Two takes on “Wicked:” stage spectacle vs. movie magic

Never seen the musical:

By Alexa Orlowski, ’25

It wasn’t until I was ready to purchase tickets to “Wicked” that I realized it was almost three hours long. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie in the theaters that was any longer than two hours, so right away I was intimidated.

Words can hardly describe the shock I felt when I found out that this movie is only Act One of the stage musical it is based upon.

The acting and visual effects of this movie were phenomenal. Ariana Grande plays a perfect embodiment of the uptight and condescending Galinda, while Cynthia Erivo nails her performance of the shy but strong-willed Elphaba. Both actresses have enchanting voices that not only supplement their characters’ personalities beautifully but get the classic “Wicked” songs stuck in the heads of the audience, including those who weren’t familiar with the music from the beginning.

Has seen the musical:

By Jessica Pfeifer, ’25

To say something has changed within me as a result of this movie would be an understatement. It’s no secret that I love the stage version of “Wicked.” (Look no further than my four part series on the show.) But as opening night for the movie approached, I grew nervous as it became impossible to escape the ridiculous advertisements that ranged from Target riffing competitions to a pair of cell phones discussing what they would ask The Wizard for. Much to my relief, my nerves were unfounded. “Wicked” is stunning; every scene is imbued with magic through the technicolor sets, elaborate costumes, and convincing special effects.

As is to be expected, the acting, singing, and dancing were all enchanting. My favorite part, however, might just be the title card that pays homage to the classic black and white title card from “The Wizard of Oz”.

Other easter eggs like the pair of sparkly red shoes that Glinda unveils and clicks three times during “Popular,” sprinkled throughout the film were also wonderful touches.

Given the movie’s length, I expected to be counting down the minutes during slow-moving scenes. To my surprise, these moments ended up being pretty minimal. With all of the small easter eggs referencing the “Wizard of Oz” film, and many more referencing the “Wicked” musical which I didn’t realize until I was informed afterwards, there were a limited number of dull moments during the film.

However, never say never. Although I had never listened to music from the “Wicked” musical, it was clear that the film added lengthy pauses during songs that likely didn’t exist within the musical. The most glaring example I noticed of this was during the song “Popular,” where there were many noticeable pauses throughout the song for the characters to speak meaningless dialogue to one another without adding much to the story. These moments made the songs (and the move in general) drag on longer than they needed to.

One of my biggest questions going into the movie was how a single 1 hour and 30 minute act could be stretched into 2 hours and 40 minutes—ten minutes longer than both acts of the Broadway musical.

Most of this extra time came from at least 1-2 minutes of additional underscoring added to each song and additional scenes. While many of the minor additions were helpful to adjust pacing and make the plot more easily understandable, there were several large scene additions that were entirely unnecessary, including Elphaba’s childhood flashback, Elphaba and Glinda’s yellow brick road conversation with the Wizard, and the excruciatingly long silent dance sequence at the Ozdust.

The only addition that I found beneficial was made to the song “One Short Day.” This addition features Idina Menzel and Kirsten Chenowith, the original Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway, and explains the origins of the Grimmerie, the Wizard’s all-powerful spellbook, and how it works. This information, although not all necessary for understanding the plot, gives the viewer more background about the Wizard’s past and makes the events to follow easier to understand.

Although I didn’t mind the run time, I don’t think all 2 hours and 40 minutes were entirely necessary.

After all of the drama that came about during the making of this film, from interpersonal to personal to strange public displays of emotion, I was worried about how the acting might turn out. However, in most cases I was pleasantly surprised at the performance of the secondary characters, as similar to Grande and Erivo, many actors nailed the personalities of their characters perfectly.

The performance that stood out the most to me was that of Jonathan Bailey who played Fiyero, a hotheaded prince with high standards and conflicting feelings when it comes to love interests. I have loved Bailey as an actor since his role in Netflix’s Bridgerton, and surprisingly I had no idea he was in this film until he appeared on screen. His natural on-screen charm and flawless arrogant demeanor added so much to the character and made Fiyero very memorable, which is important for those like me who aren’t familiar with the musical storyline as he is unique to “Wicked.”

Another memorable performance came from Jeff Goldblum who played the infamous “Wizard of Oz,” a mysterious character whose motives lie somewhere in the lines of questionable. Given his age of 72, I was initially skeptical about his ability to accurately play the role of such a gaslighting and intimidating character, but he really nailed it. He surprised me with his singing abilities, especially in “No One Mourns The Wicked,” where he embodies a mysterious faceless charmer perfectly. Although the Wizard isn’t unique to “Wicked,” much of his motives regarding the animals of Oz and Elphaba’s role in Oz are new, and Goldblum’s performance really hits home how much of an untrustworthy character he is.

My other major question was how Grande would do in her portrayal of Glinda. I had little doubts for the other stars, namely Erivo, who gave an earnest and heartfelt performance. However, due to Grande’s pop-star background, I was a bit skeptical of how her performance would play out.

Although Grande’s portrayal of Glinda was better than I anticipated, there were several moments when it felt less like she was Glinda and more like she was playing Kristen Chenowith playing Glinda.

Her acting also failed to ever reveal a truly genuine side of Glinda, as her smile and vocal intonation remained artificial throughout the film, which ultimately cheapened Glinda’s friendship with Elphaba. Part of this lack of connection may also stem from how the first part of the movie seems to progress much more quickly than the musical, despite the additional hour and ten minutes of run time.

I was also extremely disappointed with her version of “Popular” because her vocal flip on the word “popular” in the chorus sounds unnatural and disrupts the flow of the song. There is also a very “pop-ifed” moment toward the beginning where Grande adds an unnecessary riff.

On the topic of riffs, Erivo’s at the end of “Defying Gravity” took my breath away. Many are familiar with it from its overwhelming use in commercials. Despite my eventual change of heart, when I initially heard it, I was not a fan. Erivo’s is rougher and more complex than the Mezel’s and it felt like too much. But seeing the movie with the 14 minute long build up to that climactic belt, her riff was absolutely perfection. Its power and intensity were exactly what that moment required and she delivered.

Unlike the original “Wizard of Oz,” which takes place almost entirely on the yellow brick road, “Wicked” features many unique locations that add to the fantastical element of the film.

One of the most interesting sets I’ve seen in a movie comes from the Shiz library, full of moving pieces and references to circular gear shapes that repeatedly show up throughout the film. The unique set not only set the foundation for even more unique dance choreography during “Dancing Through Life,” but it left me wondering how they could have achieved such a masterpiece of moving parts, which only immersed me into the scene further.

Director Jon Chu’s goal to use as little CGI as possible only made the movie more magical, even if it required the planting of nine million tulips. This vision is seen most prominently in the intricate sets. One of my favorites is the rotating library seen during “Dancing Through Life” where Jonathan Bailey captured the hearts of viewers. One feature of this library that makes it extra special are its bars that line up to create the letters “O” and “Z,” spelling “Oz” during the dance sequence.

What CGI was used, namely in the creation of the animal characters, remained realistic enough to blend in with the environments while maintaining a fantasy-esque aura that didn’t distract me from the story.

One CGI moment, however, that could have used adjustment was the movement of Elphaba’s cape near the end of “Defying Gravity” as she flies above the Emerald City. The cape’s movements felt inorganic and cheaply produced compared to the rest of the film.