Hold on, here’s the big mega-budgeted and marketed blockbuster that could make the multiplex spin like a farmhouse in a twister. Yes, it has its roots in a much beloved iconic movie, but this version harkens back to another trend dating back to Hollywood’s Golden Age. I’m speaking of the “event” films that were taken from Broadway “smash” shows. Of course, the studios mounted so many original musicals, like the 1939 classic I mentioned earlier, though the stage ‘transplants” really became the “prestege” flicks through the 1950s and 60s with the Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptations, and the “roadshow presentations” that often garned Oscar gold, like THE SOUND OF MUSIC and MY FAIR LADY. Plus the “behind the scenes” wheeling and dealing filled the gossip columns as fans wondered if the original stage casts would be on film, or would they be replaced by “name” movie stars. The success of CHICAGO somewhat revived this sub-genre, though the Broadway to Hollywood formula hasn’t been a “sure” thing (how ’bout them CATS). Well, grab your wand (or broom) because those mega-screen sound systems will be put to the test with the long-awaited arrival of WICKED.
The movie opens near the ending of that timeless tale of THE WIZARD OF OZ, as word of their tormentor’s demise reaches the land of the Munchkins. The confused residents look to their protector, Glinda, the good witch of the North (Ariana Grande-Butera) for confirmation. She tells them that the news is true, which prompts much dancing and celebrating. It’s cut short when one of the revelers asks Glinda if she knew the wicked witch of the West. Yes again, and she tells them of a green baby born to the Munchkinland Governor’s wife, perhaps due to dalliance with a traveling salesman who “plied” her with a mysterious green elixir. The child is rejected by her father but develops a strong bond with her paraplegic kid sister after their mother dies in childbirth. Years later, the younger sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is accepted to Shiz University. Her older sister Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) takes her to the campus orientation, where her fellow students are stunned by her green skin, especially the arriving “diva” Glinda Upland. When Elphaba panics over the staff’s brusk treatment of Nessarose, she inadvertently casts a levitating spell that attracts the attention of the lauded faculty member Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). She offers private magic tutoring with Elphaba, but she’ll need to stay on at Shiz and share a room with Glinda (much to her ire). Despite their clashes, the two begin their studys, with Elphaba bonding with the historian Dr. Dillamond (voice of Peter Dinklage), the only animal teacher (a goat) at the school. Things get more complicated when the dashing and handsome Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) begins classes, making Glinda swoon while annoying Elphaba (perhaps a spark). Over the next weeks, an anti-animal movement ousts Dillamond, and a friendship forms between Glinda and Elphaba just as she is summoned to Emerald City for an audience with the wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). The roommates travel together, but a nefarious plot turns the fun vacation into a desperate dive into dark magic, which will change the duo in unexpected ways.
As to the concerns of the previous stage-to-screen adaptations, even though the film actors didn’t “tread the boards, this is truly a dream ensemble of performances bringing these characters to life on film. First and foremost, after all, the title really refers to her role, is the powerful Ms. Erivo who brings that strength to Elphaba, but also shows us her vulnerability, whether as she joyfully imagines the meeting between “The Wizard and I”, or expressing her anxiety through dance at the big “secret” party. Erivo stands tall as she puts up a wall between her and a mocking world, then allows her strident glare to soften as she finally feels the warmth of kindness. Plus her thunderous vocals make the story soar in the big finale. It helps that she is a great “team player” as she pushes against the comedic juggernaut that is Grande-Butera as the vain, casually cruel, and often ditzy Glinda (though she really wants to be called “Gulinda” for much of the tale). Ms. Ariana sparkles off the screen, actually endearing us to her character’s catty “burns” or by her self-aware “hair-flipping”, weaponizing those lush locks. Speaking of lush, whew, that velvety voice is a big aid to Glinda being “Popular”. This is really the story of this mismatched pair, but they’ve got lots of support, starting with the equally gorgeous Bailey, who seems to be the perfect match for Glinda, until Elphaba nudges him away from his “mirror gazing”. Plus Bailey can really “cut a rug’ as he leads the school in a big splashy number at the library. Yeoh is quite a nurturing mother figure as Morrible, which makes the final act revelations more heart-wrenching. Goldblum is an affable a song-and dance dude ( truly “A Sentimental Man”) who also seems to be the perfect patriarch until, well, he’s not. Bode as Nessarose is full of wide-eyed wonder amplified when she meets her suitor, the sweet awkward Bok from Munchkinland played with a clownish slapstick ease by stage vet Ethan Slater. And in the background, though garnering great laughs are Glinda’s entourage led by the bombastic Browyn James as ShenShen and the snarky sensation of SNL, Bowen Yang as Pfannee.
Guiding through the familiar but somehow fresh and fabulous Oz is director John M. Chu, who honed his musical “chops by bringing us another stage hit IN THE HEIGHTS three years ago and helmed two entries in the STEP UP series. He keeps the camera moving swiftly through those incredible sets (mostly real with few pixels), knowing when to go “big” for the musical showcases but also letting the quiet inform us of the emotions. and how to hit the correct comedy “beats”. He’s more than “opened up” the live show, allowing us to immerse ourselves in this colorful gaudy wonder world. It helps that’s he’s got a witty script to work with thanks to the screenplay by Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman (who did the stage “book”) adapting the original novel by Gregory Maguire. And I must lavish praise on the superb art direction once again. Aside from the aforementioned sets, the costumes are fluid and functional, paired with some stylized, imaginative props, down to the unique eyeglasses worn by Elphaba and Pfannee. The Shizu sets are incredible, but they may be a ‘warm-up” for the astounding look of Emerald City and a great “take’ on the Wizard’s scary “false front”. The dancing is energetic and engaging, though much as was done in the HEIGHTS, often we’re getting overhead shots of folks dancing in their “box space”. Still, the number in the library as students dance and twirl on what looks to be the interior gears of a clock, is eye-popping. Much like the wonderful songs, leading up to a true showstopper in the final moments with lofty strains of “Defying Gravity”. And though the studio marketing team is trying to leave it off the ads and posters, this isn’t the full story, but those looking for epic entertainment will be ecstatic, and eager for the next serving, experiencing the tale of two witches that is WICKED.
3.5 Out of 4
WICKED is now playing in theatres everywhere
