Wicked, the Broadway musical, has been running at the Gershwin Theatre in New York for 22 years and counting, but Wicked: For Good will be the first time many people will experience the conclusion to the unofficial prequel to The Wizard of Oz. That’s why some fans need to check their privilege when sharing Wicked: For Good spoilers without warning.
After the final trailer for the second Wicked film dropped, some fans haven’t been shy about sharing spoilers due to certain moments from the preview. But the problem isn’t sharing Wicked: For Good spoilers. It’s sharing them online without warning, ruining the narrative for those who don’t know how the story ends — which is a lot of people! For various reasons, many people sharing these spoilers appear negatively unapologetic or don’t seem to feel any sort of remorse for their actions. And that’s just such a privileged way of thinking.
The Trouble with Theatre
A lot of fans who have been sharing Wicked: For Good spoilers unsolicited often use the 2003 Broadway musical and the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire as excuses for not needing to add a warning or for not caring they spoiled the story for others. That’s incredibly inconsiderate and shows that some Wicked fans are just like Glinda, living in a bubble of privilege.
Why? For one, a majority of the people in the world who have seen or been exposed to the Wicked films in some capacity have not seen the musical. Live theatre is simply — unfortunately — not accessible, and Wicked isn’t a show that just anyone can put on. Because the rights to the musical aren’t available for licensing, there are no local, regional, school or community productions happening in your neighborhood or a few towns over.
Right now, Wicked the Musical is on Broadway, has a North American tour, a Brazilian production, a few European productions and a few Asian productions. Sure, that’s a lot of places around the world, but tickets to theatre productions nowadays cost hundreds of dollars. One ticket to Wicked on Broadway on a Wednesday evening in February — the middle of the week during a slow season for New York tourism — is at least $117 (unless you require an accessible seat or sit in the accessible companion seat, which is still $111). Not to mention the time commitment and transportation to get to a show.
It doesn’t matter that Wicked has been on Broadway for over 20 years. That’s a relatively long time for a show to be on Broadway, but using its age as an excuse is elitist. It ignores the inaccessibility of theatre and the fact that tons of people who are younger than the stage musical are being exposed to Wicked for the first time through the movies.
Weak ‘Wicked’ Work-arounds
Some people dismiss live theatre’s inaccessibility by mentioning “slime tutorials” — a term Broadway bootlegs are often labeled as to try to get around people easily finding the illegal content. (Don’t encourage people to consume pirated content if they don’t want to. That’s weird.) Are there countless Wicked bootlegs on YouTube and social media? Yes. Are they relatively easy to find? Yes, if you know to search for “Wicked slime tutorial.” That makes the show more accessible, but slime tutorials are still a poor excuse for spoiling Wicked: For Good without warning.
Wicked the Musical is nearly three hours long. To watch a Broadway bootleg would require not only internet access but three hours of free time to watch it. It may be 2025, but not everyone in the world who’s interested in Wicked has reliable internet access. So how would they watch a bootleg? Not everyone can just sit at the library for three hours to watch a bootleg. (Watching illegal content in the library also feels wrong.) Not everyone has the time for that, and some people simply don’t want to do that.
Plus, the quality of the bootlegs is unreliable. Sometimes you’re only hearing audio — if you can hear, that is. No one’s recording bootlegs with a high quality cinematic production-level camera, so zooming in, shaky clips and obstructed views are common. Plus, it’s just not the ideal way to consume live theater, especially if it’s your first time seeing any show.
‘Wicked’ is Actually Quite Novel
How about the Gregory Maguire novel the Wicked musical and movies are based on? Are those valid reasons to spoil Wicked: For Good without warning?
No, it’s an even weaker and worse excuse, because the story of the book isn’t the same as the movie or musical. Glinda’s never interested in Fiyero in the book. Musical Fiyero and book Fiyero may share the same name but aren’t really the same character. The characters many of us know and love from the movie and musical go on different journeys in the book. The book is better described as inspiration for the musical than true source material. So how is the book a valid excuse?
Well, what if the novel were close enough storywise to the film and stage adaptations? Once again, it’s time to check your privilege.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is 406 pages. By the page count — and graphic/mature content — the book is definitely intended for adults. It’s pretty clear the movies and musical are meant to be family-friendly. Regardless, not everyone has access to books. Everyone who wants to see Wicked: For Good can’t read or may not read well. Some people have dyslexia. How about audiobooks? All formats of books cost money, and everyone’s library doesn’t have Wicked in every form.
Let’s not forget: Wicked: For Good will be in theaters all over the world. Has the novel been translated to every language? No. And some people just aren’t readers and prefer to learn and consume media visually. So the 30-year-old book? Also not a great excuse.
‘Wicked’ Still Has a Long Way to Go in Popularity
Are there “acceptable” pop culture spoilers? Sure. Romeo and Juliet both dying? Acceptable spoiler. (It’s literally on the first page of the play that’s hundreds of years old. Plus, Shakespeare is fundamental literature and the basis for many stories.) Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father? Acceptable spoiler. It’s iconic and old enough to have made its mark.
Wicked, on the other hand, is not yet the iconic and legend of pop culture some fans are making it out to be. It may be one of the longest-running shows on Broadway right now and isn’t slowing down, partially thanks to the films. But a 22-year run of a live theater production does not reach enough people to have the same status as Star Wars. It’s fanfiction (of fanfiction) of the classic story of The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. But it’s not the same story. We’re not talking about telling everyone the Wizard is a fraud.
The book is 30 years old, but its age is honestly pretty irrelevant. Gregory Maguire’s novels haven’t been at the top of the New York Times list for the past 30 years. It’s not a book taught in schools and often included as part of the English curriculum like The Great Gatsby. The classic, iconic stories and books that have become literary and cultural staples are much older than that. It’s not even at Harry Potter level — yet. Plus, a lot of people who will be watching Wicked: For Good are younger than 30, so it makes sense for many fans to have not read the book.
The ‘Wicked’ Film Franchise is Key
You know what really propelled franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter? The movies, their impact and their longevity. Wicked hasn’t even been out for a year yet. It has become a worldwide phenomenon, but it’s nowhere near big enough to justify spoilers online without care or warning. Let’s repeat that: without care or warning.
Wicked: For Good spoilers are not the problem. It’s sharing spoilers without considering those who don’t know the story. It makes other people upset that the narrative has already been ruined for them when they weren’t seeking those details. So don’t be a jerk like the Wizard. If you know what happens in Wicked: For Good and want to post something about it, don’t be careless. Use your brain and your heart, and include a warning.
Wicked: For Good hits theaters Friday, November 21.
