Wicked’s depiction of disability is refreshing – thanks to authentic casting and an accessible set

by David Wilders, Dublin City University

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Wicked.

With the release of Wicked: Part I, actor Marissa Bode is making history as the first authentic casting of the character of Nessarose Thropp in any production of the musical.

Nessarose is the sister of Wicked’s green-skinned protagonist, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). She was born with a disability because her mother ate milk flowers while pregnant to avoid having another child with green skin. But since Wicked’s earliest productions in 2003, the character has not been well-received among the disabled community.

This is because her disability is presented as something in need of a cure, and the inability to find one has made Nessarose bitter. She is given limited agency and the primary purpose of her character seems to be to emphasise features of other characters. She is used as a pawn in a love triangle and is vengeful and callous.

Bode is the first actor to play Nessarose who uses a wheelchair in real life. As a fan of the musical, and a researcher in disability studies, I was interested to see if this casting represented a change in attitude towards the character.

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The film establishes a more compassionate relationship between the two sisters than the musical. An original scene for the movie adaptation shows a childhood flashback in which Elphaba is bullied for the colour of her skin. The taunting makes Nessarose cry, upset that her sister is being laughed at. Their father, however, misunderstands her tears, and believes that Nessarose is crying because of the rocks Elphaba launched at her bullies using her magic.

When the sisters arrive at Shiz University, Nessarose is enrolled but Elphaba isn’t – she has come along at her father’s request to look after her sister. Unlike their father, Elphaba seems well aware that Nessarose doesn’t need help.

As the students make their way onto campus, their father grabs the handles of Nessarose’s wheelchair. In unison, the sisters cry “don’t help me” and “don’t help her”. Nessarose proceeds to wheel herself and describes Shiz as her chance for a “new start”.

The film makes it clear that she is striving for independence in ways that the stage show does not. It emphasises the fact that people with disabilities do not constantly require (or even want) support. Nessarose is perfectly capable of wheeling herself into university, thanks to a building that was designed with people with disabilities in mind.

Later, Miss Coddle (Keala Settle), a teacher at Shiz, refers to Nessarose as “tragically beautiful”. This implies that her beauty is linked to her disability.

Comments which attempt to equate standards of beauty with someone’s physical disability are wrong. We don’t get much reaction from Nessarose, which is disappointing, because it would have been powerful to see her interrogating Coddle’s words. Perhaps part of the reason is that Elphaba (who has been standing beside her) interjects and introduces herself as “beautifully tragic”.

Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode dancing in Wicked. Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

In another scene, Coddle attempts to push Nessarose’s wheelchair. Elphaba tells her that her sister doesn’t need help, and it is clear through Bode’s expression that Nessarose is uncomfortable. But she is ignored. The actor talked to Teen Vogue about this moment, saying: “I have related to that way too many times.”

Elphaba is enraged and uses magic in an attempt to protect Nessarose. She levitates objects in the courtyard, including her sister in her wheelchair. Nessarose is frightened, and later embarrassed. Once she is safely on the ground, she berates Elphaba: “This was my chance, my new start.”

What is next for Nessarose?

Bode told US TV show Today: “All disabilities are different, and there are some people in wheelchairs that have a higher level of needs and higher level of caregiving. But I think this was a moment to showcase that I don’t have to be dependent on somebody.”

Bode’s words are in direct contrast to those her character sings in the original musical. This takes place towards the beginning of act 2 in the stage show, so may appear towards the beginning of next year’s Wicked: Part II.

In the song, Nessarose denounces Elphaba (now banished from Oz):

You fly around Oz trying to rescue animals you’ve never even met

And not once have you ever thought to use your powers to rescue me!

All of my life, I’ve depended on you.

Marissa Bode with the cast of Wicked. ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock Photo

This is a prime example of how Nessarose was initially written without proper consideration for the community that she represents. She takes issue with her disability, rather than taking pride in it, and says that she has “depended on” Elphaba all of her life. The Nessarose of Wicked: Part I, in contrast, does not depend on anyone.

Bode has described herself as “over the moon” with the decision to cast her, a wheelchair user, as Nessarose. However, she also explained her apprehension at how this casting choice would be perceived.

Due to a lack of representation of people with disabilities in TV, film and theatre, she has questioned the industry’s readiness for authentic casting: “When you’re not represented a lot and you don’t see yourself, you still have — or at least I did have — a little bit of, ‘I know what I’m capable of.

“I know that I can act. I know other disabled talent that can act and can mode … But how much of the industry is willing to go for that and is willing to seek out disabled people and willing to listen?”

During production, Bode spoke with Winnie Holzman, who adapted the novel Wicked for stage and screen. The pair discussed the concerns the disabled community have with the character and worked together to make some “healthy changes”.

This extended to the film’s groundbreaking accessible production design. Chantelle Nassari, also a wheelchair user, served as the film’s disability coordinator. Her experience and insight were pivotal in making the set accessible. She also helped to design Nessarose’s custom wheelchair, modelled on the one Bode uses in her daily life.

Through details like these, Wicked is setting new standards for prioritising disability access – on both sides of the camera.

David Wilders, PhD Candidate, School of English, Dublin City University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.