Another show was moved from the stage to the big screen recently.
The Tony award-winning Broadway show Wicked was turned into a movie. The movie, Wicked Part 1, was released on Nov. 22, 2024.
The movie runs for two hours and 40 minutes. It is based on the show written by Winnie Holzman and Stephan Schwartz. The movie was directed by Jon M. Chu and written by the original writers along with Dana Fox.
Wicked follows The Wizard of Oz characters Glinda and Elphaba prior to the events of The Wizard of Oz. It shows how the two witches, who were once best friends, end up as enemies.
Wicked Part 1 opens with Glinda, played by Ariana Grande-Butera, celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of The West.
The plot then flashes back to the Wicked Witch’s childhood. She was once a little girl named Elphaba who was born green and therefore outcast by her family.
Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda originally met in school and formed an unlikely friendship. The rest of Wicked Part 1 follows their friendship unfold and ends in a cliffhanger that will be picked up next year in Wicked Part 2.
While I do understand why the movie had to be split into two parts, I found it very disappointing. It is nice to get all of the tiny details and not feel rushed, I just don’t love having to wait a whole year for the rest of the story and will probably lose interest before then.
Many people who never had the opportunity to see the show live were excited to finally watch it but were then let down when they did not get the entire story.
While not being given the full movie was upsetting, what we were given in the first half was incredible.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both played their characters incredibly, portraying the deep joy and struggle that both go through.
In one particular scene where Glinda and Elpheba connect for the first time, they brought so much emotion to the screen that I got chills and I know many fans who teared up.
Erivo also had multiple stellar vocal performances throughout the movie. “The Wizard and I” was a moving song, and her performance on screen brought it to a whole new level. She also hit every high note perfectly and magically.
Seniors Lily Gavric and Nia Nikas agreed that “The Wizard and I” was one of the best songs.
While Erivo’s version of “Defying Gravity” was also very strong, I found that it was not as powerful as the original. Her overall performance was good, but it lacked the emotion and depth that Idina Menzel had on Broadway.
“I had always listened to defying gravity,” Nikas said. “That was a song that was really important to me.”
This is why it was especially disappointing.“Defying Gravity” was one of the most popular songs from the show, and many fans were looking forward to hearing it.
“It did not add up to what the musical defying gravity is,” Gavric said.
Another strong performance in this movie came from Johnathan Bailey who played Prince Fiyero. This character essentially serves as a love interest to both Glinda and Elphaba in the first movie.
“He had chemistry with every character,” Gavric said. “He was so good.”
I felt that his chemistry and amazing performance were especially apparent in the song “Dancing Through Life.” This was such a fun and upbeat song that got every character in the movie involved. I loved watching as Fiyero moved through the library and got everyone up on their feet dancing.
Another one of my favorite aspects of the movie was the set design and costumes. Everything felt so magical and the scenery was beautiful.
Glinda’s costumes were amazing. All of the pink, flowers, and frills completely captured her as a character and made every scene she was in more fun.
Elphaba costumes were a little bit more underwhelming, but I think that also captures who she is as a character. They fit her nicely.
While it is annoying to not see the full story in one sitting, I would recommend going to see Wicked Part 1.
It definitely does not compare to the original Broadway show, but movie adaptations are never perfect. This took the story of Wicked, brought on amazing actors and designs and made a good movie. If you are a fan of Wicked or musical theater in general, this is definitely worth the watch.
