The first part of “Wicked” released on Nov. 22, 2024. It is based on the hit Broadway show of the same name, which debuted in 2003 and was written by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. The show itself was based on a less popular book “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire that gives backstory to the witches of Oz from the original movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”
The movie follows Elphaba, a young woman who was born with green skin and magical abilities, as she escorts her sister, Nessarose, to Shiz University. After Madame Morrible, the magic teacher at Shiz, discovers Elphaba’s magic after an unexpected outburst, she is allowed to attend. There, she shares a room with Galinda, a self-centered, spoiled, and popular young woman. At first, Elphaba and Galinda hate each other but they soon become best friends. The two travel to the Emerald City to meet the wizard, who is impressed by Elphaba’s magic talent, as it is rare. However, the two discover that the wizard and Madame Morrible want to silence animals, who, due to magic, can talk. Due to this, Elphaba runs away while Galinda, who had changed her name to Glinda to honor Dr. Dillamond, stays behind and the two end up on opposite sides of a fight. Elphaba is titled the Wicked Witch of the West by the public and Glinda becomes The Good Witch. Even so, the two remain best friends, which gives the movie a beautiful message about friendship and doing what is right.
The movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The star-studded cast also includes Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero (Glinda and Elphaba’s love interest), Marissa Bode as Nessarose, and Ethan Slater as Boq (Nessarose’s crush). The movie also featured a stunning cast of background characters including Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Keala Settle, and more. The movie was directed by John M. Chu and the screenplay was written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.
Chu commented in an NBC Special promoting the movie that he originally saw the show before it came to Broadway and from that moment, he has been imagining how to make it a movie. Talks about a movie for “Wicked” originally surfaced in 2013. From that moment on, one actress in particular was working for the part. Grande saw the show when she was seven or eight years old. She won an auction to meet Kristen Chenoweth, the original Broadway actress for Glinda. Grande fell in love with the role and made it her goal to one day play Glinda. When she first heard rumors of a movie in 2013, she immediately got into action. She got singing and acting lessons to prepare for the role. She became a method actress, altering her voice and even dying her hair for the role. When she received the role, she was ecstatic. The love for her role made it even better. Chu often stated she was there to make sure nothing important got cut from the movie. When watching the movie, you can see how her love for the role made it even better because her acting is amazing.
The other lead, Erivo, was just as incredible. In the same NBC special, she stated that she performed her own stunts, which included flying around on a broom. While doing her stunts, she sang on set, and she was so good that they didn’t need her pre-recordings, using her live set performances. She stated she and Grande did this in order to be more connected to the live singing done in Broadway shows. She also stressed that it was important for her to be in character at all times on set. This is why at the start of every day of filming, she was painted green to match her character, as opposed to using CGI in post. She urged that it was important for her and her co-stars that it felt real. By her first solo in “The Wizard and I”, it was clear that her vocals were perfectly strong and fitting for the performance.
One of the many lessons in the movie is friendship. The friendship between the two main characters, Elphaba and Glinda, is vital to the plot and gives the audiences something to relate to. We all have that one friend who we would love to defy gravity with. Sometimes, friendships start out rather bad, like the rivalry seen between Glinda and Elphaba. However, for the actresses who played them, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Erivo and Grande gushed over each other’s flawless performances in the movie. They remarked on how they became fast friends, bonding over their love for the show and care for the movie. They continue to talk, even after filming finished. Their in-person friendship just makes their chemistry on screen more believable and the movie better.
The show features many hit songs including “Popular”, “What is This Feeling?”, and most notably, “Defying Gravity”. Each song in the score is very well done with insane vocals and amazing accompanying instruments. The vocals were easier to understand in the movie than in its live counterpart due to the capabilities of editing, not possible in live theatre. They did record separate tracks, however, they were not used. This even extended to during the stunts, where they continued to rely on the raw singing of the actors.
Another reason the movie was incredible was the sets. The crew was adamant that the sets look as real as possible, so they made them real. The crew made a life size Emerald City and Shiz University. The only time a green screen was used in the movie was during the flying portions. Everything else was an actual set. The crew worked very hard to make sure everything was just right which made the movie even more magical.
Many were skeptical about the movie’s ability to give the show or book enough justice. However, “Wicked” was able to defy expectations and provide a faithful retelling that only adds to the original musical it was based on. The director and cast were strict that it should be as close to the show as possible, a choice made obvious in the movie. The movie ends where the first intermission of the show ends, setting up for the second act. Although the movie only consists of the first half, it is as long as the entire original show, meaning they were able to keep everything in and still add even more to make it better. They added a lot of character background, especially for Elphaba. The additional time for the first act allowed for the showing of the sets and scenes. In a Broadway show, there is no way to emphasize specific details or change sets partway through a scene. This was possible in a movie which helped provide backstory and bring magic to the audience.
Even though the movie mirrored the original stage show, there were still some fascinating surprises. For instance, Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, the original Elphaba on Broadway, made cameos in the film, something that was kept completely secret. In the scene, Chenoweth sings with Grande while Menzel sings with Erivo making the scene a wholesome and symbolic passing down of roles.
Overall, I think the movie was a hit. It didn’t take too much away from the show, and I feel it made it even better. Part Two is coming out Nov. 21, 2025. Go see “Wicked” out now in theaters!
