Wicked

A magical adaptation of the popular Broadway show directed by Jon M Chu whisks Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande into the wonderful world of Oz with the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West.

One of my early memories of cinemagoing featured the adverts of the West End production of Wicked, a then-new show attempting to draw in audiences to the Apollo Victoria Theatre, similar to the successful Broadway production. Originating in America with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, nearly twenty years later, it is undeniable how the show has ingrained itself into the millennial zeitgeist, where the possibility for an adaptation has been on the cards for as long as I recall.

As my cinema experience became a weekly occurrence into the 2010s, I remember all too well being shown industry and red carpet news hosted by the red and yellow M&Ms as part of a lucrative collaboration, but where this is of note is these segments often featured announcements of newly greenlit projects which passed by at the bottom of the screen like a news bulletin ticker: an in-cinema Screen International for the layman if you will—one of those particular announcements, you guessed it, Wicked the Movie.

Announced for its 10th Broadway anniversary starring Menzel and Chenoweth, the film intended to ride the wave of the show’s popularity but unfortunately never came to light. Still, it was clear that Universal Studios was keen to use the show’s popularity fully, a fact that the studio kept teasing constantly. Partly to test the waters with audiences, but mostly, I would argue, to field the industry for the right time to capitalise on the release after years and years of delays.

With constant back and forths in production limbo, many, myself included, never thought a cinematic Wicked adaptation would happen. The studio Universal even pushed back the film from its original 2019 release to facilitate another they thought would perform better: Cats. The less said about that, the better.

Wicked’s release for 2024 suggests to me that after the successful musicals in recent years, including the maximal and populist film Barbie (2023), a musical littered with pastel pinks and Kenergy characterisations, Wicked, with similar pinks and heart throbbing hyper-masculinity depicted in Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, was likely to bring in a promising return.

Thankfully, the wait paid off. Wicked, or instead, Wicked Part One, is a raucous affair of flamboyant glee that will thoroughly impress theatre fans and welcome all newcomers to the story that provides context to how the Green Witch became so Wicked. Picking up immediately after her iconic melting death in The Wizard of Oz (1939), as the Munchkins celebrate, Glinda the Good Witch recounts how the pair first met as students at Shiz University run by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), with the two lodging together as juxtaposing roommates and the transition into best friends.

Becoming very faithful to the stage production, Part One develops the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, and it is in the chemistry between Erivo and Grande that the film flounces into splendiferous charm.

Directed by Jon M Chu, Wicked is less a piece of sole authorship from the Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker but rather a celebration of the magic and artistry of the varied heads of departments who all harmoniously perform their talents. Notably, choreographer Christopher Scott, whose work arranging the ensemble produces an insane display for the more demanding musical numbers, such as No One Mourns the Wicked and One Short Day, and an acute distilled direction for the softer moments between Erivo and Grande. In particular, the pair’s focused and minimalist execution during the Ozdust Ball brings the scene to near breathlessness as the pair under Scott’s guidance delivers through body movements alone, a heavy conversation addressing betrayal and acceptance.

Meanwhile, Grande’s standout number, Popular, transitions the perky witch into one of poise, grace and elegance. Her pink gown fluttering in the wind and leg stretched invoked the imagery of a ballet number finishing, with the floating performer extending on pointe for emphasis, and when shown alongside a pink tint frame, it’s clear to draw the comparisons to that of Barbie from last year.

As for the numbers themselves, both Erivo and Grande introduce a unique stance onto the iconic songs, with Erivo’s vibrato creating a distinct differential to Menzel, a dissonance that oddly compliments the alienation of Elphaba, whilst Grande’s soprano becomes almost operatic, as her holier-than-thou persona channels through her doe-eyed Disney princess aesthetic.

However, despite the flawless execution of a film, it is hard to imagine its numerous production difficulties, such as those mentioned, and the SAG-AFTRA strikes bringing a halt to production. It’s excusable as to my only gripe around a decision set within Defying Gravity, arguably the show’s largest and most famous number.

Any fan of the musical will know that Defying Gravity is the climactic song before the interval, with the powerful crescendo leading into the hard cut to black. It was a missed opportunity that this wasn’t replicated in the film version. Instead, Erivo flies off into the sunset with a whoosh whilst the drum bass harmonically replicates Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra.

Though it works as an ending, a hard cut to black, in my opinion, would have cemented that lasting thought about Elphaba’s transformation into empowerment, confidence, and Wickedness. Plus, a year away, its second part creates a natural pause, as though life’s natural intermission, making the sonic fade out all the less necessary. But in an otherwise exceptional adaptation, the film is brilliant, becoming an unexpected, and unlikely blockbuster success.

Wicked is showing exclusively in cinemas across the UK from 22 November.