Wicked: Part One– Movie Review
By: Gabriella Celona
The anticipated film Wicked: Part One has finally been released, and Broadway fans are running to the theater to ensure they have a front-row seat to inarguably the biggest movie of 2024.
The Broadway musical Wicked has been a staple in the musical theater community since its first live production in 2003. The iconic duo Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel played the original characters of “Galinda” (Glinda), the Good Witch, and “Elphaba” (aka Elphie), the Wicked Witch of the West. Their performance and the original production have won three Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, and seven Drama Desk Awards.
Now, for the people who have been Wicked connoisseurs, fans, and those who just appreciate the art of the whole production– it can be very nerve-wracking when the show is becoming a film for the first time after all these years. Alongside this, the main characters in the film are played by well-known pop icon Ariana Grande-Butera, and Cynthia Erivo who is known to have a great reputation on stage but not everyone seems to have known of her before this casting. The real question is, how are they going to live up to the long-lasting legacy of Menzel and Chenoweth's performance? After almost twenty years, the two are still known as the face of Wicked- why weren’t they cast as their original roles but in the movie version? Many fans were worried, but nobody could tell for sure what the outcome would be until they watched it with their own eyes.
The marketing campaigns for this movie was nothing but memorable and flashy, which got you itching for the movie to release as the days went on. There were collaborations with any and every brand you can think of leading up to the premiere: from cosmetic brands like R.E.M Beauty and OPI, to clothing stores such as Bloomingdales and Gap, to even collaborations with providers such as Xfinity. So, if this movie ends up being a flop; it would be devastating for the audience, the cast, and the crew.
Now let’s get into talking about the interviews leading up to today. It seems to be that the Wicked stars Erivo and Grande would continuously get emotional during their interviews and people couldn't fathom what happened on that set for them to cry almost every time they spoke about the film. I have many thoughts on this. After watching the movie myself, I completely understand why there was such an emotional response. As an audience member, the energy was so apparent of how many people have not only a connection to the story itself but having grown up with the production being so prominent in the world of theater. Now, look at it from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera's point of view. Put yourself in their shoes. After years of hard work and dedication in the industry, they were finally able to portray these characters that mean something so special to them. You can tell that there was an incredible amount of love and care put into the roles. Each actress had their own personal connection to what this production meant to them.
I have been a performer my whole life and from my experience, there have been many times where I've felt emotional or cried about how much I love my team, the production, and most importantly that everyone involved shows that love through the same type of art no matter what part of the production they are involved in. This is what the stars felt during this film, which is extremely touching; and in my opinion, nobody should have anything negative to say because if they ever were in a similar position, they would act the same if they had the same love and dedication for what they do– and being able to see the finished product is nothing but heartwarming.
It is safe to say that the job was very well done in all aspects. Props to the director Jon M. Chu for bringing such an iconic Broadway musical to the screen and composer Stephen Schwartz creating and composing the songs that created such a magical community. To all the actors and actresses coming together to create something for all demographics to enjoy, to the choreographer Christopher Scott for truly bringing back the importance of dance in musicals (because unfortunately it is very undervalued at times), and big thank you to everyone else involved for helping convey such important messages such as discrimination, self-acceptance, friendships, civil rights, community and so much more.
It can sometimes be tricky hiring such a public figure to portray a certain character in a movie. You never know if the decision was because the person is truly deserving of the role, or if they were chosen because of how well-known they are, therefore resulting in more views and more money. But I can’t express enough how amazing Ariana’s performance was. There is not one bad thing to say, she was the perfect fit for the character Glinda inside and out. She had mentioned previously that singing for Wicked was a completely different experience than her pop music. She had to take a completely different approach, along with the even higher than usual vocals that are rarely ever heard on Broadway, never mind the radio.
Besides her amazing singing skills, Ariana is a natural performer. We know she has a little bit of background in acting as she first appeared in Victorious before her singing career rocketed, but she has always been a Broadway girly at heart. Her first Broadway debut was in 13: The Musical, but after Nickelodeon took her on their team as Cat Valentine, her career went in a slightly different direction furthering into mostly music. Alongside her acting and singing skills, little did I know her ability when it came to dancing. CAN WE TALK ABOUT HER GRAND BATTEMENT!! She truly showed us that she is the definition of a triple threat.
I didn’t know much about Cynthia Erivo before the casting of Wicked. All I knew was that she must be damn good at what she does if she was cast alongside Ariana Grande in the first-ever film of such an iconic Broadway Musical. I purposely didn’t watch any videos or past performances she had worked on because I wanted my first impression of her as an actress to be when I stepped foot into that theater. She did not disappoint, nor did she live up to my expectations. She exceeded them. Watching her on the big screen was so powerful. Her acting was incredibly touching, and her voice was genuinely one of the most angelic voices I have ever heard. I kid you not I could listen to her sing all day.
I always say I think musical movies are better when casting people who have a theater background because you can tell they have a certain spark in their performance. (Absolutely no shade to other actors. We all know no matter what it is, different backgrounds cause for different executions. Not to say this is a bad thing, there are just different approaches to acting.) Alongside the two witches, actors Ethan Slater and Jonathan Bailey both have theater experience as well. No, I would not say that this is a necessity because every other actor involved in this film who doesn’t have a theater background did a phenomenal job. I think everyone was cast perfectly and I am here to appreciate that the leading performers' backgrounds have a significant impact on the film.
Iconic songs such as "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" were showcased in Part One. My stomach got butterflies specifically at the beginning of these scenes, but Defying Gravity is truthfully what got me; tears streaming and all. Let’s just say my sisters said to me that during the entirety of the film, if I could have jumped into the screen, I would have. I had such chills, the hairs on my arms were standing, it felt as if I was watching live in action. There's no other way to say this, and excuse my French, but my exact reaction to this movie was “That performance was SO f*cking amazing.”
Back to our question about the original Broadway cast and how could anyone live up to the influence that Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth have on Wicked? In a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight the movie stars express how important it is to them that they have "the nod of approval" from Menzel and Chenoweth.
Luckily, they made sure of it that the original cast was honored as a part of this film by giving them a cameo. The two sing the song "One Short Day" as the segway for the original stars to appear in the new film, singing about how magical Emerald City is! "This whole film is really a love letter to the stage production. So to have them be a part of it was imperative, and this is our love letter to Broadway" Grande-Butera states to Entertainment Tonight.
Although this was only the first half of Wicked, I do agree that two parts were needed. After all, it gives that “intermission” type of vibe as if you are actually watching them live on stage! With part one being almost three hours long, and never once felt like it was going on for too long, I can’t wait to see what Part Two has in store for us. I am excited to relive this era all over again next year, in a new light :)
Wicked Part Two Only In Theaters in November 2025.
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