How exactly is Wicked related to The Wizard of Oz?

Pointed black hat lying on a puddle of water. Broken window. A yellow brick road, along which a girl in a checkered dress walks, surrounded by a lion, a tin man and a scarecrow. Oh, and her little dog too.

These are some of the first images shown in “Wicked,” the first installment of the new adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.

Both have their origins in Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist prequel, which chronicled events that may have shaped the characters in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum’s book inspired the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland.

Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, dives into the past and explores how Elphaba and Galinda (later Glinda) began their journey to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North.

“Wicked” is full of Easter eggs and references to the 1939 film, which should please all fans. So what do you need to know about The Wizard of Oz before you head down the yellow brick road with Wicked? Read on.

What happens in The Wizard of Oz?

In the 1939 film, Dorothy Gale (Garland) is a young orphaned woman who grew up on her aunt and uncle’s farm during the Dust Bowl and dreams of one day escaping “over the rainbow.”

She runs away when a local woman’s complaint that Dorothy Toto’s dog bit her means the dog must be put down. Convinced to return home by a traveling fortune teller named Professor Marvel, Dorothy arrives in the middle of a tornado and is hit in the head. The house seems to rise into the vortex of the storm, transporting her to a new world.

Dorothy is delighted by the local Munchkins of Munchkinland, but is struck by tragedy: the Wicked Witch of the East has been murdered in her home, and her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, vows revenge. The Wicked Witch of the West also wants a pair of shoes that the Good Witch of the North gave Dorothy from the dead witch.

Wanting nothing more than to return home, Dorothy takes the Yellow Brick Road to visit the Emerald City and the Wizard, who she hears holds the key to her returning home.

Along the way, she befriends the Scarecrow (who needs brains); Tin Woodman (who needs a heart); and the Cowardly Lion (who wants courage).

After several adventures, they meet the Wizard (or at least a giant floating green head with a loud voice that scares them) who says he will give them everything they want if they bring them the Witch’s broom, proving she is dead .

How does The Wizard of Oz end?

Dorothy and Toto are initially captured by the Witch’s flying monkeys, but are freed by their companions, only to be pursued by the Witch and her guards. When the Witch sets the Scarecrow’s hand on fire, Dorothy pours water on him, which also hits the Witch, melting her.

They bring the broom to the Wizard, who tries to evade their requests until Toto discovers the man behind the curtain who controls all the special effects. He offers to take her home in the hot air balloon that took him to Oz, but Dorothy misses her flight while chasing Toto and appears to be stranded in Oz.

Then Glinda discovers an even easier way back to Kansas: Dorothy can click her heels and wish she were home. After a few warm goodbyes, Dorothy casts a shoe spell and she and Toto go home.

But did they ever go away? Dorothy wakes up in her bed surrounded by workers who resemble the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Everyone claims that she had a vivid dream. Dorothy is simply happy to be home and understands the true meaning of the film: this house is the best place in the world.

How does The Wizard of Oz relate to Wicked?

Throughout Wicked, characters and scenes often contain touchstones from the 1939 film, starting with that hat on the water and the Witch’s killers marching into the Emerald City.

But not everything connects…yet. For example, Elphaba in Wicked: Part One doesn’t start out so evil. She actually agonizes over her green skin (Oz is a magical world, sure, but there are some things the locals really don’t tolerate).

Galinda doesn’t start off particularly well either; she is self-centered and self-confident to the point of irritation. But colors make a big difference here: as in Oz, Elphaba is green and Galinda/Glinda is as pink as Barbie (and travels in her own literal bubble).

In Wicked: Part One, Elphaba has a sister, but in Oz we never see anything of that sister other than her legs sticking out from under the house. Nessarose’s (Marissa Bode) shoes in Wicked: Part One are not ruby, but dazzling silver (as in Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Maguire’s Wicked).

Nessarose (Marissa Bode, left) with Elphaba (Erivo) in “Wicked.”Giles Keith/Universal Pictures

There are other references to The Wizard of Oz in the film.

In “Wicked: Part One,” the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) asks Elphaba and Galinda to help him choose a color for the super sidewalk he’s building that will stretch throughout Oz (yellow, naturally, wins).

Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) joins Elphaba and Galinda at school and helps Elphaba rescue the lion cub – the movie doesn’t explicitly say this, but there’s a good chance the lion cub will have a connection to cowardice someday.

Then there are some confusing moments. For a woman who should have already learned that water can harm her, Elphaba is not at all bothered by it in “Part One” and goes so far as to dance on the slabs that cross the stream at school. Of course, there is more to learn about this apparent contradiction in “Part Two.”

“Part One” also highlights the poppy as an important flower: they are the favorite of the University professor Shiz, who Elphaba likes. At one point, she releases a spell that causes the scent of flowers to confuse almost everyone in the class. This is a direct reference to the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Evil Elphaba creates a field of poppies to slow down Dorothy and her friends on their way to the Emerald City.

Of course, there will be even more to discover in Part Two, scheduled to premiere on November 26, 2025. Until then, keep walking down the yellow brick road!