I have been able to see “Wicked” a handful of times on the stage. The first time I saw the musical sensation was at the height of its original popularity and the ensuing hype had set my expectations at an unattainable level.
I left feeling underwhelmed and shrugged my shoulders at all of the hullabaloo.
The next time I saw “Wicked,” with my expectations properly set, I enjoyed the show a whole lot more. The songs were actually better than I remembered and I didn’t get as hung up on how clunkily its plot lined up with the original “The Wizard of Oz” storyline.
Now when I see it, I’m pleasantly charmed by the whole affair and quietly wonder if “Defying Gravity” is the single best Act 1 closer in Broadway history.
So while certainly not a fanatic (the musical still has plenty of flaws), I am someone who was cautiously optimistic about the prospects of the new movie adaptation of “Wicked.”
I am happy to report that the film version (fully titled “Wicked: Part I” because they split the musical into two movies, with Part II to come out at the end of 2025) is a very-much-good-just-fine adaptation.
While the two-hour-and-40-minute runtime seemed a bit excessive, the movie actually flowed pretty well and there were only a couple of instances where it dragged on a bit.
There are also some stretches where director Jon M. Chu overindulges in computer-generated excesses to the point that the movie looks like an Easter-egg screensaver, but when it sticks to practical effects and sets, the movie soars.
For the uninitiated, “Wicked” is an origin story of sorts where we meet the Wicked Witch of the West in her school days when she was just an awkward student named Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).
While Elphaba is a social outcast, thanks primarily to her green skin color, she finds herself stuck rooming with her polar opposite, the perky and popular Galinda (Ariana Grande). The two slowly form an unlikely friendship even as they remain rivals in love for the affections of handsome, bad-boy prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey).
But there is trouble in the Land of Oz as the talking animals find themselves to be the object of persecution. Elphaba hopes to bring this cause before the only person who can save the day, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).
While it’s easy to be dazzled by the glitz and grandeur of Oz, “Wicked” works best when it is at its simplest and the focus is on the chemistry between Erivo and Grande and their vocal talents.
All of the charm of the stage production is here and the result is a pretty good version of a pretty good musical. Keep your expectations managed and it won’t be long until “Wicked” has you under its spell.
“Wicked” is rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material.
