Wicked is a
musical with songs and lyrics by
Stephen Schwartz and a book by
Winnie Holzman. The story is based on the best-selling novel
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by
Gregory Maguire, a
parallel novel of
L. Frank Baum's classic story
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of the
Land of Oz.
Wicked tells the story of
Elphaba, the future
Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with
Galinda, the
Good Witch of the North. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the
Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The plot is set mostly before
Dorothy's arrival from
Kansas, and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film
The Wizard of Oz as a backstory.