Starring Cynthia Ervio, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, and Michelle Yeoh
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
I've waited a very long time for this one to come out. It was originally announced in 2012, but kept getting pushed back for one reason or another. Universal said it would be coming out in 2021, but the pandemic ended those plans. It was supposed to come out last year, but then the strike happened. It's been one of the most popular shows on Broadway since its debut in 2003, especially among young women and Wizard of Oz fans. Was the story of how the Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch met in college and became close friends worth the long wait, or should it be put in a cage? Let's begin at the ending, with all of Oz celebrating the Witch's death and the arrival of Glinda (Grande) in her bubble, and find out...
The Story: Glinda relates to the people how she met Elphaba (Ervio), future Witch of the West, when she accompanied her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to Shiz University. Head sorcery teacher Madame Morrible (Yeoh) is impressed when an angry Elphaba shows her considerable talent for magic and insists she studies with her at the school. Glinda, then known as Galinda Upland, is not happy when Elphaba ends up sharing her private suite. Galinda is a perky, rather shallow blonde, and Elphaba is sharp and intelligent despite the green skin that everyone around her fears.
Angry that she wasn't chosen by Madame Morrible to be in her class, Galinda and her friends make fun of Elphaba. Elphaba feels more comfortable in class, especially goat professor Dr. Dillamond's (Peter Dinkalage) history course. It seems animals are being stripped of their speech and their civil rights. Elphaba is certain that the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), whom she admires, will take care of everything. The student body is more interested in the arrival of Fiyero Tigelarr (Bailey), a handsome prince whom Galinda fawns over. He's more interested in Elphaba, even helping her rescue a lion cub who was kept in a cage when Dr. Dillamond was forced out of class. She finally bonds with Galinda after she encourages Boq (Ethan Slater), one of her admirers, to ask Nessarose out.
Elphaba is elated when Morrible gives her an invitation to see the Wizard. Now she can finally become his apprentice and help the animals of Oz. She even brings Galinda, who has now renamed herself Glinda in honor of Dillamond, They enjoy their day in the Emerald City, but Elphaba doesn't need a little dog to pull back the curtain and reveal the Wizard for the fraud he is. He wants her to read the Grimmerie, a book of magic spells. She's so horrified by what one of those spells does to a monkey guard, she flees. Glinda wants her to stay, but she has no desire to have anything to do with the Wizard now. She wants something more, a way to truly fly and help those she loves.
The Song and Dance: This was absolutely worth the wait. Ervio and Grande are delightful as the two witches, with Ervio appropriately sharp and defensive, Grande adorable and hilarious. Yeoh, Bailey, and Goldblum more than match them as the conniving teacher, the prince who learns there's more to life than being brainless, and the huckster who calls himself wizard. The mix of real sets and CGI allow for the characters to interact with their world more than normal for a big fantasy blockbuster.
Shiz and the Emerald City are drop-dead gorgeous. Libraries have revolving circular shelves, gardens are a Technicolor wonder of green and pink and lavender, and the Emerald City glows with every shade of green possible. The costumes are even more amazing, with Glinda's pink and blue-striped suits and ruffly flower nightgowns, Elphaba's high-necked black gown and the infamous peaked hats, and all those blue uniforms on the Shiz students and the 20's-inspired low-waisted gowns at the Ozdust Ballroom.
The Numbers: We do indeed open with "No One Mourns the Wicked" as the citizens of Oz celebrates the Wicked Witch's demise and Glinda tells the story of how Elphaba came to be and her troubled childhood. "Dear Old Shiz" introduces Galinda and the students as they prepare for their first semester. Thrilled with the chance to work with her idol. Elphaba tells the frogs in the gardens what she'll do for "The Wizard and I." She and Galinda wonder "What Is This Feeling?" in a montage that shows the duo's antagonism after they end up having to share a room. "Something Bad" is moved to a room outside of the school where Dr. Dillmond and other animal teachers meet to discuss how animals are losing speech and their rights.
Fiyero encourages the students to go "Dancing Through Life," first in a huge, extensive dance number with students leaping all over that huge library, then at the Ozdust Ballroom. It ends with Elphaba and Galinda finally bonding over their own angry dance. Galinda claims she can make Elphaba "Popular," but her green friend is skeptical, to say the least. She even gets the cutest dance as she flits through the halls in her frilly rose-pink nightclothes. Elphaba would be the first to admit her feelings for Fiyero after he helps her rescue the lion cub, but she thinks "I'm Not That Girl" and he's in love with Galinda.
Elphaba and the newly rechristened Glinda are delighted to spend "One Short Day" in Emerald City. They even get to see a show featuring two sorceresses who should be familiar to fans of the original Broadway cast album. The Wizard claims he's "A Sentimental Man" who thinks of the people of Oz as his children. Elphaba knows better than to accept his phony pathos. She'd rather be "Defying Gravity" and leaping out a window as she flies her famous broom.
Trivia: Wicked opened on Broadway in December 2003 and was an instant sensation, especially among young women who related to the themes of friendship and sacrifice. It continues to run at the Gershwin Theater to this day. The West End version opened in 2006 and also continues at the Victoria Apollo Theater.
Look for original Broadway stars Kristin Chenowith and Idina Menzel as the "Wise Ones" during the "One Short Day" stage production number.
What I Don't Like: Some of the story lines, notably the Boq-Nessarose side plot and what happens with Dr. Dillamond, do get lost amid the witches' budding relationship and the many musical numbers. This was apparently even more of a problem in the plot-heavy Broadway show. No wonder Chu ended up separating this into two parts. Neither Slater and Bode nor Galinda's two buddies who are always by her side (Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James) have much to do. And forget it for those of you who aren't fans of fantasy, musicals, or The Wizard of Oz. This is very much a fantasy world where people burst into song.
The Big Finale: Good things come to those who wait. This was an absolute delight from start to finish. I can't recommend it enough, especially if you have pre-teen and young teen girls who would enjoy the music and morals about friendship and sisterhood.
Home Media: This will be on all major formats in late March; it's on pre-order now, and the soundtrack is available.
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