Spoiler alert: This article contains specific details about the movie and musical, Wicked.
By now, if you haven’t been hit with a Wicked ad, trailer, or some kind of promotional effort to see the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, then it’s safe to say you’re living under a rock. The PR team behind this film has thought of every creative way to get it in your face. From Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette where she does a tour of Seattle (the Emerald City) with Marcus, to an exclusive home screening at the Kardashians’ (of course) with the stars themselves, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, to cereal boxes and a line of dolls at Walmart and Target (which you can get on sale during Black Friday!), you can’t miss Wicked.
If you haven’t scored tickets yet, though, good luck. It’ll be tough beating every musical fanatic ready to see the highest-grossing stage production on the big screen. (But then again, sitting in a theater where everyone is singing along might not be the movie experience you want.) If there’s one thing this movie is going to get right beyond the music…it’s female friendship. First, for the non-choir kids forced to sing “Defying Gravity” every recital, let’s talk about the story of Wicked.
What Wicked‘s about:
In a gist, Wicked functions as a tangential back story to The Wizard of Oz. In the beloved 1939 film starring Judy Garland, you’ll hear several references to “The Wicked Witch of the West.” She’s the character they’re trying to avoid as they make their way down the yellow brick road to the Wizard. Think of it as Harry Potter’s antagonist Voldemort. He once was a kid who had some darkness to him, Dumbledore wanted him to use his power for good, but he couldn’t resist the forces of evil which would ultimately make him the most powerful wizard ever. The author wroteWicked to make you think: are good intentions with bad results the same as bad intentions with bad results?
The Wicked Witch of the West is, yes, Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo in the 2024 movie, who is born with green skin, so…she already has a hard start in life. Elphaba is shipped off to a school (like Hogwarts) that specializes in magic and sorcery. It is here she meets Galinda, played by Ariana Grande (perfectly cast), who later becomes Glinda the Good.
During their time at college, Elphaba is mentored by the headmistress, Madame Morrible. Morrible recognizes her potential and sees her working one day with the Wizard of Oz. The downside of college: she has to share a room with Galinda. They are polar opposites. Elphaba is well, green, but also reserved and nerdy, while Galinda is Miss Popular: beautiful and bubbly. As you can imagine, they clash constantly, not just in their ways, but even in their beliefs and values. However, over time, they learn to overcome their differences, and are quite the platonic personification of “opposites attract.”
Wicked teaches us how to get along
In this sense, Wicked is a story about how even the people least likely to form friendships, can and should. It offers a challenge to all of us in relationships, whether platonic or romantic. To see past our differences; rather than contradicting each other, choosing to uplift each other. Instead of pointing out the things we don’t like, we can acknowledge the strengths and gifts that another person brings. Moreover, we give them the space (even if that means moving aside) to let them showcase those strengths and talents.
Female friendships are complex in nature. We live in a society that always pits women against each other. Whereas men can all succeed in the same roles and in the same fields, women are told: it’s a competition. “You must be better than her, even if it means bringing her down.” A recent comment from actress, Sydney Sweeney, swept the news: “It’s a lie that in Hollywood, women are empowering other women.” While this may be personally true for her, and in many cases, probably is true…there are the rare friendships that defy what we’ve learned to accept.
Ariana and Cynthia can certainly play the parts of enemies-turned-friends and pull it off. What’s more inspiring, though, are their recent public appearances together that have proven their friendship is, in fact, genuine. From the way they praise each other to sharing the limelight.
Don’t just fix…give your female friend a crown
It’s the common saying you hear nowadays: “Real queens fix each other’s crowns.” In Wicked, we know that, even though they don’t always see eye-to-eye, Galinda and Elphaba allow––and encourage––each other to be uniquely themselves. They spur each other on into their destinies. One scene in the trailer shows Galinda opposed to riding the speeding train with Elphaba. She knows this is Elphaba’s destiny. In a way, it’s nice that she would release her into her future (albeit unknown, and will take a turn for the worst). It’s equally altruistic that she decides to go with her (after Elphaba insists) to see the Wizard out of support. She wants her to get the crown she’s always deserved.
Queens or witches, what we can learn from Elphaba and Galinda’s friendship, is as much as it is beautiful to “fix” your friend’s crown, it’s another thing to give them the crown. That may be the moral lesson of the story altogether. Galinda eventually becomes Glinda the Good, meaning that Elphaba becomes the “bad” or Wicked witch. Glinda may not agree with Elphaba’s convictions or decisions, but she loves her nonetheless. Their paths eventually lead them down two completely opposite destinies, shaped by choices they’ve made. Everything Elphaba does goes directly against Glinda’s moral compass. Regardless, their friendship remains their foundation.
How you can nurture your friendships
You may have a friend that doesn’t align with all of your beliefs or values…and that’s okay. What makes a friendship a real friendship is choosing to love each other despite your differences. Your friend may be better than you at some things, and that’s great! Cheer them on and bring them up any time an opportunity comes along that’s perfect for them. On the other hand, they may have some things they need to work on, and you can help them grow; you can guide them towards improvement. The same can be said for you. Let your friends––the ones you trust––speak into your life. Sometimes, their viewpoint is clearer than yours.
Real friends will want to see you succeed. Your success is their success. They will want you to be happy. Real friends will encourage you with every step you take, even if it means that they might lose you in the end. Because real friendships are about sacrifice. True friends want you to fly even when it means they have to stay behind and watch from a distance.
If you have a friend like that, you are the luckiest girl. And in turn, you can be that friend for someone. Be someone’s Glinda or Elphaba. If there’s one thing we know: it’s that we grow when we’re challenged, and we thrive when we’re empowered. Be the friend who does both.
