The highly anticipated movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked was released on November 22. This movie was announced in 2016, then in 2022 it was said to be split into two parts because it was too difficult to condense into one. The cast consists of Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, and more huge names. The director of this film is Jon M. Chu who also directed the film Crazy Rich Asians. Wicked has reached a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 8.2/10 on IMDb so far.
The musical Wicked first went on Broadway in 2003, and it is still on Broadway today. This story mainly takes place in the time of events leading up to Dorothy’s arrival in The Wizard of Oz. As well as displaying the complex friendship between the two main characters, Glinda (the Good Witch) and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). The original cast included Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Mendzel as Elphaba. In the film these two have a surprise cameo.
In this film Ariana portrays Glinda and Cynthia portrays Elphaba. These two talented singers attack the demanding soundtrack. The musical consists of 20 songs, 11 being in the first act and therefore, 11 in the movie adaptation. Ariana and Cynthia chose to sing live while filming. This provides more memorable performances. In addition to singing live, Cynthia wanted to conduct her own stunts. Leading to a challenging but rewarding performance of the hit song Defying Gravity.
The actors have gone on a long press tour to promote their movie. With a big ending in New York City, the home of Broadway, for the premier. These actors have shown to be extremely grateful for this opportunity and proud of their work. Both Ariana and Cynthia have expressed their love for the musical Wicked. They have also performed on Broadway before so they are a part of that community.
Overall, this film has been highly anticipated by fans of the original Broadway musical. The musical has been a big part of some peoples life. There is so much to appreciate in this film between the acting, singing, set, etc. Fans are already waiting for the second movie.
