This may be a controversial take but I didn’t like the idea of the Wicked movie when I first heard about it. I was afraid that the magical production I had seen when I was 12 couldn’t be properly captured in a Hollywood blockbuster. I thought that casting Ariana Grande was a mistake, a choice made only for publicity. For weeks after the release, I continued my “boycott.” It was only when my 8-year-old cousin begged me to bring her that I caved.
From the opening note, I was wrong. John M Chu hadn’t desecrated Stephen Schwartz’ classic but had elevated it. I was most wrong about Ariana; she was not the pop princess I was expecting to see on the screen. She was the perfect Glinda and held her own really well against Cynthia Erivo, which is a challenging feat.
From the moment the credits rolled, I wanted more, and with Wicked: For Good being released in ten days, my countdown has begun. It’s clear to see the Wicked hype hasn’t died down during the wait for the new release. The recent NBC special Wicked: One Wonderful Night went viral on social media, leaving fans from outside the US scrambling to find it on local outlets. The once-off TV special was unlike anything I’ve seen before, and as a musical theatre kid, I’m well educated on the subject. The use of the audience, particularly in the opening number, was emotionally fueled. If I’m being honest, I cried two minutes in. The blend of documentary-style interviews, comedy sketches, and powerful musical numbers made for an experience enjoyable to any audience. It was perfectly balanced for audiences that were musical theatre lovers and audiences that were just having a cozy night watching the telly.
The Wicked movie has brought in more fans to musical theatre. This is partly due to the big names: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey. It’s undeniable that many “Arianators” and Bridgerton fans only watched the first film for their idols but stayed for John M Chu’s masterpiece. The use of color, sets, props, and costume is phenomenal. Chu graded the film to appear like technicolor, just like the classic film, The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz was the first ever color film and inspired the book Wicked, which later was adapted into a Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz. It was a nostalgic nod to the original story of Oz that millions of people fell in love with. The costuming department of Wicked the movie deserves so much praise. It was always going to be hard to try something new with characters that people have already fallen in love with and have expectations for, especially as the costumes in Wicked the musicals haven’t changed since 2003, when it first debuted on Broadway. It may be a controversial opinion, but I actually think that the designers did really well. Each outfit made sense for their character, and you could tell that real thought and care had gone into every stitch. Watching how every little detail grew and developed with their character was really interesting. In her introductory scene, Elphaba’s ensemble is fitting and restrictive. She doesn’t match her peers’ uniform and stands out. As she goes through the film, her style relaxes and she embraces her own style. Her flowing black cape worn during Defying Gravity helps make the scene emotionally poignant. It shows Glinda’s subtle support through her wrapping Elphaba in it and flows out, covering Oz, showing Elphaba’s influence.
Glinda’s style has similar growth in the movie. The fact that she also disregards wearing the Shiz uniform highlights her against other pupils. The fact that her Emerald City outfit is a pink version of Elphaba’s original Shiz outfit only shows how close the two have grown and how much influence Elphaba has had on her.
I sincerely hope this use of costumes continues into the second movie and that it lives up to the standard part one created. With society being in such a dark time, we need relatable characters with strong morals to help us accept ourselves. I think it’s fair to say that after the Wicked movie, we have all been changed for good.