Written by Giorgia Cattaneo
Broadway is back! The most expected musical of the year, which also appears to be the one that has been defying Broadway’s gravity for over twenty years now – the free adaptation of the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West – lands in movie theatres for the first time in history, starring an insanely talented duo, both in work and private life: Cyntia Erivo (as Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (as Glinda). Inspired by one of the world’s most famous children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1900), the story unveils what happened before – and after, in Wicked: Part Two, which is already set to be released in a year from now – Dorothy’s arrival in Oz. In the opening ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’ the citizens are celebrating the death of the “Wicked Witch of the West” (Elphaba), as Glinda – so called “The Good” – privately starts reminiscing how the two of them met and eventually became friends during college years (the whole movie is, in fact, a flashback).
If what they say about the expressive power of musicals is true, Wicked successfully made it through the way. This movie simply got everything it could possibly have: emotion, comedy, vibrancy in colours, atmospheres and costumes, a remarkable cast (finally actresses and actors who can actually sing are back to their place) and, most importantly for a big-time musical, a repertory of songs and dance numbers that chill the audience to the very core.
Although the subplot may resemble an old, classic tale – when the popular girl befriend the unpopular one, she starts becoming the best version of herself –, for what we know everything behind the scenes of the shows hides a deeper meaning (as well as the main storyline can be considered a metaphor for a social critique, including matters such as class and dictatorship) – and Erivo and Grande’s chemistry being simply out of this world, both off and on-screen, certainly adds point to it.
Grande’s passion and professional talent are once again proven by the fact that her performance doesn’t make the audience think, not even for a second, that she is “Ariana Grande, the singer”; and that’s because she’s not just playing a character, but she is that character. All we see in her moves and expressions is Glinda’s: an extremely self-centred, subtly mean, often contradictory, naturally fun character. Her ability to manipulate people into thinking she’s always the good one makes her a true Regina George before the Mean Girls (2004)’s audition – blond hair and a weird obsession for colour pink included. On the other hand, Erivo as main character Elphaba gives an outstanding performance both acting and singing – her goosebumps-inducing version of ‘Defying Gravity’ as closing track of the movie is in musical history already. Not to mention the fact that her being a black woman holds even more accountability to her character and the constant embarrassment and low self-esteem she feels because of her green skin, alongside the bullying she’s victim of since ever. Close-ups to the actress’ facial expressions, only made possible by the camera movements, represents the key to the character’s complexity and allow the audience to deeply resonate with her suffering and moments of joy. A scene like the one set during the ballroom, where Elphaba, after dancing in front of everyone, judgingly staring at her, turns her head to reveal a single tear (that is the moment when Glinda understands and is moved by the desire to help her) couldn’t have taken place on a theatre stage, where we wouldn’t have been able to see the real person behind the character’s mask. To further highlight the importance of this unconventional “Good” and “Evil” relationship, as we go through Glinda’s slow reminiscence of events, ‘For Good’ from the 2003’s musical soundtrack plays in the score as the duo’s love theme.
beautifully worded! <3
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