Nessarose was gifted some special shoes in Wicked Act I, and many wonder why Glinda ended up giving Dorothy the shoes in Act II instead of Elphaba, who was their rightful owner.
Act I of the Wicked musical was faithfully adapted into Wicked Part 1, which starred Cynthia Erivo (who could become the youngest person to ever achieve EGOT status) as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The film was recently released in theaters on November 22.
Many fans are wondering exactly how closely Part 2 will follow Act 2 of the musical, and if some of the main questions from the Broadway show will be answered.
Why Glinda Kept Nessarose's Shoes From Elphaba
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Wicked Part 1 and Act 2 of the Wicked Broadway show.
In Wicked Part 1, Nessarose's father, who was the governor of Munckinland, gives her a pair of silver shoes that she can be seen wearing at certain points throughout the film.
In Act 2 of the Broadway play, the shoes become an extremely important plot point, as they are enchanted by Elphaba so that Nessarose can walk. This happens when Nessarose takes over her father's role as governor of Munchkinland and becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the East.
Later on, Dorothy arrives in Oz due to a storm. The house that Dorothy is in falls on Nessarose and kills her, but her special shoes can still be seen on her feet.
Since Nessarose is dead, the shoes technically belong to Elphaba, since she is Nessarose's sister and was promised the shoes.
Much to Elphaba's dismay, however, when she learns of her sister's death, she also discovers that Glinda gave the shoes away to Dorothy. The shoes can even be seen on Dorothy's feet during her brief cameo in Wicked Part 1.
The musical never explicitly states why Glinda gave the shoes to Dorothy. It can be inferred, though, that Glinda knew the shoes had been enchanted and were magical, which could have led to further problems in Munchkinland.
So, it is possible that Glinda gave the shoes to Dorothy and told her to never take them off so that the shoes could end up far away from Munchkinland so that the Munchkins and their home would be free of any more issues.
How Will Wicked Part II Handle Nessarose's Shoes?
In the Wicked musical, Elphaba is the one who enchants Nessarose's shoes, making them magical and giving her sister the ability to walk.
However, in the 1995 Wicked novel by Gregory Maguire, which the musical is based on, Glinda is the one who enchants them.
Wicked Part 1 did a pretty good job at directly adapting the play for the big screen, but it is possible that Part 2 could switch things up and stay faithful to the book by having Glinda enchant them.
That wouldn't really make much of a difference in terms of Elphaba wanting them since she would be promised them regardless of the circumstance, but the second film could change things up if it wanted (such as changing if Glinda knows Elphaba fakes her death at the end of Act 2).
Wicked Part 1 is playing in theaters worldwide, and Part 2 is set to be released on November 21, 2025.
