Wicked is one of the biggest musicals of all time. Based on the novel Wicked: The Life And Times of The Wicked Witch Of The West by Gregory Maguire, the musical showcases how the Wicked Witch of the West became the being we know her to be. However, much of the Wicked book was omitted from the musical.
There are many articles across the internet discussing the differences between the book and the musical. We wanted to discuss the material from the book omitted from the Wicked musical. We will also reference what we know about the upcoming two-part movie so that this post will contain spoilers for all three mediums. Also, we’re only going to touch on the major ones, not the smaller ones.
On another note, we’ve seen the musical but haven’t read the book yet. It’s on our very long TBR list.
1. Fiyero’s Family
Our first point of interest is Fiyero, the prince who becomes Elphaba’s lover. In the musical, his family is barely mentioned. However, in the book, he marries a woman named Sarima and has three children with her: two sons and a daughter. He then has an affair with Elphaba and fathers a son with her.
Fiyero’s parents are dead, and the Wizard’s Forces murder his wife and children. His bloodline only continues through his son with Elphaba.
However, Sarima is indirectly referenced in the musical alongside her sisters.
2. Elphaba’s Mother’s Sex Life And Life
Anyone who knows anything about the Wicked story knows that Elphaba was the product of an affair. While she grew up being raised by the man she believes to be her father, she is never treated the same as her younger sister, Nessarose.
The book provides much more context for Elphaba’s mother and her life. We learn her name is Melena Thropp and that she had a very active sex life as a teenager. This is only implied in the musical when she hooks up with a traveller later revealed to be Oscar Diggs, aka the Wizard of Oz and Elphaba’s biological father. She and her husband had a sexual relationship with Turtle Heart, who is thought to be the father of Nessarose in the book. However, this is revealed in the second novel, A Lion Amongst Men, to be untrue.
It is also explained that the Thropp last name is actually Melena’s, not her husband, Frexspar’s. Another aspect of the book that is cut from the musical is that Melena died after giving birth to her son, Shell. In the musical, she dies after the birth of Nessarose. No name is given for Elphaba and Nessa’s mother in the musical, as she only appears briefly.
Moreover, it is more realistic to say that Elphaba’s conception was the result of sexual assault, as her mother had been drugged.
3. Shell
One aspect of Elphaba’s family that is omitted from the Wicked musical is Shell, her younger brother. In the book, their mother dies, giving birth to him.
4. Turtle Heart
As we mentioned earlier, one of Melena’s lovers was a man named Turtle Heart. He also had a romantic relationship with Frexspar, Melena’s husband. However, he is not mentioned in the Wicked musical at all.
5. Liir
As referenced earlier, Elphaba had a son with Fiyero named Liir in the Wicked novel. He is the one who would continue his father’s bloodline as he would go on to have a daughter named Rain. He is omitted entirely from the Wicked show.
6. Glinda’s Husband
Glinda’s romantic relationships are very different in the book and the musical. In fact, the musical depicts her as being engaged to Fiyero, which is apparently news to him. The book, however, reveals that Glinda married Chuffrey, who later dies.
The (one-sided) relationship between Glinda and Fiyero is exclusive to the stage show.
This might be touched on in the movie, as Glinda seems to walk down the aisle in a wedding dress. However, this might be a vision or dream of her marrying Fiyero.
7. Glinda’s Friends
The book touches on Glinda’s three friends at Shiz; Milla, Pfanee and Shenshen.
Two who appear in the musical but are not named are believed to be Pfanee and Shenshen. The movie will show them, as there are actors cast in the roles.
