For Good’ Doesn’t Show Dorothy’s Face, And It’s Distracting

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in “Wicked: For Good.”

Universal Studios

Dorothy Gale is crucial in the conclusion of Wicked: For Good, but the film is determined never to put a face to the iconic name — and the results are clunky and distracting.

Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good wraps up the story of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), two witches who met at Shiz University and struck up an unlikely friendship. The Wicked sequel follows the estranged friends as they embark on wildly different paths: Elphaba, who’s on a mission to expose the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) as a fraud and rescue the animals of Oz from oppression, has been vilified and branded the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda, meanwhile, is heralded as Glinda the Good, a bubbly beacon of hope and encouragement for Ozians.

The films, as well as the Wicked stage play by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, are based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Wicked: For Good adapts act two of the play and features the arrival of Dorothy, who lands in Oz during a tornado. In trying to return home to Kansas by any means possible, she ends up in the crosshairs of Elphaba.

As a faithful adaptation of the play, Wicked: For Good is constrained by the source material and falls into the same perils as act two, which fans have said is notoriously flawed. The film improves on some criticisms of act two, but struggles to incorporate Dorothy and her companions adequately into the narrative. The results are, as the citizens of Oz would say, horrendible.

The Decision Not To Show Dorothy’s Face Becomes Distracting

In Wicked: For Good, Dorothy is portrayed by British actor Bethany Weaver, but it’s unlikely that anyone could identify her in a lineup, because her face is never seen on screen and the movie goes to frustrating, borderline comical measures to keep it that way.

Dorothy’s presence is revealed in small glimpses, like shadows and scenes filmed from behind her.

After Dorothy lands in Oz due to a tornado conjured by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), audiences only see a quick shot of Dorothy and her dog Toto walking down the yellow brick road at Glinda’s instruction.

As Dorothy interacts with more characters in Oz, the mystery of what she looks like becomes distracting. Her face continues to be concealed as the Wizard instructs Dorothy, Boq (Ethan Slater), who’s been transformed into the Tin Man, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who becomes the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion (voiced by an underutilized Colman Domingo) to retrieve Elphaba’s broomstick as proof of her death.

When the flying monkeys capture Dorothy, the camera focuses on her legs flailing in the air as she screams. And after Elphaba locks Dorothy up at Kiamo Ko castle, she’s shown threatening the farm girl, who’s again hidden from view.

The movie takes cues from the stage production by not showing Dorothy’s face when she douses Elphaba with a bucket of water and is led to believe she’s defeated the witch. The ruse serves as the perfect escape for Elphaba, who fakes her death and travels beyond Oz with the Scarecrow. But such a pivotal scene is presented through Glinda’s point of view, as she peeps through a hole in the closet and sees the silhouettes of Dorothy and Elphaba. Ultimately, fans are denied the opportunity to see the confrontation properly unfold between them.

At the end of the movie, as Dorothy tries to hitch a ride back to Kansas in a hot air balloon with the banished Wizard, Glinda quips to Morrible, “I swear, it never ends with that girl.” The line is a nod to Glinda’s annoyance with her, but it really just emphasizes how little context the film gives about Dorothy.

Fully Showing Dorothy Wouldn’t Have Overshadowed Elphaba And Glinda’s Story

Understandably, there might be some apprehension about having a new actor take on the role of Dorothy, famously played by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

“I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with,” Chu told People magazine of the decision not to show her face. “She’s probably more in this story than in the show and yet not taking over the story — it is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.”

In the Broadway musical, Dorothy is heard off-stage, rather than seen. But that aspect of the production doesn’t translate in the same way in a film where the character is more involved. Instead, it’s more difficult to be content with the deliberate shielding of a necessary character’s face.

With a runtime of two hours and 17 minutes, there were plenty of opportunities to fill in some of the blanks surrounding Dorothy and how she gained three companions, particularly Fiyero/the Scarecrow. Viewers are left to assume that he pretended to be all-in on the witch hunt, knowing that it would lead him to Elphaba. But it would have been valuable to show how he convinced Dorothy he was on her side.

Yes, Dorothy is an iconic figure in film and pop culture, and Wicked isn’t about her. But she’s not the first popular character to be played by different actors, and she won’t be the last. Seeing more of Dorothy, and her face, could have enriched the story without hijacking Elphaba and Glinda’s spotlight. Instead, Wicked: For Good takes the safe route down the yellow brick road.

Wicked: For Good is playing in theaters.