In the last two years, the films Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025) have been global phenomenons that have inspired many fans across the world. Based on the Broadway musical and book of the same name, these two movies (each representing their own respective act of the musical) have skyrocketed in popularity.
The story of Wicked builds off of the perennial tale of The Wizard of Oz (1939) by taking the unpopular antagonist of the film, the Wicked Witch of the West, and giving her a backstory, a motive, and a goal. The lessons from Wicked contradict all things a reader might think they know about the story of The Wizard of Oz, like what is right and wrong, what is good, and what is “wicked”. Even characters who are widely considered “good,” like Glinda, show some wickedness, and “evil” characters like Elphaba show humanity. Above all, the unlikely friendship between the two is what drives the plot.
Friendship has always been a key theme in life, regardless of who you are, and the way both Wicked films have reawakened this theme is unheard of. Mrs. Megan Schwietzer, history teacher and co-advisor of the CHS Drama Club, explains why this theme is important to her.
“There are certain people that you cross paths with at certain times in your life,” Schweitzer said, “You can always look back and realize how critical it was that they were there for you then, and that it’s impossible for you to know who you’d be without them in your life.”
Schweitzer is not the only teacher deeply moved by Wicked. English teacher Ms. Iris Archer has expressed a deep and profound love for the duology. Archer has gone so far as to use Wicked as a lesson for her students.
“As a teacher, there’s so much underlying things like the propaganda, especially the way that they painted Elphaba as the wicked witch when really she was trying to help the animals,” Archer said. “It kind of reminded me of Animal Farm.”
Schweitzer also saw opportunities to link Wicked and its themes into her classes.
“We emphasize looking at events from multiple perspectives and it challenges the way you think about good and evil,” Schweitzer said. “And that sometimes the way that we perceive things or characterize people is misinformed because we don’t have the full story.”
Faculty, however, are not the only ones who have been changed “for good” by Wicked. Sophomore Payton Parson, a member of the CHS Drama Club, prides herself as a “Wicked enthusiast.”
“My grandma used to play the Broadway soundtrack for me before my shows when I was little so I wouldn’t be so nervous,” Parson said. “So now when I listen to Wicked, I think of her, and that’s one of the reasons I love Wicked.”
Archer also noted how this large-scale introduction of a hit Broadway musical into society has helped bring back popularity to the performing arts.
“I’m glad that the general public got to know some of these Broadway people like Cynthia Erivo,” Archer said. “The publicity has been great, and I’m so happy that people are getting back out into the theaters to see these people!”
Overall, Wicked has been a complete success, and the feelings about the films expressed by CHS students and staff alike only further that sentiment.
