All The Easter Eggs Found In 'Wicked'
Image Source: X.com
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the film Wicked.
The recently released film Wicked has been a pop culture event, matched by an impressive opening weekend box office. But the film cannot take sole credit for its success, as Wicked was a stage play first, one with its successes and a rich well of material that the film has excellently realized. While there are many differences between the two versions of Wicked, the film version is full of references back to the musical, The Wizard of Oz, and the book all of them are based on. Today, CultureSlate will be running down several of the most notable easter eggs in Wicked!
The name Gulch appears several times throughout the film, as that was the name of Dorothy’s neighbor in Kansas from the book and the woman who seemed to be the model for the Wicked Witch when Dorothy traveled to Oz. There are musical motifs tying back to Gulch hidden in the film’s score, a name check of “Mrs. Gulch” appears in several of the early university scenes, and the way Elphaba cycles away on her bike with a lion cub in its basket directly calls to the imagery of Miss Gulch and Toto from The Wizard of Oz.
RELATED:
Rainbows appear repeatedly throughout the film, no doubt referencing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” One appears very early in the film, in a panning shot away from Elphaba’s tower, while another appears during the musical number “The Wizard and I” and finally, rainbows appear on Nessarose’s ornate slippers alongside a tornado. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” itself is musically alluded to several times in the film’s score.
The “One Short Day” sequence is one giant reference to the musical as the scene’s blocking, lighting, and performances draw heavily from the stage show. Additionally, there are a large number of cameos, with book and screenplay writer Winnie Holzman, composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, Stephen’s longtime partner and past Wicked performer Michael McCorry Rose, and others appearing throughout.
Finally, aside from the film’s opening with an appearance by Dorothy and her traveling companions, there are references to the Cowardly Lion and, possibly, a reference to the Scarecrow. The lion cub mentioned earlier first appears while cowering in a cage during a classroom scene, suggesting they will mature into the Cowardly Lion. Meanwhile, a student named Fiyero is shown to be resistant to the magical poppies Elphaba conjures up to put the classroom to sleep, though he helps her free the lion instead of making any ruckus. This same resilience to poppies is shared by the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, suggesting his possible identity in the future.
There are undoubtedly plenty more where these came from as Wicked continues to be seen by theatre and film buffs in the coming weeks. It will be fascinating to enjoy a full catalogue of them someday soon!
READ NEXT:
Source(s): Theatermania
Latest News
Featured
