Wicked explores the concept that the Wicked Witch of the West, here known as Elphaba, is merely a misunderstood, victimized person whose behavior is simply a reaction against the charlatan Wizard's corrupt government. It also displays her relationship with the beautiful but ambitious Galinda Upland, who ultimately becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
Act One
Wicked begins as the citizens of Oz celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda descends onto the stage in her bubble and confirms the circumstances of the Witch's melting. She recalls that the green-skinned witch Elphaba was conceived during an affair between the erstwhile Munchkin Governor's wife and a mysterious stranger with a bottle of bright green elixir. Everyone was repulsed by Elphaba straight from birth, so Glinda asks the Ozians to empathize ("No One Mourns The Wicked").
The plot forms through extended flashbacks of the events through Glinda's and Elphaba's lives.
At Shiz University, the pair first meet and Elphaba is hardly surprised that all the students, including the popular but shallow Glinda (then called Galinda), revile her ("Dear Old Shiz"). The only reason that Elphaba is sent to Shiz is to take care of her beautiful, but wheelchair-bound younger half-sister Nessarose, who is presented with a bejeweled pair of shiny silver shoes as her father's favourite child.
Despite Elphaba and Galinda's instant mutual loathing of one and other, Madame Morrible, Shiz's "headshiztress", decides to make them roommates. Galinda had initially been excluded from Madame Morrible's Sorcery Seminar, but when Elphaba suddenly reveals an innate magical talent in sudden anger, Morrible notes that her talents could be of use to the Wizard Of Oz. Elphaba dreams of what the Wizard and herself could accomplish together ("The Wizard And I"). Elphaba and Galinda later write home about their unfortunate room-mate assignments ("What Is This Feeling").
The students gather together in a history class taught by Dr Dillamond, a Goat and Shiz's one and only Animal professor, who keeps mispronouncing Galinda's name as "Glinda". After the class is dismissed upon the discovery of an anti-Animal slogan written on the blackboard, Doctor Dillamond confides in Elphaba that something is causing all the Animals of Oz to lose their powers of speech ("Something Bad"). Elphaba believes that only the Wizard can help.
Winkie prince, Fiyero then arrives at Shiz and immediately impresses his own brand of mindless, cavalier and carefree living onto the students ("Dancing Through Life"). A Munchkin named Boq is completely besotted with Galinda and asks her to go with him him to a party at the Ozdust Ballroom, but having felt "perfect together" with Fiyero, Galinda asks Boq to invite Nessarose instead. Galinda then discovers a black pointed witches hat in a box and gives it to Elphaba as a mock present. In return, Elphaba asks Madame Morrible to reconsider allowing Galinda in her Sorcery Seminar. When, however, Elphaba arrives to the party wearing the witches hat, she is only ridiculed. Defiant, she proceeds to dance on her own without any musical accompaniment. Feeling guilty, Galinda joins her, marking the beginning of their friendship.
Meanwhile, Boq convinces Nessarose that it was not out of pity that he asked her out, but the fact that she is "so beautiful", not realizing the full extent of Nessarose's growing affection towards him. Back in their dorm, Elphaba tells Galinda that her mother had been fed milk-flowers in order to prevent her second child from being born green-skinned; the milk-flowers instead went on to cause Nessarose to be born crippled, and her mother died in childbirth. Feeling sympathetic, Galinda decides to give Elphaba a makeover, making her admirable to fellow students ("Popular"). The very next day, Doctor Dillamond is abruptly taken away by Ozian officials. A new history teacher arrives with a caged lion cub as the subject of an in-class experiment, revealing that all animals are to be kept inside cages and never to speak. Outraged, Elphaba and Fiyero steal the lion cub and set it free but when the two stumble upon feelings for each other, Fiyero leaves, embarrassed. Elphaba laments that someone like Fiyero could never possibly love someone like her ("I'm Not That Girl"). Madame Morrible finds her, and announces that Elphaba has been granted an audience with the Wizard Of Oz in the Emerald City.
At the train station, Boq,Galinda, Fiyero, and Nessarose see Elphaba off, all very happy for her. When it becomes apparent that Boq is not genuinely interested in Nessarose, Galinda starts to feel guilty and says that Boq is not the right person for Nessarose, who in turn insists that it is in fact herself "that's not right." Elphaba expresses concern about leaving her younger sister behind but the protesting Nessarose insists she will manage without her and leaves. In another attempt to impress Fiyero, Galinda announces that she will change her name to "Glinda" in honour of Doctor Dillamond's persistent mispronunciation.
Fiyero fails to notice and leaves and Glinda bursts into tears. Feeling bad for Glinda, Elphaba invites her along to accompany her to see the Wizard. After a day of sightseeing in the Emerald City ("One Short Day"), Elphaba and Glinda both get to meet the Wizard.
Eschewing the special effects he employs for the benefit of most visitors, the Wizard invites Elphaba to join him ("A Sentimental Man"). He asks that Elphaba give his monkey servant, Chistery, the ability to fly as a test using the Grimmerie - an ancient book of spells. Elphaba then demonstrates an intrinsic understanding of the lost language used in the book, and successfully gives Chistery wings.
The Wizard then reveals a cage full of winged monkeys, proving the true extent of Elphaba's powers, and remarks that they will make good spies to report any subversive Animal activity. Realizing that she has been used and that the fraudulent Wizard and Madame Morrible must be responsible for all the Animals in Oz losing their power of speech, Elphaba runs away with the Grimmerie, Glinda goes after her, but is pursued by the palace guards and runs to the tallest tower, where they hear Madame Morrible declaring to the whole of Oz that Elphaba is a "Wicked Witch" and not to be trusted. Elphaba enchants a broomstick to fly and tries to and almost convinces Glinda to join her in her cause, but Glinda cannot resist the call of popularity as one of the Wizard's assistants, and refuses to go along. After leaving Glinda behind and escaping the guards, Elphaba flies off on the broomstick towards the western sky, promising to fight the Wizard with all her power ("Defying Gravity")
Act Two
.A few years have passed and Elphaba's fierce opposition of the Wizard's regime has earned her the title "The Wicked Witch of the West" (reprise of "No One Mourns the Wicked"). Rumour has it that the witch's soul is so impure that mere water can melt her. Glinda is now the Wizard's Press Secretary and adored by everyone, and is pronounced engaged to Fiyero. Informing him that he has to accept the fact that Elphaba doesn't want to be found, Glinda puts on a happy front despite Fiyero's waning affections ("Thank Goodness").
Elphaba meanwhile arrives at her old home, the Governor's residence in Munchkinland, and seeks refuge. Nessarose is now the Governor, and laments that her father "died of shame" after Elphaba rebelliously defied the Wizard Of Oz. She criticizes Elphaba for not making use of her new-found powers to help her own sister. Feeling guilty, Elphaba enchants Nessarose's jeweled shoes, turning them into the ruby slippers and enabling her to walk unaided. Boq is then summoned, and he bemoans that Nessarose is as "wicked" as Elphaba for stripping the Munchkins of all their rights and prohibiting them from leaving Munchkinland.
Nessarose explains that she only did this to keep Boq with her, but is sure that he will stay with her of his own accord now that she is no longer crippled. Boq insists that he should now be free to pursue Glinda instead, going so far as to brandish a knife when his "Madame Governor" attempts to refuse to let him go.
Both hurt and angry, Nessarose attempts to cast a spell from the Grimmerie to attempt to make Boq lose his heart to her, but the spell accidentally makes his heart shrink instead. While Elphaba attempts to save him, Nessarose reflects on how being "alone and loveless" has resulted in and led to her wicked actions, and fears that she deserves her infamous new title bestowed upon her ("The Wicked Witch of the East").
Elphaba says that she fears that nothing will ever be enough for her younger sister and leaves her for good, despite Nessarose's frantic pleas for her sister to stay. Boq is now horrified to discover that Elphaba has transformed him into a Tin Man, so he could live without a heart, and an increasingly desperate Nessarose lays the entire blame on her sister while Boq runs away in horror.
Elphaba returns to the Wizards Palace and tries to free the remaining winged monkeys. The Wizard attempts to regain her favour by agreeing to set them free, and recounts how the Ozians hailed him as the Wonderful Wizard when he first arrived in Oz in a balloon from America. He explains that she could, likewise, be hailed and loved by everyone if she joins him ("Wonderful"). Upon discovering the now-speechless Doctor Dillamond amongst the monkeys, however, Elphaba flatly rejects his offer.
While attempting her escape, she bumps into Fiyero, who runs away with her, confirming that he loves her in return. Glinda sees this and is totally crestfallen that she has been betrayed by those closest to her (reprise of "I'm Not that Girl"). Glinda states that Elphaba can be lured by spreading a rumor that Nessarose is in danger, and the fiendish Madame Morrible creates a cyclone that brings Dorothy's house to Oz crushing Nessarose to death.
While Fiyero and Elphaba express their love for one and other in a dark forest ("As Long as You're Mine"), Elphaba senses that her sister is in danger, but before she leaves Fiyero offers her a hiding place where she'll be safe. She flies off to help her sister, but is too late, arriving just as Glinda sends Dorothy and Toto off down the Yellow Brick Road.
The palace guards then capture Elphaba, but Fiyero intervenes, allowing Elphaba to make her escape before surrendering himself. The guards then take him to a nearby cornfield to be tortured until he tells them of Elphaba's whereabouts. At her castle, Elphaba tries desperately to cast any spell she can to save Fiyero, but thinking she has failed, she begins to accept her reputation as "wicked" ("No Good Deed").
Dorothy, along with the Scarecrow, Boq - now the Tin Man- and the Cowardly Lion are all sent to kill Elphaba ("March of the Witch Hunters"). It is revealed that the Cowardly Lion is actually the lion cub Elphaba set free; Boq claims that she turned him into a coward by not allowing him to fight his own battles. Meanwhile, Elphaba captures Dorothy, and refuses to release her until she relinquishes Nessarose's ruby slippers - the only things that are left of her dead sister. Glinda travels to Elphaba's castle to warn her of the trouble and to persuade her to let Dorothy go.
Elphaba refuses, but the two women forgive each other for all grievances, both acknowledging they have made mistakes. Elphaba makes Glinda promise not to clear her name and that she must take charge in Oz, allowing her to disappear. The two friends embrace eachother for the last time before saying goodbye forever ("For Good").
Immediately after, when Dorothy throws a bucket of water over Elphaba, the witch appears to melt away. Glinda, not quite sure what has happened, sees that all that seems to remain of her friend is her black hat and a vial of green elixir. Back at the Emerald City, Glinda reminds the Wizard that he has an identical bottle, and it is revealed that the Wizard is in fact Elphaba's father, and the stranger whom her mother had an affair with. Madame Morrible surmises that Elphaba's special powers came about because she was a child of both Oz and the outside world. Glinda then orders the Wizard to leave Oz in his balloon and sends Madame Morrible to prison, before preparing to face the citizens of Oz, returning full circle to the opening scene of the show.
Fiyero, meanwhile had in fact been turned into the Scarecrow when Elphaba had cast spells, therefore saving him from the Ozian guards' spears in the cornfield. He opens a trap door located in Elphaba's castle, down which she had descended, only pretending to die for the benefit of the others. Elphaba and Fiyero leave Oz forever, leaving Glinda to continue her bittersweet celebration with the citizens of Oz. They gaze up at the sky, individually appreciating their special friendship and acknowledging that they have both changed for the better because they knew each other ("Finale").
Theatre tickets to all performances of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London are available to book securely through this website.
and the spectacular stage show about the witches of Oz has been a massive hit with west end theatre goers ever since with tickets to the show in constant high demand.
