A “Wickedly” Great Production 

When I first heard about Wicked, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be impressed as it has had mixed reviews from the critics, and I wasn’t a great lover of the theatre show. However, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised. 

I didn’t know though that there were two parts, so when I saw part one in the opening credits I was confused and thought it was going to be like the theatre show and they would put part 2 in the middle of the movie as a nod to the theatre production. 

I was wrong, there is going to be two movies. The second movie has just been called “Wicked: For Good”. I would have liked to have known this before watching. 

This version of the wicked production focuses on the early years of Galinda and Elphaba going to school to become witches and eventually turning into Galinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. I must say that the scenes of them starting school felt a little like Harry Potter, in the sense of them in their dorm rooms, finding their way and making new friends. A Hogwarts aura to be sure. 

What I did love was at the beginning of the movie it started where the Wizard of Oz left off with The Wicked Witch of the West dead and the land celebrating her demise. Que flashback to the main storyline to Wicked. 

It had magic, razzle dazzle and real heart. The performances from Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba were brilliant and the chemistry between them worked amazingly well. All the performers sang live on set, which must have been a hard thing to do but I can’t praise them highly enough. Singing live gave the movie authenticity, and it added to the character development. You really found that you cared about them. 

At the beginning I didn’t really like Galinda as a character, I found her quite annoying, but I warmed to her as the action progressed. Much of this is down to Ariana’s comedic timing, she managed to portray a selfish person who is fundamentally kind. Hard to do but I think she pulled it off with aplomb. Her past playing comedic roles in shows such as Victorious stood her in good stead. Her singing voice had great range going from operatic to musical theatre. 

Cythia Erivo, however, stole the show. Her singing voice was impeccable, had soul and brought a tear to this writer’s eye. Her role could easily have drifted into caricature as she shifted from lonely outsider to the Wicked Witch, but her performance was fresh, and you believe every trial that she endures. 

The love triangle between Elphaba, Galinda and the Prince (Johnathon Bailey) was introduced and was nicely played, and I can’t wait to see how it develops in part 2. 

Songs that stood out were, “I’m not that girl” which gave you goosebumps, in fact I feel that it was the stand-out song of the whole film. Heartbreaking. Audience favourites “Popular” and “Defining Gravity” did live up to expectations, not easy to do with such iconic tunes. 

The sets were stunning, especially the rotating wheel that was in the school library scene. They looked like proper sets rather than CGI. The whole production was beautiful to watch and the photography colourful but not too garish. 

Some of the scenes reminded me of Matida, for example Elphaba’s father not wanting her and when she is trying to levitate a coin during a private lesson with magic teacher Madame Morrible (Micheal Yeoh). Another scene that made me reminisce was in the cafeteria which made me think of High School Musical when Sharpay dramatically enters the lunch hall. 

All the supporting characters were fun and playful, and Peter Dinklage as Dr Dillamond was heartbreaking and provided the catalyst for Elphaba’s rebellion. 

The musical was inclusive and had real diversity which added depth to what is really a fairytale.

I did think that the first half of the movie was a tad too long, but it made up for it with so much detail and charm that it was never boring.

I can see why both Ariana and Cynthia have been nominated for the Golden Globes, as they did an amazing job. Oscar recognition must be on the cards. 

Don’t wait to see this on streaming services. Go to the big screen to enjoy great sets, great music and just good fun. 

2 Comments

  1. Kai Broomes said:

    A great read as always. As someone that has also heard mixed-ish reviews (a bit more positive though) this solidifies the need to go and watch the movie. Also, I had no clue it would be in 2 parts as well. That’s quite a surprise to me

    December 11, 2024
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *