Not everyone knows this, but like Disney, Universal has been in the Broadway business for many years. A number of their shows have been based on their own movies (Shrek, Back to the Future: The Musical, Death Becomes Her) but perhaps their most successful stage show is one that was not.
The stage play Wicked has been entertaining audiences since 2003, has won several Tony Awards and has broken box office records. However, getting the musical from the stage to the big movie screen has been a difficult task. A film adaptation of Wicked has been in discussions since 2004, but the wait has been worth it. And since this has been Universal’s “baby”, they’ve had plenty of time to get this done right.
Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, this movie will no doubt go down in history as Hollywood’s longest musical movie. This movie, which is in theaters this week, has a runtime that clocks in at 160 minutes. But remember, this is just part one. There is a whole second half to see NEXT Thanksgiving! It’s a lot to sit through. Some have suggested that this first half is longer than the entire stage production. Even so, I was highly entertained the entire time.
Wicked is not really another version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story. In fact, Dorothy and friends don’t even make an appearance. In this tale (the first half anyway) is a prequel of sorts. It is about how the “wicked Witch of the West” met “Glinda the Good” in college, a real odd couple at Shiz University.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has always been the … green sheep … of the family. As the oldest daughter, she was practically rejected by her own parents due to her green skin and her unusual abilities. After accompanying her father to take her wheelchair-bound sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to the school, he tells Elphaba to stay behind to watch over her sister and threatens her life if anything should happen to Nessarose.
Galinda (Ariana Grande) is the polar opposite. She’s an only child and is instantly the most popular girl at school. She is used to getting her own way including her own private suite. Of course, the two end up becoming roommates. Egged on by fellow mean students Pfannee (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James), Galinda is set on making Elphaba’s life more miserable than it already is.
While Galinda is pestering Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the school’s headmistress is more fascinated by a power that Elphaba holds. So impressed with her abilities, the mysterious Madame offers to give Elphaba private lessons. Although disappointed, Galinda quickly turns her sights on Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) a narcissistic prince who likes her almost as much as he likes himself.
The college and its surroundings are beautiful and pristine, but when some molding cracks and an image of the Wizard falls off a wall revealing an image of different animals underneath, it is clear to us that something sinister is happening there. The story is set during a time when animals and humans talked and communicated with each other, but there is tension at the school. Dr. Dillamond, a goat (voiced by Peter Dinklage), is one of the remaining animal professors on campus. He shares that animals have been losing their voices. This revelation goes over the heads of most of the students.
Meanwhile, Elphaba’s powers don’t go unnoticed and soon, she gets an invite to meet the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum, in a role that feels as though it were made just for him.) She insists that Galinda joins her in the exciting journey that turns out differently than either of them expects.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, whose resume includes another musical, In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians, Wicked embraces the nostalgia and whimsy of the former Judy Garland classic with a black-and-white version of the old Universal logo, bright colors and inventive surroundings. It’s a CGI masterpiece. Stephen Schwartz’s music is bouncy and unlike other musical movies, you can easily understand the lyrics! This is not only a very pretty movie, but one that celebrates the highs and lows of friendship. And flying monkeys.
Ariana Grande is well-known for her singing, but not as much for her acting. But here, she is hilarious with perfect comedic timing. She lets her inner Kristen Chenoweth come out nailing all of her lines as well as the soprano notes. She doesn’t hijack the music with her familiar runs. Instead, she blends into the production with her four-octave vocal range.
I suspect that not as many people are familiar with Cynthia Erivo even though she has done a large number of projects. She starred on Broadway in The Color Purple and won a Tony. She showed off her acting chops portraying Harriet Tubman in Harriet and was nominated for an Oscar. She was the ONLY thing worth watching from the terrible live action version of Disney’s Pinocchio playing the Blue Fairy. She shines here too with her vocal range being on par with her acting range, if that makes sense. You can sympathize with her when she’s good and when she loses her temper, she’s pretty scary.
Speaking of scary, for those of you who were freaked out by the flying monkeys in the original MGM movie, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, you might want to hold off showing Wicked to your young kids. Although the flying monkeys don’t make an appearance until the end of the movie, they are just as disturbing when they do. Their scenes also usher in the story’s tonal shift into darker territory. Even so, you’ll have the song, “Defying Gravity” playing around in your head for days afterward.
Main Image: Universal Pictures
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