Thank goodness for this brilliant film adaptation.
There is so much that could have gone wrong with this film, in fact I avoided seeing it for quite a while because I was so worried it would hurt my heart. Like so many, "Wicked" has meant a great deal to me since it opened over twenty years ago. Indeed, with the exception of "Hamilton", one could easily argue that it is the most culturally impactful musical of the past two decades. And the piece is more relevant now than ever - from the political under (and over) tones the musical does not shy away from (though it softens them from the book), and the idea of an ostracized but powerful young woman fighting against an all but worshipped leader who is destroying an entire population in the name of needing a "scapegoat" (pun intended by me and the show) to the fact that the Man Behind The Curtain never knew what he was doing in the first place, has gone from applicable to terrifyingly resonant.
The film uses cinematic language to enhance and expand the story, not to override it. It knows how to get out of the piece's way. I would love to see director Jon M. Chu direct a new film adaptation of "Into the Woods" - the existing film adaptation destroyed the original material. This "Wicked" film understands and clearly loves the material it is adapting.
I also hope that this is an opportunity for composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz to finally get the recognition he deserves for the brilliant score he created over twenty years ago. The score for the "Wicked" film (including the underscoring by Schwartz and John Powell) is so powerful it deserves to be on the shelf next to the score to "E.T." It's remarkable the thought that has gone into every note of Schwartz's work (and how that translates to the underscoring), and the emotional impact it has on the audience. Schwartz, tragically, has never won a Tony award (though he has won just about every other) and infamously lost the Tony for best score for "Wicked" to, of all things, "Avenue Q." I hope that he finally gets the accolades he deserves for this show at the Oscars this year and next.
The art direction too is up there with the greatest films of all time. Taking a large cue not just from the "Wizard of Oz" film (which the "Wicked" movie was able to get rights to that the musical couldn't - hence small details like Glinda's "Bubble dress" being pink in the film but blue onstage, and "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" being allowed to be more openly referenced in the film score for "No One Mourns the Wicked"), but, wisely, from the original book illustrations. Chu also very smartly used practical effects whenever possible, even going so far as to plant a field of real poppies just to get a shot or two of folks running through them, and actually building the giant train that takes Elphaba and Glinda to the Emerald City. The piece feels magical, yet grounded, and like it could honestly have been the "real" blueprint for every "Oz" story that has come before - from the original books and silent movies, to the MGM film, to "Return to Oz" to "Wicked." This fall's hit Disney+ show "Agatha All Along" also used practical effects, and I hope that show and "Wicked" herald a large scale return to that style. CGI lets us do many things, but feel grounded in a magical world is not one of them.
The decision to divide the story into two films was, in this case, greatly needed and justified. The three hour run time of Part 1 flew by and I was grateful for every second.
Ariana Grande pulls out a star turn as Glinda... so much so that I think she actually tips the story a bit more in favor of Glinda being the protagonist. My one qualm with Cynthia Erivo's interpretation is that Elphaba doesn't go on much of an arc... yes there are heartbreaking moments of vulnerability, but her Elphaba starts and ends strong. There is no doubt in your mind that the Elphaba you meet at the beginning of the story will be standing up to the Wizard and singing "Defying Gravity" by the end... one of the things that I loved about Idina Menzel (the original Elphaba)'s performance was how she went from almost wide eyed innocence (this was a girl stepping into Shiz as full of wonder and hope as Dorothy stepping into Oz... ) we then get to watch that hope crushed during the course of the first act. Part of the stunning nature of Menzel's interpretation is that there is no way her top of show Elphaba would ever be singing "Defying Gravity" - and we get to see how she gets there. Grande's Glinda, however, goes on a stunning arc, adding layers of (appropriate) depth (she remains very true to the character) to Glinda. We don't just see Glinda be privileged, funny, and bratty but we get a sense of WHY she acts that way... she's terrified of being treated the way other people treat Elphaba - one of the reasons she's especially concerned about being "paired up" with her. It makes the moment in the Ozdust Ballroom when she puts her popularity on the line to dance with Elphaba a full on act of heroism. She doesn't just feel bad... she is brutally empathetic in a way I haven't seen from Glinda before. I'll be honest, I was skeptical about her casting going in... I now 100% think she deserves an Oscar (and in the Leading category, though, smartly, I know she is being submitted for Supporting (which will likely increase her chances.))
I was ultimately won over by Cynthia Erivo as well. I'm a huge fan of hers from "The Color Purple" on Broadway, but I wasn't sure about her in this role. Erivo has a natural grounded, powerful centeredness to her which, in my opinion, isn't ALWAYS appropriate for Elphaba (though it's certainly where Elphaba ultimately lands.) I thought her moments of vulnerability were beautiful, and how she layers Elphaba's "walls" over a beautifully soft center was lovely - especially knowing how difficult it is to pull off.
Grande and Erivo are obviously two of the best singers in the business (with Grande also being known for being THE best vocal imitator on the planet... something she employs to great effect here, incorporating Kristin Chenoweth (the original Glinda who the role was written for)'s style and timbre, while never losing her own distinct sound.) And I think everyone in the musical theater world (including Grande and Erivo) were stunned at how perfectly their two very different voices blend together. Erivo is well ensconced in the Broadway world, but Grande is most well-known in the T.V. and music world... I hope that this film brings her back to her Broadway roots. It's a shame we haven't seen more of what she's capable of before now.
Jonathan Bailey may be the best Fiyero I've ever seen. Too often Fiyero is played as a pretty boy who can get away with murder... until he develops a heart. Bailey plays him like a Disney prince who knows EXACTLY what story he's in and what role he's playing within it. He's not arrogant, he's smooth. He's not a jerk, he's cheeky. His Fiyero truly LOVES the effect he has on people... it's not just a side effect of his charisma that he takes for granted. It's his honest concern for Glinda and the way he gently lays her on her desk when she's been caught up in Elphaba's spell after Dr. Dillamond has been taken away...it's in how he deals with Boq without being cruel or embarrassing him...it's the way he's actually concerned for Elphaba when he almost runs her down on his horse in the forest (BLESS Chu for changing the circumstances of this "meet cute" - it now takes place at night when Elphaba is walking home alone in a forest (and, in Fiyero's defense, she does "blend in with the foliage") and Fiyero, "Wuthering Heights" style, jumps off his horse to make sure she's ok, as opposed to the moment in the musical, where Fiyero's chauffeur almost runs her over in broad daylight in the middle of campus, and then dismisses it with "well, maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go...") BEFORE he starts verbally sparring with her (he's also the first person in the movie to be able to keep up with Elphaba's verbal sparring skills.) There's an element that Chu has brought out that metaphorically "rhymes" with the original "Oz" film that is subtly mirrored in the musical, but now rings loud and clear (SPOILERS AHEAD). Boq, who will become the Tin Man, actually has a huge heart (indeed, his entire character arc is led by his heart, for better or worse,) Fiyero, who will become the Scarecrow, is one of the most intelligent people in Oz - in some ways, especially in this version, combining the best of Glinda and Elphaba's intelligence - he is both brilliant in his use of charisma, and (will become) bravely intellectual - the seeds of which we see in the almost "White Knight" way he responds to any situation he's in. Bailey makes us all wish WE ended up with Fiyero... not an easy task when his character is so rooted in "spoiled rich boy." And it makes sense how deeply (and, one might say, villainously,) it will affect Glinda when she loses him.
Marissa Bode is a lovely Nessarose, finding a great balance between sweet girl, and young woman fighting for her independence. Not to mention the razor wire edge Nessa needs to walk between engendering the love and care of her sister, while still being deeply embarrassed by her. But Nessarose doesn't really come into her own until the second half of the story, and I'm curious how Bode will handle Nessa's transformation into wicked tyrant (not to mention how the special effects to make Bode walk will work... much has been made in the critical mob subsection of the internet of the fact that this character, who is a wheelchair user for much of the story, has never been played by an actual wheelchair user before - never mind the fact that her gaining the ability to walk during the final third of her story is a HUGE plot point, not only for her character, but for the Oz story in general. Perhaps technology will eventually change that in the stage production, but for now I'm excited to see how Chu will work his Wizardry for the film.)
The ensemble is TOP NOTCH (and includes many "Wicked" alums) and the dancing is the best I've seen onscreen in a long time. I really hope a more extensive behind the scenes of the dance sequences is released at some point...these dancers (and choreographer Christopher Scott) deserve their laurels.
I'm very thankful that nothing in the score was cut (in fact some select music has been added.) Stephen Schwartz and original book writer Winnie Holzman know what they're doing - they're genius dramaturges and I'm thankful that that work was honored and respected. People forget how difficult it was adapting Gregory Maguire's book into a musical... the book is very dark, very adult and very political. Holzman and Schwartz are the ones who put Glinda and Elphaba's relationship at the center of the story (Glinda is all but a side character in the book,) and hit just the right balance with the political elements of the story - enough to let them sucker punch you, not enough to make you fall asleep. I remember listening to interviews where Rob Marshall bent over backwards to justify the removal of "No More" from the "Into the Woods" movie (arguably the summation of the heart of the conflict within the entire piece) because "audiences will tune out if there are two ballads in a row." Excuse me while I go hit my head against a wall. But Chu and team listened to, and collaborated with Schwartz and Holzman, and used the songs as they were intended - as linchpins to tell the story. Could you have cut "I'm Not That Girl" and covered it with a couple lines of dialogue? Technically the plot wouldn't have fallen apart... but emotionally the story would have. Chu has also taken advantage of the fact that in the collective consciousness "Oz" is inherently a place that sings, and has found a way to let many of the songs sit in that magical ether that exists easily onstage, but more rarely in film, where songs are not diegetic, but don't take you out of the story. (For the uninitiated, diegetic music is music that occurs, literally, within the actual story. In "Moulin Rouge" when Satine is singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", Satine is actually singing the song while performing at the Moulin Rouge. In "The Sound of Music" when Liesl and Rolf are singing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" they are not LITERALLY singing to each other in a gazebo. In "Wicked" songs happily coexist both digetically and non-diagetically.)
Are there nitpicks? Sure (why does Glinda put multiple pink clothing items on Elphaba, not liking any of them, only to suddenly discover (and deliver the iconic line) at the end when she puts a rose in Elphaba's hair that "pink goes good with green"?) But I don't really care. The spirit of the original has been captured and for that a hearty congratulotions are in order.
Beth Hartley
WICKED is currently in cinemas worldwide
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