The new movie adaptation of Wicked came out on November 22. It starred Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Although many of the same people worked on both the Broadway musical and the new movie, musical theatre fans were left wondering how they would compare.
Here’s some backstory on the original Broadway Musical if you are unfamiliar: its debut in June 2003 starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. It was written by lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman. The story takes place in the Land of Oz and is an addition to the well-known movie The Wizard of Oz. It follows the unlikely friendship of two witches, Elphaba and Glinda, who are attending Shiz University. Elphaba is a misunderstood and smart girl with green skin. Glinda is a perfect and popular girl with beautiful blonde hair. Although they dislike each other at first, they soon form a strong bond.
The Storyline in the Wicked movie is extremely similar to the storyline in the original Broadway musical, although the main difference is the length. The story was cut into two movies, the first part being 2 hours and 40 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than the entire Broadway production. The extra length enables the story to expand on the characters, expand on a few of the songs, and welcome two very special guest stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who play minor characters that don’t appear in the stage production.
The music in the new movie is phenomenal and it definitely holds a candle to the stage production. Both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have amazing voices that complement their character’s songs perfectly. The two most reputable songs, “Defying Gravity” and “Popular,” were everything you’d expect and more. Erivo’s performance in “Defying Gravity” was emotional and it expanded on Elphaba’s character beautifully. Grande’s rendition of “Popular” was hilarious. These are the two most well-known songs, but some other astonishing numbers include “No One Mourns the Wicked,” “The Wizard and I,” “Dancing Through Life,” and “What Is This Feeling?”
