From broken marriages and teary-eyed interviews to holding space for an endless marketing campaign, the film adaptation of “Wicked” has been stirring up conversation since its release. The film needed to rationalize its nearly 3-hour run time as only part one of the musical. For many theater kids like me, justification was, quite frankly, irrelevant. No matter the product planted on the screen, I would’ve sat in my green and pink getup, reserving tickets for “Wicked” part two during the previews. Yet despite my bias, “Wicked” proves its worth. Notwithstanding the imperfections, there is space to be held for the wit and wonder of “Wicked.”
Director Jon M. Chu’s (“In the Heights”) “Wicked” is the film adaptation of the musical “Wicked” (Winnie Holzman), which is an adaptation of the novel “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire, which is in and of itself an adaptation of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. These adaptations serve as prequels to Baum’s original novel and curate an origin story for the Wicked Witch of the West.
The production radiates a fantastical, meticulous passion for Oz, paying homage to the original “Wizard of Oz” film and book while transforming it into a world of its own. I was immediately captivated by the sheer abundance of variation and intricate detail. The attention given to not just the leads, but also the background characters and setting, contributes to an immersive world through costumes and practical sets. Each costume exudes individuality while paying homage to historical silhouettes and patterns, adding an alluring whimsy to each character. I praise the dedication to building a full-scale Shiz University with a functioning rotating library, planting 9 million tulips and curating a forest, complete with real birds. The minute details are truly remarkable, and I only wish there was more time spent within the world itself. Chu’s direction feels character-centric, missing the opportunity to immerse the audience in this new fantastical world and showcase the sets they worked so hard to build.
Despite the practicality of the sets, the dull lighting and diluted saturation make each shot feel like a staged scene rather than an intimate moment. Director Chu asserted that the film’s muted color palette helps make Oz feel like “a real place,” by extension emphasizing the reality of the on-screen relationships. Yet the desaturation made Oz feel more plastic than “Barbie,” which at least chose to embrace the neon and color of its world. The main character is green for god’s sake — embrace the fantasy, increase the saturation and give us an ethereal, enchanted Oz. In general, the direction and lighting lack variety and creativity in the first two acts, making it feel like we’re at the Gershwin Theater on Broadway, watching the musical on stage instead. Chu, again, doesn’t take advantage of the medium of film, teasing the audience with his creative potential in only a handful of scenes.
On the other hand, the performances of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”) and Glinda (Ariana Grande, “Victorious”) negate all previous criticisms. Erivo and Grande bring in the depth and complexity I yearned for in the rest of “Wicked.” Through heavy use of close-ups and medium shots, Chu captures Erivo’s micro-expressions and subtle mannerisms, drawing the audience deeper into Elphaba’s character. Her performance, alongside the intimate shots, evokes profound empathy and heartbreak, adding a tender weight missing in the distance of musical theater. Grande provides comedic wit while also adding more compassion and self-doubt to Glinda’s character compared to the stage show. Admittedly, seeing Grande on screen was initially distracting, since she is such a well-known pop star. Yet, while audiences come to know and love Glinda as a brash, narcissistic personality, Grande impressively curates a multifaceted gentleness that dismissed my previous doubts.
The new music in “Wicked” undoubtedly outshines the poor lighting or awkward shots. I could write several articles about Erivo’s interpretation of “Defying Gravity” on her live singing while flying in a harness or debating whether the film should’ve ended during the final note. It’s a show stopper — on and off screen, in the shower or at a middle school glee performance. However, the production and ensemble performance of “Dancing Through Life” notably outperformed the stage show or any other rendition. Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey, “Bridgerton”) steals the hearts and minds of Oz and the audience alike, bringing an addictive magnetism and charm. Through revamped instrumentals by composer Stephen Schwartz, the sequence has dynamic, complex choreography around a rotating “tornado library,” with backflips and stunts galore to unveil a true spectacle. The sequence could’ve been a satisfactory short film through its amalgamation of extravaganza, heartache and character development. Chu, at long last, takes advantage of the film medium in this sequence, adding a new dimension and perspective that the stage production lacks.
In spite of the desaturation and uninspired direction, “Wicked” was a breathtaking celebration of the 20-year-old musical. The film is undoubtedly entertaining, charismatic and empowering for Elphaba, theater kids and its political and social allegories alike. The performances in “Wicked” shatter and surpass any criticism surrounding the film, providing the perfect excuse for musical obsessions to crawl out of the shadows and into the limelight.
Daily Arts Writer Maurice Tobiano can be reached at mtobiano@umich.edu.
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