Let us be glad, let us be grateful: Deleted scenes from Wicked are now available for your viewing pleasure.
Wicked Part 1, the highest grossing Broadway movie adaptation of all time, can now be rented for $19.99 or purchased for $29.99 on Prime Video and Apple TV Plus. Along with the full movie, the digital release comes with bonus features like a sing-along version, commentary from director Jon M. Chu and stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as well as a ton of deleted scenes. Fortunately for all of us, one dedicated Wicked fan compiled all of the newly released deleted scenes on X so we can all relive our time at Shiz University and the magical city of Oz.
All of the deleted scenes in Wicked
According to a press release from Universal, there are 10 new deleted and extended scenes included in the version of Wicked available on streaming platforms. Several of these scenes flesh out what daily life looks like at Shiz University, and give us more fuel to imagine ourselves taking part in that magic. The first scene is of Glinda (re)meeting Pfannee and ShenShen when she arrives at Shiz, even performing an elaborate twirling handshake with her friends.
Another scene shows the Shiz Gazette frantically announcing the arrival of Prince Fiyero, played by the ineffable Jonathan Bailey, and it’s just as frantic as you’d expect. Speaking of Fiyero, he also takes part in a scene aside Elphaba where the two bond over taking care of a lion club in the forest — sadly, his rumored shirtless deleted scene remains missing so we’ll just have to use our imaginations for now. Another scene shows Elphaba advising Boq, played by Grande’s new beaux, Ethan Slater, to be honest about his feelings for Nessa Rose, played by Marrisa Bode, while realizing she’s struggling to do the same regarding Fiyero. Aw, the perils of young love.
The deleted scenes don’t just support the Elphaba/Fiyero ship. There’s plenty of footage for Glenda and Elphaba shippers to use to fuel their preferred pairing. These include an extended scene during “Popular” shows Glinda trying to demonstrate the merits of a well-placed hair toss to Elphaba (with mixed results) and the two journeying to see the wizard together. Glinda and Elphaba have an entire train car to themselves, yet they choose to cuddle together on the same seat as they approach Oz.
Does this feeling, fervent as a flame, have a name? Gregory Maguire, the author of the novel that inspired the musical, did say the sapphic undertones were intentional so a romantic interpretation of these scenes isn’t far off. The final scenes show Elphaba and Glinda arriving in the Emerald City while holding hands and taking in the sights before meeting the famed wizard, and then running from flying monkeys through an elaborate labyrinth.
Wicked’s runtime is already a lengthy two hours and 40 minutes, so it’s understandable that these amazing scenes were cut from the theatrical release. Thankfully, they’re still accessible as bonus features, but I can’t be the only one who wants a director’s cut featuring all of these scenes and more. Here’s hoping that the release of Wicked: For Good comes with a full-length version with all the extended scenes. Until then, I’ll be enjoying these bonus features and singing along to “Popular” in the comfort of my home.