“Wicked Part I” Review
Ariana Grande-Butera (Left) and Cynthia Erivo portray Galinda and Elphaba in “Wicked Part I”, a cinematic adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical set in the world of Oz.
Few Broadway musicals have had the staying power of “Wicked”, which has celebrated 21 years on Broadway. Telling the origin story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, the musical swept everyone away with its songs, production and beautiful story about how a simple villain had more complexity than we previously thought to the point where, in this story, she’s not wicked at all. Everyone was enchanted and the play has since become the most iconic story set in Baum’s world aside from the 1939 Technicolor masterpiece “The Wizard of Oz”.
I myself didn't pay attention to “Wicked” too much growing up so I never considered myself a fan until I saw the play on Broadway in 2023 with my mother. Within the first five minutes, I was hooked and completely understood why it’s never left Broadway since its premiere. But even before experiencing songs like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” live, I often wondered why such an iconic staple of musical theater had never received a cinematic adaptation. When the play first premiered, Hollywood was in the middle of a musical renaissance with films like “Moulin Rouge”, “Dreamgirls” and “Hairspray” all making big box office with “Chicago” becoming the first musical in decades to win the Oscar for Best Picture. If there was any time to give us a “Wicked” film, it was back then.
Now, 20 years later, we have finally got our adaptation with “Wicked Part I” and, after seeing the film, I know why it took Hollywood so long to make this film. It’s because we had to wait for Jon M. Chu to make one of the most dazzling films of the year. “Wicked Part I” justifies the creative decision to split the play into two films with an incredible sense of spectacle, well-executed musical numbers and two amazing performances for the ages.
In the land of Oz, everyone celebrates the death of the Wicked Witch of the West at the hands of Kansas farmgirl Dorothy Gale (as detailed in the original book and 1939 film) with Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande-Butera) comforting her people while also raising the question: “are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” This takes the audience years in the past to when this wicked witch was Elphaba Throop (Cynthia Erivo) a shy girl made an outcast by her green skin but blessed with extraordinary magical abilities. After being enrolled at Shiz University to study magic with her sister Nessarose (Marisa Bode), Elphaba is forced to room with Glinda (then known as Galinda) which leads to animosity, then a close friendship. But this friendship is tested when the mysterious Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) gives Elphaba and Galinda a choice that will determine the fate of all Oz.
After bringing the extravagance of Singapore to the big screen in “Crazy Rich Asians” followed by a masterful execution of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s New York-based musical wonder “In The Heights”, Jon M. Chu now has the chance to take his dynamic direction and apply it to the fantasy world of Oz, an opportunity he does not take for granted. While there are other directors specializing in musicals that probably would have done a good job with this film, they wouldn’t have the levels of energy that Chu brings.
The idea of making “Wicked” a two-parter really does pay off because no songs have to be cut to fit the runtime of a theatrical feature and the film can really take its time with character interactions and immersing the audience in this world. However, this never comes at the expense of pacing. The songs of “Wicked Part I” are spaced out incredibly well throughout the film and the pacing is absolutely wonderful. The two-hour-and-40-minute runtime (three hours if you include the trailers before the film) melts away and boredom is not a word that should even come up when discussing “Wicked Part I”.
Bursting with the energy that is sorely lacking in Disney’s slate of live-action remakes, “Wicked Part I” dazzles again and again with musical numbers that take advantage of the cinematic form. As incredible as the live theatrics of the play are, you have to make changes when adapting this to film and Chu and cinematographer Alice Brooks really take advantage of this. The camerawork and Christopher Scott’s choreography are innovative with “Dancing Through Life” as sung by Fieyero (Jonathan Bailey), a troublemaking prince that Elphaba and Galinda both develop feelings for, being a stand-out performance in how well the dancing, camerawork, acting and music all come together to make something that compliments the original show while displaying the strengths of film.
But while all of the talent behind the camera worked tirelessly to create this masterful musical marvel, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera give these performances their all and bring a level of iconography to them that rivals Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith’s original Broadway performances (the pair that originated the roles make delightful cameo appearances that are guaranteed to make every theater kid spontaneously combust). Erivo brings this beautiful sensitivity to Elphaba and the confidence she develops over the film is so engrossing. Every second she’s on screen, you don’t have a doubt that this is someone who deeply cares and wants to stop being cast aside with her kindness not being mistaken for weakness. As for her vocals, Erivo delivers one of the finest vocal performances I have seen in a musical film in years. Every iconic song is elevated by her presence and I am so glad that, for many new fans, Erivo is going to be to them what Idina Menzel was when she brought this character to the world.
Grande-Butera also conveys a real sense of evolution, going from a vain queen bee to an endearing friend to Elphaba. Even in the film’s early scenes where she’s supposed to be Elphaba’s adversary, there is still this likability to Galinda thanks to Grande-Butera’s strong comedic timing. Like Erivo, Grande-Butera’s singing is on a whole other plane and results in beautiful solo songs, like the iconic “Popular”, as well as insanely good duets with her costar. But throughout the whole show, there is this underlying sense of tragedy because, even if you’ve never seen the play, it’s general knowledge where this is going to go. “The Wizard of Oz” has been a staple of pop culture for so long that it’s clear where everyone’s paths are going to lead but it’s how they get there that keeps things interesting.
As someone who has seen the play and was thoroughly impressed by its grand scale, the film adaptation really steps up its game with an immersive world brought to life by practical sets and a larger size to everything. This includes having the orchestra on the film’s soundtrack (comprised of 23 musicians on the stage show) be upgraded to 125 musicians, thus being able to compete with the larger-than-life feeling of live musical theater. With many musical adaptations coming across as flat compared to the original theatrical production, it’s clear that “Wicked Part I” tried everything in its power to not fall into that trap and it gracefully succeeds.
While I am excited to see how this story interacts with the events of the original L. Frank Baum book, that doesn’t happen until the play’s second act and “Wicked Part I” exclusively handles the first act. As a result, “Wicked Part I” feels much more self-contained instead of a prequel to an already popular story. The decision to split this adaptation into two films also means that the show-stopping “Defying Gravity” is the final song of the film, leaving the audience on the highest note possible and not leaving them feeling cheated as they undergo the long, one-year intermission for “Wicked Part II”. It’s clear that this is the best story to be set in the world of Oz since that original Technicolor masterpiece and it will only grow in popularity as we await its sequel. However, I will also not rest until everyone knows of the genius of 1985’s “Return to Oz”.
