By Dolores Quintana
Director John Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights) has crafted an effervescent take on the blockbuster musical Wicked. This is a musical that is so popular that it has been on Broadway since 2003, and was only briefly shuttered in 2020-2021. The original cast recording went double platinum. Needless to say, there were a lot of expectations for this adaptation.
However, the casting is spot-on for this film with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp. Erivo is a Tony Award winner for Best Actress for The Color Purple, so that’s not a surprise, but her interpretation of the character is full of wisdom, sadness, and a strength that cannot be denied. What was more surprising, to me at least, was Ariana Grande as Galinda/Glinda Upland. Rather than making the character a one-note mean girl, you can see her scheming and arrogance, but underneath there is a very vulnerable and tremulous need to be approved of that suits the character well and makes the relationship between the wounded but more stoic Elphaba all the more believable.
It is the two actresses working together, with marvelous chemistry that makes the film sing. John Chu’s direction keeps things from becoming too sentimental or syrupy, a trap that some musicals can fall into. His secure hand also makes the segue between the characters talking to each other and starting to sing quite seamless. It’s never jarring, it seems as natural as can be, which is the mark of a well-done musical, much like his previous Broadway adaptation, In The Heights.
The film spends the first hour doing explication, so it isn’t until slightly later that the bond between the two main characters and their relationships with other characters like Madame Morrible, ably played by Michelle Yeoh and Fiyero Tigelaar, handsomely interpreted by Jonathan Bailey. Other standouts, but honestly, the entire cast is so good, are Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Bowen Yang, Ethan Slater, and Peter Dinklage, whose world-weary and deeply sorrowful voice work as Doctor Dillamond, the goat teacher who befriends Elphaba, is amazing.
The film is a parable of the outsider, in telling the story of the erstwhile villain of The Wizard of Oz, showing how clannish and mean people can be to those they do not understand or are intimidated by. But it also has strong themes about the abuse of power for selfish ends and the self-created myths of those who would seek to control us through an untruthful narrative. It also shows how women can be easily set against each other through perceived differences.
The film’s production design is sumptuous as are the beautiful costumes. The dance numbers are invigorating and delightful, paired wonderfully with the film’s songs.
Wicked is magical. It forgoes the artificial spectacle of certain other fantasy tales by concentrating on the acting: emotions and relationships of the characters, then layering everything else on top until it builds a candy-colored citadel of cinema, with delicate filigree and a bubbling undercurrent of deception.
