The Wizard of Oz is a story that has been told countless times with each adaption feeling timeless and magical. From the Judy Garland film, to Oz, the Great and Powerful, and there was also the cartoons based off the books years back, but one of the most popular adaptions was not even a film or a television show but a broadway musical. Wicked debuted on broadway in 2003, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a story based off the 1995 book by Gregory Maguire. To say it has been a long journey to turn this novel into a film would be an understatement. Risking the popularity of Frank L. Baum’s seminal original book of The Wizard of Oz was always going to be a hard job, considering it was re-telling the story from the Witches perspective. Who wants to like a villain? Turns out everyone and Wicked is one of the most popular musicals of all time thanks to it.
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu delivered a musical only a few years back with In the Heights, a dazzling and visually stunning effort of transforming a big broadway show into a big screen blockbuster. The problem he faced with Wicked was the story. There is a lot of depth, a lot of character development and an ambitious amount of production value needed to bring it to life. The solution was clear, get big names, promise the best version possible but split the film into two. That’s right, Wicked is only part one with part two coming to cinemas a year later. This allowed enough room for the story to breathe.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo play the titular witches, the pretty in pink Galinda and the popular green witch herself Elphaba. With both actresses having talent and history in the music industry it appeared to be a no brainer to allow both of these stars to deliver some truly groundbreaking performances as the two famous witches of Oz. Joining them are Michelle Yeoh as a University professor gifted with magic, Jeff Goldblum as the titular Wizard of Oz, as well as Jonathon Bailey as Prince Fiyero with many others in the cast.
Wicked embraces diversity and inclusion in every frame of the film. No character is left out, no story is left untold. Sisterhood is a key theme at play here, but there is the more obvious theme of embracing cultural differences and breaking down stereotypes. Prince Fiyero may look like a prince charming but there is more to him than that. There is also the mystery of the animals being taken away and losing their voices. All these arcs all prepare us for the inevitable story that is The Wizard of Oz. The journey there is a powerful one with many catchy and colourful tunes along the way. Each song is carefully choreographed and morphs into the story in a lyrical and magical way, fully embracing the themes of the film.
Wicked is doing for musicals what The Lord of the Rings did for fantasy, it is telling a big, larger than life story in an immersive world which is brimming with character. You can’t help but want to learn more about this world and these characters. Elphaba is equally an embracing, flawed yet captivating character too. As we head on her journey we see how everyone helps turn her into the person she is doomed to become. Wicked is a beacon of power and gives voices to people who demand to be heard. Wicked will go down as another classic musical.
★★★★★
5/5
Final Verdict:
Wicked does not miss a beat and it doesn’t waste a second of story. From start to finish, we learn about the friendship between Galinda and Elphaba, both brilliantly portrayed by Grande and Erivo. Their chemistry and character development will have you weeping, gasping and shouting at the screen. Despite the long runtime the film never feels like it is overstaying its welcome. In fact it makes you wish for part two sooner as the world of Oz feels every bit as welcoming and magical as you would expect.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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