It’s about time that I expose myself on this platform. I grew up being a theatre kid, so obviously during the first week of Wicked being released, I sat myself in front of an AMC screen. There have been a lot of TikToks, Instagrams, brand collabs, and more surrounding this movie. I want to share my experience, and lucky for me, I have a platform where I can vent my opinions (thanks HerCampus).
Spoiler warning ahead.
Performance
I don’t know how to explain it, but the way they made this movie made it feel like the film came before the Broadway musical. As I said before, I am a diehard theatre kid at heart, and Wicked was the first ever musical I saw on Broadway. With that being said, something about the movie made it feel like this was the story that the musical was based off of. My favorite acting moment in the entire movie was hands down Arianna Grande in “No One Mourns The Wicked”. Knowing the entire show and how this story will play out, I was paying extra close attention to her acting in this scene. Arianna did such an outstanding job of hiding her pain, considering where her character was just moments before this scene (if ykyk).
Vocals
I know everyone is talking about “Defying Gravity” and “What Is This Feeling?” (as they should be), but why is no one talking about “No One Mourns The Wicked” ? I specifically want to have a moment for Arianna Grande’s high notes. Her vocal technique is so good and healthy, which can be very uncommon for a lot of pop singers. Arianna also grew up as a theatre kid, so it’s no shock that she can whip out those soprano notes.
Shocking Moments
The way in which I flew out of my seat when I saw Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on screen. I’m so glad that this wasn’t spoiled because it was beyond iconic. These two women deserved more than a minimal moment on screen. To be completely honest, I wasn’t even paying attention to what they were singing because I was just in awe seeing them. With that being said, I did jolt again when I heard Idina reprise her iconic riff.
Tear Jerkers
I’m not the biggest cryer, but there were two moments in the movie that had me almost in tears. The first being the Ozdust Ballroom sequence. The stillness of this moment and seeing it build was just breathtaking. It was so silent in the theatre as this was such a pivotal plot point. I also saw something online that said the directors did not teach Arianna Grande the moves before filming, so then she really was learning from Elphaba in real time.The thought of this being true just gives even more goosebumps than before.
Of course, the reason why we are all holding space: “Defying Gravity”. I don’t say this often, but I was being overstimulated in a good way. The visuals and the vocals made my heart stop, I mean talk about a curtain dropping/film ending number. Cynthia Erivo is quite literally singing live, while wearing green body paint, while also doing her own stunts. Talk about a powerhouse of a woman. The emotions you feel watching a Broadway show are unmatched. The creators of this film were able to make their audiences replicate those same emotions. Now that is movie magic.