Gregory Maguire’s book “Wicked” was published in Sep. 1995 and is a prologue to the beloved book “The Wizard of Oz.” The book introduces us to the backgrounds of the original characters as well as some of Maguire’s own imagination. By 2003 the hit book became a hit Broadway musical and took the world by storm.
Idina Menzel, the original Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda, both were Broadway veterans when they took on their roles. Menzel already being nominated for a Tony for her performance in the musical “Rent.” She eventually won a Tony Award for her role as Elphaba.
In 2012, “Wicked” the musical was rumored to be turned into a film. However, the film would not be released until this year, 2024, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes and creative delays. Casting for the film was a lengthy two-year process, beginning in 2019 and ending in 2021 with the main roles going to Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Johnathan Bailey.
Theater kids everywhere were thrilled to see the casting and production finally starting, while also being hesitant. The musical is a special one for most theatergoers and no one wants to see it get messed up, much like the musical movie adaptation “Cats.” Fans were happy to hear the announcement that the film was being split into two movies. Many commenting that this would “do the musical justice” and “give it (the musical) the spotlight it deserves.”
On Nov. 22nd, 2024, the first part of the “Wicked” movie was released and fans across the globe sat waiting for the opening notes of “No One Mourns the Wicked” to be sung. The powerful opening act introduces us to Glinda the Good Witch and the Munchkins. Grande’s vocals blew away even the most skeptical of fans in this song alone. One commenter even said the song proved Grande was made to be Glinda.
After the almost eight-minute ballad, we are transported to Shiz University, where we then meet Elphaba, her sister and the professors. When seeing the visual aspects of Shiz University, we can really see how much effort and time was put into this film. The director, Jon M. Chu, was set on building as much of the set as possible, wanting to limit the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI.) This goal of Chu’s resulted in nine million tulips being planted for Munchkin land and the bullet train to the Emerald City actually being built. In fact, anything that could be built or created without using CGI Chu chose to use.
Chu was not the only one who wanted to do the musical justice, Erivo and Granda also set out to be the best Elphaba and Glinda they could be. The pair decided to sing the film live, to show solidarity for the women on Broadway who sing the show eight times a week. Many viewers think this decision led to a better film experience as we get to hear fun little quirks we would not hear if they had been lip syncing. A notable moment we would have missed is Erivo startling Grande at the end of “What is This Feeling.”
Many fans have now seen the “Wicked” movie multiple times and cannot stop talking about the film, set, cast and merch collaborations. With the fans overwhelming approval and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%, it is safe to say that “Wicked” has exceeded the expectations of fans.
