Take your kids to see ‘Wicked,’ but don’t let them read the book by Gregory Maguire
Long before Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were holding space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” there was “Wicked” the Broadway musical. And before that, there was “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” by Gregory Maguire, based on L. Frank Baum’s characters in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
All we’re saying is that you’d have to spend more than “One Short Day” in Emerald City to learn all of the “Wicked” and “Oz” lore.
What is Wicked about?
“Wicked” – the movie, the Broadway musical and the book – crafts Dorothy’s nemesis as a fully-formed (and green) character with her own tragic backstory. The book is a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Elphaba, the name of the Wicked Witch of the West, is derived from the original creator’s initials. Go on, sound it out – L, F, B.
“Wicked” imagines a friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba while studying sorcery at school, long before they cross paths with Dorothy and her pals.
Is the ‘Wicked’ book appropriate for kids?
In a word, no. The “Wicked” book by Gregory Maguire has key adult differences from the stage adaptation. One of the opening scenes is puppets having sex. When we first meet Elphaba in the book, she’s a feral infant who is muzzled after biting off people’s appendages. The book contains drinking, drugs, sexual assault, prostitution, crime and wild sex parties between humans and animals.
In an interview with MassLive, Maguire said while the main themes translate, his book is a “tragedy” and the stage production is a “bittersweet drama.”
“I purposely put some somewhat raunchy material in the first few pages of ‘Wicked’ the novel to show what people were getting into, that they were going to have to leave behind their ideas about an all-singing, all-dancing chorus line of flying monkeys,” Maguire said.
When did the ‘Wicked’ book come out?
Maguire’s “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” came out in 1995. Maguire, known for his fairytale reimaginings, eventually wrote an entire series based on Elphaba and the other characters from “Oz.”
How many books are in the ‘Wicked’ book series?
Maguire wrote eight books in the “Wicked” and “Wizard of Oz” universe. There are three sequels to “Wicked” in “The Wicked Years” series:
“Wicked”
“Son of a Witch”
“A Lion Among Men”
“Out of Oz”
His series “Another Day” features three stories of Elphaba’s green-skinned granddaughter:
“The Brides of Maracoor”
“The Oracle of Maracoor”
“The Witch of Maracoor”
A prequel to “Wicked” about Elphaba’s childhood, aptly titled “Elphie," will come out in March 2025.
When did ‘The Wizard of Oz’ come out?
The original source material for “Wicked” is the beloved children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” published in 1900. L. Frank Baum published 14 books over the next 20 years in the “Oz” series.
In 1939, it was famously adapted into a movie starring Judy Garland, revolutionizing the use of color in cinema.
A parent's guide to 'Wicked': Is the PG movie suitable for young audiences?
‘Oz’ books in order: Original L. Frank Baum series
There are 40 canonical works in the “Oz” series, known by fans as the “Famous Forty.” Most of these weren’t written by Baum – after his death in 1919, his publishers outsourced dozens more “Oz” books from other authors.
Here are the 14 books in Baum’s original series:
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
“The Marvelous Land of Oz”
“Ozma of Oz”
“Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz”
“The Road to Oz”
“The Emerald City of Oz”
“The Patchwork Girl Of Oz”
“Tik-Tok of Oz”
“The Scarecrow Of Oz”
“Rinkitink In Oz”
“The Lost Princess Of Oz”
“The Tin Woodman Of Oz”
“The Magic of Oz”
“Glinda Of Oz”
He also released a book of short stories featuring the Oz characters – “Little Wizard Stories of Oz” – in 1913.
From Broadway to the silver screen: 'Wicked' movie's biggest changes
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Contributing: Patrick Ryan
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire is not for kids. Your guide to the books
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