero & Relationships

• Dialogue is altered to spare Glinda’s feelings when she discovers Fiyero and Elphaba’s connection (he no longer says “well, it sort of was”).
• His motivations and change (“I have changed.”) are delivered in more tender, sincere moments.

D. Supporting Characters

• Flying monkeys are given an entire arc, shifting loyalty meaningfully after being freed—ending up as Elphaba’s protectors by Fiyero’s urging.

  “That is the origin story now of them working for the Wicked Witch, a much more detailed and thorough one...” (47:26)

• The lion appears as a speaking character for the first time, and his dialogue (interrupting Elphaba’s new number) is critically panned by Mickey Jo.
• Cameos and expanded roles for obscure or composite characters (Avaric, Fanny, Shenshen, Ms. Coddle, Dr. Dillamond).

5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Glinda’s Bubble Origin:

  “Madame Morrible presents it as exactly a gift, completing her evolution into Glinda the Good, and discussing in no uncertain terms how this bubble, with its hidden mechanism, is going to persuade people...” (07:46)

• On the Shift from Stage to Film Logic:

  “In the film, they highlight the fact, specifically that now he doesn’t have the monkeys... So they now say, now, without the monkeys, it’ll be even harder to catch her.” (15:23)

• On the Transformation of Iconic Lines:

  “In the musical, there is a line during the thank Goodness sequence when Madame Morrible introduces Fierro as the Captain of the Guard... in the film, only he is called the Captain of the Gale Force...” (06:22)

• On the Tone of the Film vs. Musical:

  “Throughout Wicked For Good, Glinda is generally a little more serious because some of her broader musical comedy life lines to add a little bit of levity into the second act have been removed...” (44:02)

• On the Monkeys’ Loyalty:

  “That is the origin story now of them working for the Wicked Witch, a much more detailed and thorough one that allows them to have their own independence and opinions.” (47:27)

6. Timestamps of Key Segments

• [05:01] — Start of storytelling/plot differences discussion
• [09:00] — Nessa and Boq subplot expansion
• [13:00] — Changes to climactic and reunion scenes
• [15:08] — Logic of the Wizard & Monkey pursuit explained
• [16:45] — Tornado/cyclone scene added
• [17:35] — Post-coital As Long As You’re Mine and the house drop
• [21:30] — Differences in Glinda-Elphaba confrontation after Nessa’s death
• [23:00] — Ending and Glinda’s animal rights speech
• [25:58] — Start of musical/song changes
• [27:13] — Musical arrangements, especially “Popular” turning into a military chant
• [32:00] — Analysis of “No Place Like Home” and disability representation in “Wicked Witch of the East”
• [34:00] — “Wonderful” restaging and lyric tweaks
• [38:00] — “No Good Deed” lyric and structure changes
• [39:30] — Introduction of “Girl in the Box Bubble”
• [40:25] — “March of the Witch Hunters” lyric detail
• [41:16] — Absence of “Sentimental Man” reprise
• [43:15] — Character arcs, new dialogue, and further minor character changes
• [47:26] — In-depth on monkeys’ evolution and the lion’s speaking part
• [51:20] — Closing recap and reflection

Conclusion and Call to Action

Mickey Jo wraps up by urging listeners to share their own observed differences and opinions—what worked, what didn’t, and what they missed—from either the stage or film adaptations:

“Let me know if you noticed any other differences between the stage version and the screen version. Share them all... Are there any which you think improved Wicked for the screen? Are there any things that you missed from the stage version?” (51:24)

He teases more Wicked content to come as the film’s digital release approaches, signs off warmly, and reminds everyone to stay “stagey.”

Overall Tone

Mickey Jo’s approach is informal, passionate, and delightfully nerdy, engaging directly with his audience as both an expert and a fan—an invaluable listen for Wicked enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Summary Table: Notable Differences at a Glance

| Category | Stage Musical | Film Adaptation (Wicked: For Good) | |----------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | Setting/Scale | Limited (stage-based) | Expansive Oz, diverse locations, epic action | | Key Scenes | Engagement Ball | Actual wedding, major set piece at Munchkinland | | Glinda's Arc | Episodic, comic relief | Deepened, childhood backstory, political awakening | | Nessa's Power | Walks (enchanted shoes) | Floats, positive disability lens | | Songs Added | N/A | “No Place Like Home”, “Girl in the Box Bubble” | | Songs Cut | “Sentimental Man” reprise | Omitted entirely | | Character Roles| Flying monkeys, lion minor | Monkeys have full arc; lion speaks (and frustrates host!) | | Final Speech | Generic to Ozians | Activist, inclusive, calls for animal rights |

Episode Length Covered: All substantial content, omitting intro, adverts, and promos.

For Further Details: Listen to the full episode or join in the ongoing “Wicked Weekends” series with Mickey Jo, especially for coming deep-dives on Easter eggs and more!