When adapting the second most popular musical of all time into a live action film, expectations were always going to be high. As a fan of the show, mine definitely were. I was nervous to go in, having heard so much about the massive budget, star studded cast and of course the insanely long run time – 2 hours and 30 minutes is a long time for any film, let alone only the first act. But within seconds my fears had been blown away and my jaw had hit the floor.
For those who have evaded the pop culture phenomenon, the film and the stage show are both loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which offers an alternative backstory for the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Wicked: Part One, covers Act 1 of the musical, tracing the friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West when they met at Shiz University.
Any reservations I held were firmly extinguished the second I saw Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda. The tears in all those interviews from the press tour are truly legitimate after seeing both perform – their live vocals add so much power and depth to their performances, and I truly don’t think you can fault either for their portrayal of the two most beloved characters in musical theatre. Their chemistry as a duo is beautiful to watch, and I can admit that the tears were flowing on numerous occasions. The entire film I had shivers at the sheer talent and incredible vocals. Following Idina Menzel is no easy task, but I can truly say that Erivo will cast a spell upon you with her performance of the ‘Wizard and I’ and of course, ‘Defying Gravity’. Ariana Grande’s first proper embarkation from pop princess into musical theatre raised eyebrows, but you cannot help but fall in love with her ditzy, superstar onscreen character, and her genuinely hilarious comedic timing. Her insane vocal range is given a true chance to shine, and I don’t think anyone could have done it better. Jonathon Bailey equally excels as the sexy smirking Prince Fiyero, that the whole audience can fall in love with. ‘Dancing through Life’ is a showstopping number and he brings ALL the right magic (if you know what I mean…)
Wicked’s cinematography has achieved what any lover of the musical hoped for – to go beyond the limitations of a stage and completely immerse the film audience in the world of Oz. The cinematography of the incredible sets and colors are groundbreaking, and with a film budget of $145 million you would expect it. You are thrown totally into the landscape from the second the film begins, the reduced reliance on CGI to construct the magic is evident and refreshingly original. A round of applause is truly deserved by the choreographers, because already you can see the love of audiences for the sequences in ‘What is this Feeling’, and for me, ‘No one Mourns the Wicked’ to immediately showcase the theatrical basis of the film. As the viewer, you are caught up in the rush of dance, music and captivating performances.
Now I do agree it is too long, there is a lot that could have been cut out or much reduced. It’s difficult to know what the plot is truly focused on at times, and it feels as though the actors have a different idea of the message of the film than the director at times. We can only wait to see how it is concluded in Part 2, but until next November, I will confidently say that Wicked is the best onscreen musical adaptation I have seen yet.
Written by Bella Greenstock