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While I was unwell this past weekend and too dizzy for my usual activities, I sat in my large recliner and watched Wicked on Amazon Prime.
Now, Wicked, the 2024 film, is an adaptation of Wicked the Stage Musical, which itself was an adaptation of the 1995 novel Wicked, which was a retelling of the classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but reimagined with the “wicked witch” of the West as its protagonist.
I am not a great fan of musicals, though there are a few in my library of DVDs and Blu-rays, so I had no burning desire or need to rush out last year and see this in the theaters. That said, it made a perfectly fine way to pass the time as my head spun with some sort of sinus issues.
Universal Studios
The story centers on Elphaba, a young woman born with two very powerful traits: one, a wild magical ability that manifests when she is emotionally upset—not quite a wizarding Hulk but close—and the second, bright verdant skin. Scorned by her father for her complexion, though the suggestion that she is a bastard is slid into the story, it is not made explicit. Ridiculed by everyone, Elphaba develops into a withdrawn and defensive young woman played by Cynthia Erivo. (Personally, I found the overt and powerful prejudice towards Elphaba a little difficult to square in a land with such a variety of strange and unusual lifeforms as Oz possesses.)
Elphaba’s life is turned around when, escorting her younger and disabled sister Nessarose to Shiz University, her untrained magical talent is noticed by an instructor, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), and she is instantly enrolled and forced to room with the popular and utterly self-centered Galinda (Ariana Grande). The two women start off with a strong dislike towards each other but become friends. Elphaba comes to the attention of and is honored with an audience with The Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), where the two friends learn a terrible and life-changing truth about the land of Oz.
Wicked in all its iterations has a large and loyal fanbase, but I have never counted myself amongst them. Now, having seen the film, I can say that I liked it but did not love it.
The central performances are compelling enough, with Ariana Grande’s coming as a bit of a surprise to me. Pop stars and singers are often thrust into acting roles, and far too often they have neither the temperament nor the skills for nuanced acting performances. Some may think that because Galinda is a vain, self-centered, and not-too-bright woman, that it would be an easy role to play, but it is a truism that playing dumb is much more difficult than playing smart. Add to the challenge that all the characters, save Elphaba who anchors the production, play heightened and exaggerated versions of themselves, and Grande’s challenge is magnified.
Cynthia Erivo delivers another stunning performance both in her singing talents and in her acting ones. She is the emotional heart of the story, and if her performance doesn’t work for you, then the entire film will not either.
Wicked is colorful, over-the-top, and fun, but it is also, not barring that this is only half of the stage musical, overlong, with beats and songs that could be excised without any appreciable change to the film.
For example, when Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) convinces the student body to break the rules and visit the club “Oz Dust,” there is a substantial and elaborate number. The Prince is a “bad boy” and they are breaking the rules. However, nothing comes of the rule-breaking, not even when “caught” by Madame Morrible, as the plot needs to progress. What matters in the club is the beginning of Galinda’s and Elphaba’s friendship. The entire song and dance served no narrative purpose.
That said, even though the film is too long, it was fun to watch, and I do not feel that I wasted my time with Wicked.
