Wicked: ‘Defying Gravity’ or ‘Something Bad’?

We are mere weeks away from the release of the much anticipated ‘Wicked’ movie, a Hollywood reincarnation of the hugely successful West End and Broadway musical, itself a prologue to 1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Just as the story itself is set to be split in two, the theatrical community and wider public are divided on the latest movie musical – why the split? Hell, why the movie at all? Nevertheless, I’m not one to advocate for less musical content, so instead I pose a different question: how’s it looking?

Well, to be frank, I am incredibly excited. Despite less than good recent movie musicals, most infamously ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and ‘Mean Girls’, the trailers and promotional materials that have been released so far give me a sense of hopeful optimism. Whilst initially dubious about some of the creative choices, which may still be a sticking point in the final product, I believe this movie, and the excitement being generated surrounding it, will prove not to be misplaced. From the quality of the trailers and promotional imagery available, to the short snippets and content teases the cast and creative team have produced, I believe ‘Wicked’ stands ready to buck the recent trend of movie musical madness.

Some of the most significant discourse returns to the division of ‘Wicked’ into two separate films, as opposed to one. Particularly given that the stage musicals have a runtime of approximately two and a half hours, including an interval, surely this would have fit concisely and neatly into a usual film timeslot. However, I take a different view. Whilst familiar with the ‘Wicked’ stage musical, I am even more familiar with the original book the production was based on, ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ (Gregory Maguire, 1995).

This novel dives deeply into the upbringing and childhood of a young Elphaba and her sister, exploring a range of time periods that the musical simply cannot dedicate its time to. With two entire films now dedicated to broadly the same story, I am excited to explore this section of Elphaba’s tale, humanising her to an even greater extent than the musical does. The final proof will of course be in the green and pink pudding, but I am optimistic that the latest trip to Oz will be ‘Popular’, and leave us all ‘Dancing Through Life’.

Edited by: Eleanor Robinson