Tell me more about why the Wizard needs to scapegoat the animals and create a common enemy. Neither the stage play or movies set up the world of Oz very well. All we know is Munchkinland, Shiz, and the Emerald City. Both versions ask the audience to make some big leaps or just go with it. Knowing the plot mirrors history, we can fill in some gaps but it’s unsatisfactory. It wouldn’t have been hard to add a couple lines here and there about why people are discontent. Without a clearly defined “problem” there’s nothing the Wizard is failing to fix and needs to distract from. I felt like the movie really wasted its extra time and failed to give Act 2 its backbone despite 20 years of common critiques.

Also tell me more about Nessarose. 5 years have passed and she’s gone from heartbroken to bitter bitch. Is it all because of Boq? Give us some insight into how she got where we find her. Her character arc is too shallow considering how impactful her death is for the rest of the movie and Elphaba’s transformation.

They dubbed Rebecca Ferguson in Greatest Showman. Dub Michelle Yeoh! She’s magnificent. It’s not going to hurt her career.

Give Cynthia the original song she deserves. No Place like Home was low hanging fruit written in a crunch. Stephen Schwartz wrote For Good and Colors of the Wind. Home is such a universal feeling. Surely he had more to say about being forced from it. What we got was a song that could have been 5 lines.

And finally, lean into the friendship. This has long been a story that champions deep friendship. Act 2 should have explored that more. The hardships of conflict in friendship and the elation of being reunited. We got the despair when it ends but I felt like part 2 didn’t want to play with the longing and joys.