Before the Ruby Slippers: How The Wizard of Oz Fits into the World of Wicked
Posted on May 4, 2026
If you’ve ever walked out of Wicked humming “Defying Gravity” and thought, wait—so when does Dorothy show up?—you’re not alone. The relationship between Wicked and The Wizard of Oz is one of the most satisfying puzzles in musical theatre. Here’s how it all fits together.
Wicked Is a Prequel (Mostly)
Wicked takes place almost entirely before The Wizard of Oz begins. It tells the backstory of Elphaba, the green-skinned girl who will eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, who will become the Good Witch. By the time Dorothy’s farmhouse comes spinning out of that Kansas tornado, everything we see in Wicked has already happened.
The friendship. The falling out. The flying monkeys. The enchanted broomstick. All of it.
The Backstory Behind the Backstory
Wicked answers questions you didn’t even know you had about The Wizard of Oz. Why does the Wicked Witch want those ruby slippers so badly? (In Wicked, they’re silver—and they belong to Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, before Dorothy’s house lands on her.) Why are the flying monkeys enslaved to the Witch’s will? Because Elphaba, in a misguided act of magic, accidentally cursed them — and has carried the guilt ever since. And why does Glinda seem to be performing goodness as much as living it? Three acts of Wicked will tell you exactly why.
Even the Wizard himself is reframed. In The Wizard of Oz, he’s a bumbling fraud behind a curtain. In Wicked, we learn he’s actually something more troubling—a manipulative political operator who used Elphaba’s talents, betrayed her, and built his entire regime on a lie.
Where the Two Stories Actually Overlap
There’s a brief but significant moment at the end of Wicked where the timelines converge. Word reaches Elphaba that a girl from Kansas has arrived—and that her house has killed Nessarose. This is the moment The Wizard of Oz begins. We’re suddenly inside both stories at once.
Glinda’s final confrontation with Elphaba happens in the shadow of Dorothy’s arrival. When Elphaba “melts”—supposedly destroyed by a bucket of water—Glinda steps forward to finish the narrative the people of Oz have already written. She becomes the Good Witch in full. The story that Dorothy will walk into has been carefully, painfully set.
What Wicked Reframes Most Powerfully
Perhaps the most striking thing Wicked does is make you reconsider every scene in The Wizard of Oz you’ve watched since childhood.
Glinda floating down in her pink bubble, cheerfully condemning the Wicked Witch? She’s protecting a secret. The Wizard offering wisdom and gifts to Dorothy’s companions? He’s a fraud who destroyed someone Elphaba loved. The Wicked Witch swooping in on her broomstick, terrifying and green and alone? She’s a woman who tried to do the right thing and lost everything for it.
The Wizard of Oz tells you what happened. Wicked tells you what it cost.
The Timeline at a Glance
- Years before The Wizard of Oz: Elphaba is born, grows up, and enrolls at Shiz University.
- Shiz years: Elphaba and Glinda meet, clash, and become unlikely friends.
- The Wizard’s betrayal: Elphaba discovers the Wizard is a fraud and becomes a fugitive.
- The “Wicked Witch” is born: Elphaba is branded as evil by the Wizard’s propaganda machine.
- The events of The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy arrives, the Witch is “melted,” Glinda is left to pick up the pieces.
- The epilogue of Wicked: The truth about Elphaba is finally revealed—to Glinda, and to us.
Why It Works So Well
What makes the Wicked/Wizard of Oz connection so compelling isn’t just clever plotting—it’s the way Wicked uses a story we already love and makes it ache. We know how it ends before the opening number is over. Elphaba will be called wicked. Glinda will be called good. And none of it will be quite true.
Get tickets today for CTC’s spectacular Wizard of Oz, the iconic story that inspired the entire Oz universe!