The humble beginnings of Glinda The Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West in the Land of Oz are explored in Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the smash Broadway musical.
The MGM classic The Wizard of Oz has had its fair share of spinoffs since its release in 1939; most notably in Walter Murch’s 1985 demented but still uniquely wondrous Return To Oz, Sam Raimi’s 2013 prequel Oz The Great And Powerful, and the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The story was adapted by Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz into the smash Broadway musical Wicked, which after 21 years has finally been adapted into a feature film, and the first part of this reimagination of L. Frank Baum’s timeless fantasy arrives in movie theaters everywhere with flying colors through Jon M. Chu’s creative direction, amazing set design and phenomenal work from its two leads.
Arguably the tale to jumpstart the trend of villain origin stories before it became commonplace within big budget filmmaking: Wicked begins with the conception of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) during an affair between her mother Melena (Courtney-Mae Briggs) and a traveling salesman while her father Frexspar Thropp (Andy Nyman) is out serving the city of Munchkinland as its governor. Immediately shunned by him upon birth for her green skin, Elphaba is cursed with a childhood full of ridicule amongst her peers, but has her paraplegic younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to lean on for emotional support.
Many years later, Elphaba arrives at Shiz University in the Land of Oz to drop Nessarose off for her studies, but a confrontation that creates a violent burst of Elphaba’s magic catches the astonishment of Shiz’s headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who not only invites Elphaba to study sorcery at the institution, but also for private tutoring to much chagrin from the perky and popular but conceited and self-absorbed blonde Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande). The two are soon assigned to be roommates together which only deepens their conflict, but Elphaba remains headstrong and determined to live up to the potential Morrible sees in her and fulfill her dream of working with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).
The problem that arises with most film adaptations of Broadway musicals is that they often feel less filmic in favor of a more stagey execution; from overbearing line deliveries to extended dancing for the camera. Thankfully, Jon M. Chu avoids that by providing Wicked with a directorial flourish that makes select character moments feel cinematic and grandeur. A couple examples are during an extended sequence at the Ozdust Ballroom where Elphaba’s unconventional dancing is met with laughter from all the partygoers until she is joined on the floor, and in the number for “Popular” when the camera moves ever closer on a two-shot of Elphaba and Galinda in unison with the latter’s final words before the song’s iconic chorus.
The two lead actresses also do their part to make moments like these in Wicked through unforgettable performances. Cynthia Erivo demonstrates incredible vocal range and power to hit the high notes in “The Wizard and I” as well as the climactic number “Defying Gravity”, while also conjuring incredible sympathy in her silent communication of Elphaba’s inner anguish after a lifetime of ostracization. Meanwhile, Galinda is the perfect role for pop star Ariana Grande, who may not have the acting range to play anyone as complex as her counterpart, but she still nails her confident self-absorption with an infectious spiritedness and hilariously timed hair flips.
To that end, Erivo and Grande together magnetize audiences to Wicked with their excellent chemistry; matching each other’s energy within their duo’s odd couple dynamic and singing live at the fast pace of every song with captivating vitality. The film’s set design and prop mastery must be commended on the technical side, as their mostly practical execution creates a dizzying wonder like in the circular library during “Dancing Through Life”, while Galinda’s many beauty stations and various doo-dads in hers and Elphaba’s lavish dorm room pop out from under the floor with a novelty not unlike those in the original play.
Wicked is a faithful adaptation of the famous Broadway musical, albeit sometimes a little too faithful. In addition to the aforementioned subplot of Elphaba visiting Madame Morrible for one-on-one studies, there’s a love triangle between herself, Galinda and Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), as well as an aside where Elphaba is informed by her goat professor Doctor Dillamond (Peter Dinklage) of an elaborate conspiracy to strip all animals of their speech that altogether bloat the runtime close to three hours, posing the question of which ancillary storyline was better left on the cutting room floor. It’s also worth noting that while the songs remain timeless, the sporadic synthesizer keyboard does date their instrumentation from time to time.
But all that is carried over from the original source material’s stage production, and the first part of Wicked as a cinematic event is an exhilarating adaptation of the Broadway play that preceded it. Audiences will empathize with Elphaba’s resilience against the racial prejudice she experiences, be endeared by the dynamic between her and Galinda, gawk in awe at the marvelous visual effects, sing along to the soundtrack well after the film’s conclusion and be excited for the second half of the story to arrive next year. It may end just as the narrative picks up steam, but after over two decades in development, Wicked is a solid first chapter.