Telling the hidden history behind the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked: The Musical” had audiences obsessed for years after its first performance. With its longtime success, it wasn’t a surprise that a movie adaption was announced.
Being a fan of the original Broadway musical, I had several reservations about this movie. The first being the casting of Ariana Grande as Glinda. At first glance, it felt like a way to try and gather a broader audience at the expense of the performance of the character. I was nervous about her “being Ariana Grande in the Wicked movie” instead of becoming the character of Glinda.
However, my doubts were proven mostly wrong. The whimsy, the goofiness; I greatly enjoyed her version of Glinda. While she wasn’t as overtop with her mannerisms and facial expressions as I would like, she was hilarious none the less.
Overall, the casting was fantastic with big theatre and movie names such as Cynthia Erivo, known for her roles in “The Color Purple” and “Harriet,” Michelle Yeoh, known for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and Jeff Goldblum. My unexpected favorite was Johnathan Bailey’s Fiyero. Known for his roles in “Bridgerton” and “Fellow Travelers,” Johnathan Bailey has plenty of both movie and theatre experience. However, I was expecting him to get lost in the talent packed cast, but his charming performance of “Dancing Through Life” and how he translated the self-absorbed, but secretly very kind and smart character of Fiyero made him my sneaky favorite.
Another thing I was unsure of was the execution of the musical sequences. While some modern musical adaptations such as “The Greatest Showman” and “West Side Story” which did a great job of translating the energy of form of a Broadway musical onto the silver screen, some were not as successful. Despite having high hopes, nothing could be for certain.
To my pleasant surprise, you can tell that the director took the time and energy to translate the magic of a Broadway set into a movie format. With practical sets, the actors could interact with and dance in a way that reflected an actual musical but also translated into a movie format.
Speaking of musical aspects, the soundtrack was phenomenal. There are some differences from the original cast recording that we know and love, mainly a few more pauses and note changes. However, this was because in a movie format, subtlety can be more effective to get emotions across. The pauses gave us time to process what is being projected in the ballads, and they had me in a chokehold. “Popular” and “What Is This Feeling?” were my absolute favorites because of their goofiness and the execution of their scenes. Overall, the mixers and sound producers nailed the whimsy and dynamics of the Wicked soundtrack while refreshing it with new vocals and instrumentals.
This adaption brought me hope for future musicals making it to the big screen. As a dancer and Broadway fiend, “Wicked” surpassed my expectations for what I wanted to see out of a movie adaptation. I haven’t seen a musical movie that captured the dancing, the singing, and the sets as well as “Wicked” since “The Greatest Showman.” With ‘Wicked Act 2″ coming out Nov. 21, 2025, mark your calendar for the return of the Wicked Witch of the West.
