Wicked was the first musical I ever watched. It was the summer of 2012, I was ending my grad trip in London and wanted to catch a musical before I left. Me and my friends got the only seats we could afford, nosebleeds for 20 pounds, but it was the best money we ever spent. I left the theatre knowing that my life had changed forever. Now, 12 years later, I have more money in the bank but most of it still goes to musical theatre. So of course I was there to watch Wicked the moment I could, eager to see director Jon M. Chu’s vision on the big screen. Wicked absolutely delivers, with wickedly good performances and moments that took my breath away.
It is to Chu’s credit that he doesn’t simply do a copy/paste when it comes to adapting a musical for the screen. Some adaptations do this to please musical theatre fans, but the end result is a movie that feels weird and unnatural, because things flow differently on stage than on screen. A good director knows this, and makes appropriate changes. In musical theatre, things need to be big, camp and dramatic, but the screen allows for smaller, intimate moments to unfold, and we have many such moments in the movie between lead actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda respectively. These moments help contribute to the burgeoning friendship between Elphaba and Glinda in such a beautiful way.
Grande is such a fantastic comedic actress. She has all these little mannerisms as Glinda, and milks every second she’s on screen – she’s performing even when the attention isn’t on her in the scene. It’s so fun watching her commit so wholeheartedly to the character, and for daring to slide on the floor like a madwoman during Popular. Erivo is really the heart of the movie. When she sings I feel every single bit of Elphaba’s loneliness and heartbreak. She handles all sides of the character so deftly – her rage, her insecurities, her gradual empowerment. It’s a tremendous performance, and I do hope both actresses get some well-deserved recognition come award season.
It wouldn’t be a proper Wicked review if I didn’t mention Jonathan Bailey’s charismatic turn as Fiyero. Talk about perfect casting – this man could have chemistry with a lamppost. As Fiyero he is smoldering hot, and made all of us giggle like schoolgirls the moment he showed up on screen. Fiyero is sometimes a character that gets overshadowed, mainly because Elphaba and Glinda are such powerhouse characters, but in Bailey’s hands Fiyero feels more important than ever. I predict audiences will be absolutely feral when they get to see his Fiyero in Wicked Part 2 – if you know, you know.
Where I will nitpick slightly is on the unevenness of the visuals. Some parts of the movie just aren’t lit very well, with the back lighting casting a dim shadow over the cast. It’s especially noticeable in the wide shots, with the sun’s radiant blast in the background causing most of the interior shots to feel muddied and muted. This improves when the film moves to the Emerald City, where the colours pop and feel more saturated. This contrast could have been intentional – Chu said he wanted us to feel like Oz is a real place – but I feel like there was a better way to do this without compromising the visuals. His incorporation of iconic Wicked imagery – like Elphaba’s signature hat – is stellar and breathtaking, and the worlds in Wicked feel developed and expansive.
Wicked is not a perfect movie, but it’s perfect enough to bring joy to any musical theatre fan, and maybe even convert some non-believers. Much like Barbie was the cinematic event of 2023, this year’s title goes to Wicked.
REVIEW SCORE – 4.5/5
