On the heels of Depraved’s vital and business success, its sequel, Depraved: For Good, guarantees to carry Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) story to a climactic finish. The primary movie tailored the primary act of the smash-hit Broadway musical of the identical identify, whereas For Good covers the occasions of the second act with a few added songs.
Each the movie and the stage present, which is in flip primarily based on a novel by Gregory Maguire, inform the sympathetic backstory of Elphaba, the Depraved Witch of the West and the principle antagonist of The Fantastic Wizard of Oz. Curiously, the Depraved musical performs extra on the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie than on the guide.
To this point, the Depraved movies have adopted swimsuit, with quite a few easter eggs calling again to the cinematic basic. For Good seems to be doing the identical, as evidenced by Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion showing within the movie’s trailer.
Extra not too long ago, the tracklist for For Good revealed the 2 new songs: “No Place Like Residence” and “The Woman within the Bubble.” Every of those incorporates a reference to The Wizard of Oz.
“No Place Like Residence,” which might be carried out by Erivo’s Elphaba, pays tribute to the long-lasting “there is not any place like dwelling” line uttered by Dorothy. Talking to Empire, Erivo addressed the significance of utilizing such an necessary phrase: “I used to be actually conscious that if the phrases ‘no place like dwelling’ are in her mouth, they need to imply one thing; it must be actually particular.”
The actress, who additionally helped write the music, continued:
She has to query why she needs to proceed to avoid wasting Oz, or save the animals in it, though this place doesn’t essentially need her.It’s a discovery as to why she will proceed. That’s the place the story will get began for her.
Likewise, “The Woman within the Bubble,” to be carried out by Grande, is a reference to Glinda touring by bubble. This addition to Depraved got here not from the unique Oz books or Maguire’s novel however from the 1939 movie.
Each Elphaba and Glinda’s new songs that includes The Wizard of Oz references is becoming; the occasions of For Good overlap with these of the unique Wizard of Oz, in spite of everything. Nonetheless, plainly the thematic connections to the basic story are extra related to Elphaba than Glinda.
Unpacking “The Woman within the Bubble,” Grande defined that the music is about “propelling [Glinda] into her precise goodness.” The singer elaborated:
We get to see [Glinda] resolve, ‘I’m going to alter the course of Oz. I’m going to grow to be deeply, actually good and make a protected area for folks. She earns her title for actual, and we get to see that self-discovery. I’m so grateful for that music, as a result of she deserves it as a personality.
As such, Glinda’s music displays the broader themes of Depraved itself, mainly what it means to be good, whereas Elphaba’s builds upon these of The Wizard of Oz. As well as, they additional every protagonist’s arc by reaffirming their motivations.
Our Take On The New Depraved: For Good Songs Paying Tribute To The Wizard Of Oz
Depraved: For Good has a lofty job to do. It should stability being a prequel and a retelling of a beloved household basic. Selecting to embrace the nostalgia moderately than utterly shed any traces of familiarity is a great transfer by these behind the scenes. In any case, there isn’t a place like dwelling.
Depraved: For Good
- Launch Date
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November 21, 2025
- Director
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Jon M. Chu
- Writers
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Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
- Producers
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Marc Platt