Evil writer confirms lesbian arc between Glinda and Elphaba

Author of the original Evil novel has confirmed that the lesbian subtext between Glinda and Elphaba is intentional.

Warning: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West spoilers ahead.

Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway musical Evil hit theaters on November 22 and has taken the world by storm.

The film follows the film’s two main characters, Elphaba (Cynthia Ervivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), after they meet at Shiz University and share a room. Although the pair initially dislike each other, they develop a friendship and eventually meet the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).

The story has long resonated with LGBTQ+ people, thanks to themes of otherness, resisting oppression and the power of friendship. The book from 1995 Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire inspired the stage musical, but it contains far more explicit and disturbing scenes.

One thing the book hints at, however, is a lesbian subplot between Glinda and Elphaba. Many fans have noted that quotes from the book suggest that the two witches were more than just good friends.

Author Maguire said in a recent interview with you that he “wanted to give that level of complexity to Oz” for it to be “believable” – this “included sexual orientation and sexual diversity”.

In her book, Elphaba and Glinda share a kiss. The scene reader: “She put her face to Glinda’s and kissed her. “Hold on if you can,” she murmured, kissing her again. “Hold on, my sweet.”

“…It was amazing how quickly she was camouflaged in the ragamuffin variety of street life in the Emerald City. Or maybe it was foolish tears that clouded Glinda’s vision. Of course, Elphaba hadn’t been crying. Her head had turned quickly, as she stepped down, not to hide her tears, but to soften their absence. But the sting was real to Glinda.”

When asked about the Sapphic tension between the characters and whether it was deliberate, Maguire said: “It was intentional and it was modest and restrained and refined in such a way that you could imagine that one of the the two young women had felt more than the other and had not wanted to say it.

“Or maybe because a novelist can’t write every scene, maybe when the lights were off and the writer was out smoking in the back alley, the girls had sex in bed on the way to the Emerald City. I wanted to suggest this possibility, but I didn’t want to come with a declarative statement about (it),” he explained.

Wicked: Part One is now out in cinemas.