How Wicked's Fiyero Tigelaar becomes the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz

If you're not familiar with the full story of Wicked — like anything past Wicked: Part One — don't continue down the yellow brick road! Major spoilers ahead!

If you are even slightly familiar with “The Wizard of Oz” – 1939 adaptation of L. Frank Baum's novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” — you probably know the four main actors of the film. Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) is a girl transported from Kansas to Oz by a magical tornado, who ends up meeting the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), the Tin Man (Jack Haley) and the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger). ) in the fantastic land. (Because the film portrays Oz as a magical place in Dorothy's dream, Lahr, Haley and Bolger also play farmhands who work on the Gale family's “real-life” estate.) Almost a century later, audiences returned to Oz thanks to John M. Chu's adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, itself adapted from Gregory Maguire's 1995 Oz-centric prequel. novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”, but the Scarecrow only appears briefly in the opening. However, those in the know know that we already are met Scarecrow – because one of the main characters in Stephen Schwartz's musical becomes Scarecrow in Act 2.

So who is destined to become the brainless Scarecrow who ends up asking the Wizard for some gray matter to put in his head? That would be Winky Prince Fijero Tigellar, played by “Bridgerton” and “Cellow Travelers” great Jonathan Bailey. If you're impatiently waiting for Wicked: For Good, the second half of Choo's recently retitled Wicked epic, we're guessing Fiyero will be getting his own makeover when the movie is released this November.

After Elphaba Trope (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) arrive at the University of Shizu and begin their studies, the entire student body is anxious about the impending arrival of Fijero, a particularly handsome prince whose irreverent and rebellious behavior has won her over. kicked out of several other schools. When Fiyero appears in Shiz, the women are especially turned on, including Galinda, who goes out of her way to flirt with him; In particular, Elphaba is unimpressed by his behavior and disdain for knowledge and learning, which apparently means Fiyero is infatuated with a green-skinned girl who won't give him the time of day.

Fiijero convinces the entire student body to sneak out one night and go dancing and partying at the nearby Stardust Ballroom, and Galinda is outraged that she has to share her single room with Elphaba, who only ends up studying at Shiza after an accidental attraction spell. the attentions of the school's dean of magic, Madame Morrib (Michelle Yeoh), convince Elphaba to wear an unflattering witch's hat, humiliating her. Eventually, Galinda joins Elphaba in a dance, bonding the two forever, and the duo begin hanging out with Galinda's “friend” Fijero. Although Fiijero seems overwhelmed and conceited, he and Elphaba join forces to help the frightened lion cub (who we imagine may grow up to be the Cowardly Lion) after animals are banned from teaching in Shiza and a cruel professor tries to experiment on baby; after they spend time together in the forest, Elphaba laments that Fijero loves Galinda instead of her (the sad ballad “I'm Not That Girl”). Once Galinda, who shortens her name to “Glinda” in honor of her fallen animal professor Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), and Elphaba travel to Oz to meet the Wizard, we don't see Fiyero again – so what can we expect? see from his “Wicked: For Good?”

At the end of Wicked: Part One Glinda is (unwittingly) allied with the evil Madame Morrible and the wizard himself (Jeff Goldblum) when she lets Elphaba escape their clutches on a broomstick – so where is Fiyero in all this? He's back in Shiz, and when we see him again in the second act of Wicked, he's captain of Oz's guard and engaged to Glinda. However, Fyero is still in love with Elphaba—Glinda just seems to know it, especially since their betrothal was entirely orchestrated by Madame Morrible to boost morale in Oz and distract from her evil deeds with the wizard—and when Elphaba takes a big risk and returns to Oz to try to free the wizard's flying monkeys, Fiyero protects him. He also disappears with her, leaving Glinda devastated (in fact, she sings her own reprise of “I'm Not That Girl”).

Hiding in a remote forest, Fiijero and Elphaba sing a duet of “As Long As You're Mine,” revealing their love for each other… but then Elphaba is forced to try to save her sister Nesaroza (played by delightful newcomer Marisa Bode in Wicked : Part One”), Fiyero is captured by a wizard. Elphaba believes Fijero is dead and casts a spell to try to save his life; since he is not dead, the spell turns him into a Scarecrow, and after Elphaba fakes her death from the water (at Dorothy's hands) using a handy trapdoor, Fiero and Elphaba escape together as the musical ends.

Is Fiijero's fate different in Gregory Maguire's original (and frankly, a lot darker) novel? Yes, actually! We probably won't have to worry too much about Fijero's journey in Evil since John M. Chu's films seem to be sticking to the plot of the musical, but just for a little context, here's the deal with Fijero in the book (actually, books; Maguire wrote a small series).

In the book, Fiijero marries after Elphaba officially “becomes” the “Wicked Witch of the West” and has three children (not with Glinda), but he and Elphaba still have an affair… and after Fijero is discovered in Elphaba's company and punished, he is stunned to discover Lyra, the child born to him from his union with Elphaba. From there, the sorcerer captures the entire Tigellar family, including all of Fiijero's legitimate children, and when Elphaba pleads with the sorcerer to release them, he reveals that they are all dead except for Fiyero's daughter, Nora. Elphaba in fact dies from a bucket of water in the book, and Fiyero never gets up again, so not only can we safely assume that the wizard did indeed kill him, but he does. no become a scarecrow. See why Chu is adapting a musical instead of a book? The end of the book is finally unhappy – even with Elphaba defeated and dead, Oz is mired in political turmoil for years afterward.

Fiyero's Big Musical Number in Wicked: Part One – Jonathan Bailey absolutely stunning – is the long song “Dancing Through Life” in which he extols the virtues of living an ignorant life without thought or worry. If you know that Fijero's fate in the musical is to become the Scarecrow, you might want to take a closer look at the lyrics to 'Dancing Through Life', which offers huge indications of this result.

The whole song is literally about not thinking, but a lot of the lyrics directly imply that they don't have a brain. “Dancing through life, skimming the surface / Gliding where the turf is smooth / Brainless life is more painless / Why think too hard when it's so soothing?” Fijero expresses himself at the beginning of the song by repeating this sentiment in different ways: “Life is carefree when you're reckless / Those who don't try never look foolish.” Sure, one could argue that Fijero is speaking in metaphors, but if you take him literally, he's saying that the best way to live for dear life is to completely stop thinking what he is. under compulsion do when he loses his brain and later talks about the Scarecrow.

Remember how Fijero and Elphaba saved a baby lion from cruel experiments and actually started their relationship in the process? The reason they are able to get the baby lion out of Shiz safely is because Elphaba, excited by the thought of the baby lion being tortured in front of her and a room full of students, accidentally casts a spell that sends poppies flying all over the classroom… and flowers put everyone to sleep. Everyone, that is, except Fijero, who remains fully conscious and makes sure the lion cub gets into the forest and out of harm's way, earning a scratch in the face for his troubles.

Why does this have anything to do with Fiyero's future Scarecrow status? You may remember that in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion end up walking into a field full of poppies. However, the Scarecrow somehow manages to stay awake, somehow immune to the spell of the Wicked Witch of the West, or Elphaba as he knows her. In the stage musical, Elphaba manages to temporarily blind the entire class except Fiero – so they both save the baby in this version as well – but John M. Chu's choice to change the scene and involve Poppies could be a very clear clue. like Fiyero.

“Wicked: Part One” is now available to rent or buy on demand.