Content Advisory: Racism
The Tony Award-winning musical hits the big screen with Wicked: Part One. Due to being born with green skin, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) has been subjected to much prejudice, particularly from her father Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman) of Munchkinland, who gives preferential treatment to Elphaba’s wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode). While accompanying Nessarose to Shiv University, Elphaba unleashed a stressed out burst of magic, which catches the attention of Dean of Sorcery Studies, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who immediately enrols Elphaba in the university and rooms her with the very self-centred Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande), who is not happy to lose her private suite.
Elphaba and Galinda share an adversarial relationship with each other and compete for the affections of new student Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), though they soon start to develop a respect and friendship for each other. Elphaba also develop sympathy towards the plight of her talking goat history professor Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), who is fighting back against the prejudice against the animal population of Oz. Eventually, Elphaba’s magical abilities develop to the point where she is invited to the Emerald City for an audience with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).
Wicked: Part One Synopsis
Wicked: Part One, marketed as just Wicked, is a film directed by John M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), adapted from the 2003 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, which in turn was adapted from the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The story is a revisionist prequel to L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which tells the story of how the protagonist Elphaba Thropp, played by Broadway star and actor Cynthia Erivo (Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale), came to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Much of the story of Wicked: Part One deals with the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda the Good, née Galinda Upland, played by pop star Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up). Initially, Galinda loathes Elphaba and mocks her with her friends Pfannee of Phan Hall (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James). However, after Elphaba puts a good word in for Galinda with Madame Morrible, the two develop a friendship with each other. However, this newfound connection is tested when Elphaba and Glinda learn the plan of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which includes creating an enemy for the people of Oz to rally against.
My Thoughts on Wicked: Part One
As one of the most acclaimed Broadway musicals of the last two decades, there is already a built-in audience for a big screen adaptation of Wicked, which is being released 21 years after debuting on stage. Director John M. Chu is committed to a fault to providing fan service to the musical’s fan base. This includes making the decision to split the Broadway musical into two films, with Wicked: Part One making up the play’s first act.
Wicked: Part One is at its best during the performances of the musical numbers, with the film during a solid job of adapting stage choreography to the big screen. While I haven’t seen the stage musical, Wicked is so ingrained in pop culture that I was able to recognize the big numbers, such as Galinda-sung “Popular” and the climactic anthem “Defying Gravity.” There is even a crowd-pleasing cameo by a couple of faces who would be very familiar to Wicked fans.
The biggest criticism I have toward Wicked: Part One is that the film is telling half the story with 2h40m running time, which is reportedly longer than the entire stage musical. This comes from the decision to have dialogue-heavy scenes in between the musical numbers, which I describe as “plot filler.” I believe it would have been quite possible to trim Wicked: Part One down to a more reasonable length, without sacrificing much for fans of the stage musical.
While I am critical of the length of Wicked: Part One, it ultimately doesn’t hurt my ultimate opinion of the film. If you are a fan of the Broadway musical, or musicals in general, Wicked: Part One ends up being a successful adaption. If only now we didn’t have to wait an entire year for Wicked: Part Two.
Buy the Book on Which Wicked: Part One is Based
