Over 20 years ago, on October 30, 2003, “Wicked” opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater. The musical was a cultural reset in the theater community, becoming an iconic show in no time. The New York Times called “Wicked” “the defining musical of the decade”, with its impact being immense. CCHS Drama teacher and director saw the show shortly after it opened, sharing “I was very skeptical about the show. I didn’t think I was going to love it…I was so wrong”.

This two-and-a-half-hour show “looks at what happened in that Land of Oz…but from a different angle”, according to the WICKED the Musical official site. Viewers are transported back to Glinda the Good Witch’s years in school at Shiz, where she was known by her ‘true’ name, Galinda. Glinda and Elphaba’s rocky friendship, from beginning to end, is explored throughout those magical two hours in the theater.

The show has won over 100 awards, including Grammys and Tonys, and is the 4th longest-running show on Broadway. “Wicked” has been performed in over 100 cities and translated into countless languages over the past 20 years.

With such a rich history, it’s no wonder the movie was a smash hit. On November 22, 2024, “Wicked” was released in theaters. Starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film followed the first act of its Broadway source material. The movie grossed over $750,000,000 worldwide with a highly anticipated second part set to be released a year later. Then, on November 21, 2025, the long-awaited second part, “Wicked: For Good” hit theaters. The second movie begins with a time jump, occurring several years after the iconic ‘Defying Gravity’ moment that ended the first movie.

Elphaba is now officially known as the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Fiyero are engaged, and Dorothy arrives amidst all this chaos. A spin on the classic story, “The Wizard of Oz” is depicted in part two, as Ms Wilson explains “[Wicked] did something so interesting in saying, what if everything you knew about the story is not really true.”

Though this film is based on the second act of the stage production, it is nearly as long as the Broadway show in its entirety. Director John M. Chu took numerous creative liberties, including working with Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the original soundtrack, to create two new tracks for each of the main characters.

In an interview with ELLE Magazine, Schwartz provides insight into his songwriting process and the intention behind these new songs. Elphaba’s additional track, “No Place Like Home” explores her complicated relationship with her home. Schwartz states “It was really important to understand viscerally, to feel how much she loves Oz, how important Oz is as her home, how much she wants it to be a good place, and how ferocious she is about fighting for it”.

Glinda receives her own track titled “Girl in the Bubble”, in which she begins to understand that her blissfully ignorant lifestyle may be a nice way to live, however, she is not being true to herself. Stephen Schwartz discusses his intentions, stating “even though it’s an easier way to live, it’s not a way that her soul will allow her to live”.

Along with the new songs, “Wicked: For Good” also features all the original and iconic second act songs, including ‘As Long As You’re Mine’, ‘No Good Deed’, and ‘For Good’. The title track, ‘For Good’, has been a musical theater staple, sung at funerals, graduations, and weddings alike. The song is a beautiful reflection on friendship, especially female friendships, with lyrics such as “I know I’m who I am today because I knew you” and “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good”.

Stephen Schwartz provides context as to why the song is so emotional, explaining that in the process of writing the song, he asked his daughter “I want you to imagine you are never going to see [your best friend] again except one time. This is your chance to tell her what she’s meant to you. What do you say?”.

Ms. Wilson shares, “The song has meant a lot to me over the years, different parts of my life. And it’s amazing what a song can do to be that special”.

She has sung the song many times over the years, both with students and most notably in a tribute to her friend and colleague, Zak Myers. She sang “For Good” at the dedication to Cathedral Catholic’s ‘Zak’, receiving permission from Stephen Schwartz to rewrite a small number of lyrics.

As the impact of this movie becomes evident in the children and adults alike singing the songs, dressing as the characters, and quoting iconic lines, the world can realize how powerful storytelling and artistry can change us all ‘For Good’.