2,141 (62%)
In 1995 Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West landed on bookshelves (back when such things existed). Less than a decade later it found itself on Broadway, transformed into a musical starring Idina Menzel (as Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (as Glinda). Nabbing Tonys, a Grammy, and notching over 7,000 performances on Broadway becoming only third production to gross over $1 billion dollars.
In 2024 John M. Chu, successful, if unnoted director of Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Step Up 2 & 3, a G.I. Joe sequel, and Now You See Me 2 (2016). However, in 2021 Chu brought the sleeper musical hit In the Heights to the silver screen. He was paired with two notable vocal talents, but without any blockbuster big-screen pedigree in Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda). Could this talented but untested trio capture the magic that captivated audiences in print and on-stage in the dark of the cinema?
The opening of Wicked is tragic and beautiful before bringing us to the fabled Munchkinland. The eyes must adjust to the intense color grating and distinctly different-looking Munchkins (though not in the blasphemous manner of Burton’s Oompa Loompa abominations). Then something magical occurs, Grande as Glinda floats down from the sky, and she commands the screen.
Chu delightfully introduces near-horror elements into the candy-colored world of Oz, as the flames of an effigy burn high into the sky and the townspeople dance with brutal, ruthless joy. At this point, Wicked becomes the biopic of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, as recalled through the eyes of her rival and friend Glinda.
Wicked is derivative of so many whimsical stories of cast-off children before it. Once our two leads arrive at the Shiz, the school for the land of Oz’s most Hogwartian youths, Chu takes us through all of the expected beats. Elphaba is openly derided for her stunning green skin, our odd couple is thrown together, Glinda battles her entitlement & demand of popularity and acceptance and the budding humanity that is kindled in her closeness to Elphaba. While Elphaba’s gifts are for the first time treasured by an authority figure in Michelle Yeoh’s Madama Morrible and her guard is gradually penetrated by Glinda, a first love interest, and a beloved teacher who understands her experiences in the world around her. Each step of the story is as expected as the last.
What makes Wicked work is Ervio and Grande’s enthralling comedic and charming chemistry. The two actresses use their stunning vocal talents combined with brilliant physical performances. With a glint of the eye, a shift of the brow, a slant of the shoulder, these women move through Wicked with exquisite confidence.
Wicked which boasts the original Oz’s art deco stylings, feels more akin to the grand musical productions (sans the demand on geometric designs) of Busby Berkeley. This isn’t In the Heights or Spielberg’s West Side Story’s return to the streets, but a romantic return to the cinematic grandeur of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Chu builds to a climax that packs an intense emotional punch that was missing from the previous 2 hours but closes Wicked Part 1 on a high note, soaring into the skies.
