Warning: this review contains spoilers.
“Wicked,” the highly anticipated film adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s Broadway musical (based on Gregory Maguire’s book) hit screens on Friday, Nov. 22 and has caused quite the commotion. The movie brought a bang at the box office with record-breaking numbers. According to an article released by NBC Universal, it has broken “Les Miserables’” record in the category of “Biggest Opening Weekend for a Broadway Adaptation,” earning $163 million after its release.
The story is the prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.” It relays the life and times of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) before she was known as “The Wicked Witch of the West,” and her roommate, classmate and eventual best friend Galinda “Glinda” Upland (Ariana Grande), before she became “The Good Witch.”
Elphaba, taunted her entire life by society and harshly scorned by her own father for being born with green skin, feels that she is a burden and an outsider; unwanted even. Elphaba arrives at Shiz University to drop off her younger sister, Nessarose, for the academic year. When Elphaba loses her temper and her powers cause a disturbance, a professor named Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices these powers and convinces her to stay at Shiz to nurture and work on her talents. She even promises her a visit with the Wizard of Oz, which Elphaba excitedly sings about in “The Wizard and I.” This is where Galinda and Elphaba first cross paths, turning rivals to dearest friends, going from “What Is This Feeling?” to “Defying Gravity.” From here, the story progresses and things get complicated. Alongside the main plot, there is also the subplot about the “Something Bad” that is happening in Oz between the people and animals who are a large part of society.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were absolutely spectacular in their principal roles. From the stellar vocals to brilliant acting, these leading ladies were amazing. Some may know Erivo from her past projects: Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of “The Color Purple” and Harriet Tubman in the film “Harriet” (2019). From one musical theater fan to another, Erivo has been a powerhouse in the theater world for years now and clearly deserved this role as Elphaba.
As for Ariana Grande, her vocals are phenomenal, and the way she portrayed Glinda was hilarious. I have not seen “Wicked” on stage, unaware of how funny the show was going to be upon entering the movie theater — and Grande made me laugh the most. She really gave this role her all. The rest of the main cast all blew me away with their performances as actors, singers and dancers. The cast was packed with triple-threat creatives.
The sets, costumes, hair and makeup design for this film were incredible. Director Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “In The Heights”) said he wanted to “immerse people into Oz” and “to make it a real place.” Chu did exactly this by having all of the sets built for “Wicked” rather than using CGI technology to create them. The production designer, Nathan Crowley, succeeded in making Oz a real place. As for the costumes, they were perfect. Paul Tazewell, the costume designer, kept “Wicked” connected to its core – with Glinda always wearing pink and Elphaba dressing mostly in black – while also taking creative liberty to envision new costuming for every character, including our two favorite witches. My personal favorites were the Ozdust Ballroom costumes, Nessarose’s silver slippers that have tornado heels (a nod to the 1939 “The Wizard of Oz”), Elphaba’s grand, all-black outfit with a cape during “Defying Gravity,” and Galinda’s pink gown that she wears at the very beginning of the film for the musical number “No One Mourns The Wicked.”
Moving onto hair and makeup, designer Frances Hannon did a great job with the momentous task of hair and makeup for this movie. Elphaba’s green skin is a major task to take on. What I noticed (and liked) was that rather than putting Cynthia Erivo into a traditional wig, Hannon had her wear a micro-braided wig, which was hand-braided by wig maker Samuel James.
Recently on the internet – or at least the side of the internet I am on – many have noted the aspects of the film that reach back to director Victor Fleming’s 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and the 2003 Broadway musical “Wicked,” some subtle foreshadowing of what is to come in part two which will be released November 2025, as well as some very special cameos. For example, the title card font and multiple rainbows seen throughout “Wicked” pay homage to “The Wizard of Oz” and the iconic song “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” originally sung by Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale.
Multiple musical cues reference the emotional duet “For Good” between Elphaba and Glinda that is to come in “Wicked: Part Two” next year. Glinda picks up a pair of ruby red slippers while singing “Popular.” Fiyero not being affected by Elphaba’s poppy flowers (that make the rest of the class fall into a deep sleep) foreshadows his later fate – he eventually becomes the Scarecrow. Then, the original Broadway witches, Idina Menzel (who played Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (who played Glinda) make a cameo appearance in “One Short Day.”
All in all, “Wicked” is worth the watch and definitely gets the musical-theater-kid stamp of approval. Even if you know nothing about the musical and have never had a true interest in theater, go see this film, you will not regret it.
Victoria Tibets can be reached at [email protected].
