Wickedly great, the beloved musical is wonderfully remade for cinema.
Loosely based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West—in itself a side-reimagining of The Wizard of Oz lore—the film is the first of a two-part adaptation of the Broadway musical that made its debut more than 20 years ago. Wicked tells the origin story of the Good Witch Glinda (played by Ariana Grande) and the Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), two seemingly different characters from The Wizard of Oz. The events of the narrative pre-date the main The Wizard of Oz story, telling the rivalry and eventual friendship of the two leads from their first meeting at Shiz University. Elphaba's odd green appearance brands her an outcast both by her family as well as her fellow students at Shiz but her innate magical prowess draws the attention of headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Through Madame Morrible's tutelage, Elphaba hones her powers, leading to recognition and awe by the Great and Powerful Oz himself. But alas, things aren't as they seem in Oz...
As a complete Wicked nerd (I've watched the musical more than five times in various countries and have practically memorised the original Broadway soundtrack front to back), I immediately listened to the film's soundtrack when it was released on Spotify at the stroke of midnight. I was concerned. Listening to Grande's and Erivo's versions of what I perceive to be Broadway classics, there's a clear difference between the originals by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel (aka the "wickedly talented Adele Dazeem").
Without having watched the film, I found that while Grande captured the vocal essence and quirks of Glinda quite accurately, Erivo's emotions didn't come across as much until the act's crescendo that is "Defying Gravity". And that's not to say that Erivo doesn't have the chops—she is a celebrated musical theatre force—but rather, the timbre of her voice isn't quite Elphie-like in the theatrical sense. From Menzel to Eden Espinosa to Shoshana Bean to Jessica Vosk, theatre versions of Elphaba have always possessed a piercing, clear quality to their vocal tone, even during her softer moments in songs like "I'm Not That Girl" and "Something Bad". In comparison, Erivo sounded as though she didn't manage to cross an emotional hurdle.
However, the experience is completely different while watching Wicked: Part One. Erivo's voice paired with her impeccable facial delivery made complete sense for a more intimate cinematic experience. The emotions felt more enhanced by close-ups that are not possible in a theatre setting. The welling up of eyes and subtle shifts in posture throughout the film added so much more to every song.
That's the thing about adaptations—there has to be something more, all while staying true to the original. Wicked: Part One does it exceptionally so with beautiful cinematography that brings to vivid life stage sets while adding extra touches that make complete sense. The same can be said of the music. Grande and Erivo each put forth their own interpretations, adding an extra lick and a contemporary melisma here and there, including the very divisive climatic change in "Defying Gravity" by Erivo. But I have to say, in the context of the film, it was a rousing call of defiance that felt completely at home. And hey, Stephen Schwartz himself (the original wizard behind the musical) had a hand in this so every choice is originator-approved.
Special mention goes to Grande whose comedic choices pay wonderful homage to Glindas past and present. Her chemistry with Erivo is also pretty magical, especially during the Ozdust scene that signalled a turn in their characters' relationship.
The fact that I now have to wait a year for the second part as well as "No Good Deed" and "For Good"—arguably the more underrated songs of the musical. But with how masterful the first part was done, I have little doubt that the wait will be worth it.
Apart from the genius transitions that capture the essence of the musical, the big thing to look out for is an extended version of "One Short Day". The film's version includes a short backstory of the Wizard of Oz's beginnings performed by none other than the original Glinda and Elphaba—fan-service for sure, but (as I've mentioned over and over) makes perfect sense.
Wicked: Part One is now out in theatres.
