If you’re a Wicked fan, chances are you’ve listened to the soundtrack over and over again – there’s a reason why the songs of Stephen Schwarz have proved so pop-u-lar. And while big-screen musical adaptations often require some changes to the source material, the second half of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked two-parter, Wicked: For Good, brings with it a gift: two new songs, never-before-heard, sprung forth from Schwartz’s own pen, getting back into the heads of his two central witches.
For Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, that results in a song titled ‘No Place Like Home’ – a phrase with real meaning for her not-so-Wicked-witch, that also has major resonance with the original Wizard Of Oz. It’s a number she sings, effectively, to herself – an expression of her biggest feelings. “She has to question why she wants to continue to save Oz, or save the animals in it, even though this place doesn’t necessarily want her,” Erivo explains, speaking to Empire in our world-exclusive Wicked: For Good issue. And like all the best musical numbers, the song itself takes her closer to an answer. “It is a discovery as to why she can continue,” she says. “That is where the story gets started for her.”
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As if the pressure of delivering a new Elphaba hit wasn’t enough, Erivo is more than aware of the responsibility that comes with giving her one with this particular title. “I was really aware that if the words ‘no place like home’ are in her mouth, they have to mean something,” she says. “It has to be really special.” Get ready to have it on repeat – alongside Glinda’s new number… stay tuned.