While there may be no perfect way to handle Dorothy’s inclusion in the story of Wicked and Wicked: For Good, the new Jon M. Chu movie portrays the character in a smart way.
The events of The Wizard of Oz begin to transpire in the second half of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s Wicked musical. Dorothy Gale is never actually seen in the show; rather, her presence is merely suggested and discussed, though a silhouette of the character is seen throwing a bucket of water at Elphaba near the end.
How was Dorothy portrayed in Wicked: For Good?
Universal Pictures‘ Wicked: For Good, which is now playing in United States theaters, handles Dorothy’s presence in Oz in a similar fashion. Not only does the character have very limited screen time, but her face is never actually shown. The events of The Wizard of Oz are referenced, but very rarely actually seen on the screen.
Some may find this distracting; however, it’s the best way to adapt the source material. Wicked isn’t The Wizard of Oz — meaning, you probably already know how Dorothy dropped in, met some friends, and went on a quest. We’re telling a different story in Wicked, and we don’t need to spend too much time recapping the beloved 1939 film.
Showing Dorothy’s face would have invited a whole bunch of unfair comparisons to Judy Garland. If they were to give Dorothy a larger role and have her speak, the internet would be abuzz comparing her to past interpretations of the character, which then would have taken the spotlight away from the movie’s actual stars, Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).
Chu has more or less confirmed that this was his reasoning for not showing Dorothy’s face, as he told People, “I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with. [This] is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.”
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