Good news! The long awaited movie adaptation of “Wicked”, the long-lasting broadway musical and book by Gregory Maguire arrived on Nov 24. Wicked reimagines the century long tale of good and evil from The Wizard of Oz, focusing on The Good Witch of the North and Wicked Witch of the West.
The movie begins as Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) leggero soprano voice cascades over “No One Mourns the Wicked”, arranging a captivating tale of a wicked witch. However, several have questions about the time Glinda spent with her former companion, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). Glinda begins to detail her time at “Dear Old Shiz”, and suddenly the cast flashbacks to school. The two meet school, initially full of loathing for one another, however eventually they put aside their differences. Synonymously, Elphaba begins to hone her magic skills with Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), becoming skillful enough to meet The Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). However, at their meeting in the Emerald City, Elphaba learns of the Wizard’s crimes against the animal population in Oz. She vows to defy gravity, fighting against his regime, and the first part of the movie closes with the iconic belt in “Defying Gravity”.
Other notable cast members include Jonathan Bailey, known for his role in Netflix’s “Bridgerton”, who plays the role of Fiyero; the handsome prince and love interest of both Elphaba and Glinda. The audience let out an unforgettable gasp when Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth graced the screen as the Wise Ones. However at this point in the film, the response to the magic onscreen waned as the movie neared the two hour mark. The largest critique of the movie adaptation is its two hour 40 min run time, almost as long as the original musicals run time of two hours 45 min. However, “Wicked”, the movie, only contains Act One of the musical, meaning another over two hour film will be coming in 2025 for Act Two.
Wicked asks an essential question: are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? The story reflects on the discriminatory parts of society, essentially describing how society outcasts people of color, and specifically women of color. Bowen Yang’s character, Pfannee, states “I don’t see color,” a direct callout to hypocritical racism. When one is cast aside from society and scorned for reasons they cannot control, the likelihood they will become ‘wicked’ is much more significant.
The musical also provides commentary on how society responds to propaganda. While Elphaba does not do anything inherently evil, Madame Morrible and the Wizard depict her as the villian. The wizard himself says that “The best way to bring folks together is to give them a really good enemy”.
Director Jon Chu leaves several easter eggs from the original film in this adaptation, from musical details to iconic costumes. “No One Mourns the Wicked” opens with trumpets seeming to announce, “good news the witch is…”, hinting at act two of the musical. Choreography designed by Christopher Scott explores what direction Fieryo’s character will take in act two, with fluid movements reminiscent of the scarecrow’s in “Dancing Through Life”. Most notably, Glinda clicks red ruby slippers three times in “Popular” to respect the iconic shoes in “The Wizard of Oz”.
Fans and movie-goers alike eagerly await the next installment of “Wicked”, coming in November of 2025. Jon Chu let slip that there will be multiple new songs in Act Two, leading to even more buzz. While several scandals attempted to overrun the excitement of the movie, the star studded cast and relevant story proved worthy of the audience’s attention. It reminds us that everyone deserves a chance to fly.
