Who can say why the "Finale" was left out of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack. But don't worry musical theatre fans—the track has now been released, with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's reprise of the song "For Good" and the cast reprising "No One Mourns the Wicked." It is now available on the Wicked: For Good score soundtrack, featuring underscoring for the film from Stephen Schwartz and John Powell. Listen to the finale below (the singing begins at 3:22).
For those with keen ears, it sounds quite similar to the stage version of the finale, with the exception that on stage, the finale begins with "no one mourns the wicked." Here, it begins with Grande singing, "who can say if I've been changed for the better." So in terms of changes to the Wicked stage score, this one is relatively minor.
Wicked: For Good, part two of a two-part Wicked film based on the hit Broadway musical, is out in cinemas now. It recently broke records as the highest opening weekend for a Broadway musical adaptation.
The film also feature West End Company Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater as Boq, Emmy winner Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose, the first wheelchair-using actor in the musical's history to take on the role.
Stage and screen star Keala Settle, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael are also in the cast, with Settle as Miss Coddle, Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Yang, James, and Teoh as Shiz students Pfannee, ShenShen, and Avaric, respectively.
The screen adaptation, which includes new songs by Stephen Schwartz, is helmed by In the Heights screen director Jon M. Chu. Wicked book writer Winnie Holzman penned the screenplay with Dana Fox, and Tony winner Paul Tazewell designed the Oscar-winning costumes.
Wicked, injecting a new backstory onto the classic tale The Wizard of Oz, debuted on Broadway in 2003 and continues to be an audience favorite at the Gershwin Theatre. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical features music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Holzman. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The musical is now the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history.
The show won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).