Wicked: a plea for tolerance and acceptance

First things first: the following movie review contains no spoilers. I won’t tell you any more than is already public and can be seen in the trailers. Wicked is playing in cinemas from 12 December.

Oh, how I was looking forward to this movie adaptation. After all, Wicked isn’t just the musical that made Frozen lead Idina Menzel famous the world over. It’s also one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time. The song Defying Gravity in particular became an inspirational anthem in 2003 for those longing for change, liberation and the courage to stand up for themselves.

And the movie adaptation? Well, strictly speaking, only the first half of the musical is out as of now. Wicked: Part One, as the title puts it right at the beginning. And at 160 minutes, it lasts almost as long as the original itself. Was the split really necessary? Eh…probably not. According to my rationale, at least. Regardless, the musical fan in me wasn’t bored for a single second.

So does the film adaptation do justice to the great musical I once saw myself in London? Yes! I dare say it even surpasses it – and although it doesn’t defy gravity, as the iconic song says, it certainly defies my high expectations.

What Wicked is all about

She’s dead, defeated. The Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo). Her reign of terror, ruling the citizens of Oz with fear – it’s over. And so the good news quickly spreads: a girl, a tin man, a scarecrow and a lion stood up to pure evil. The whole country celebrates: «No one mourns the wicked,» they sing in unison.

Well…not exactly no one. At least Glinda (Ariana Grande), the Good Witch of the South, is in mourning. After all, she knew Elphaba even before she was called the «Wicked» Witch of the West. More than that, even. They were friends. They attended Shiz University together, a renowned institution in Oz where young witches and wizards learn and develop their magical skills. Even then, Elphaba was repeatedly ostracised and bullied because of her green skin and otherness. At least until she decided to stop playing by the rules established by others – or those of a certain wizard.

Glinda decides that the inhabitants of Oz have to learn the truth. The whole truth…

Creating a trend

«Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?», Glinda asks right at the beginning of the film. I can already guess what’s going through your mind right now: «Oh, please not another prequel with a 'misunderstood' villain!»

Is that what happens?

I don’t blame you. Disney seemingly kicked off the misunderstood villain trend in 2014 with Maleficent. Shortly afterwards, they doubled down with a sequel. Then came Cruella, and soon after that Mufasa, where we learn why Scar became evil. Reading through comments and reviews, many people seem fed up with the fact that the villains of our childhood, whom we loved to fear, have suddenly become complex characters with understandable motives.

Strictly speaking, however, it wasn’t Disney that brought this narrative trick back into the modern age. Instead, it was author Gregory Maguire, who wrote the novel Wicked back in 1995 and turned the purely evil witch of the West into Elphaba Thropp. Eight years later, the musical followed with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a veteran of the scene. Since then, it’s been impossible to imagine Broadway – and modern pop culture – without Wicked.

Strictly speaking then, Wicked isn’t another film from that mould, but an adaptation of Patient Zero – or at least of an early forerunner whose legacy remains almost unsurpassed to this day.

Yes, Wicked does tell the story of how Elphaba became the Witch of the West, the antagonist from L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. However, Wicked is also a cry for help. And a warning, against regimes and political leaders who use populism and invented enemy strawmen to manipulate our reason, empathy and independent thinking in order to stir up anger and fear.

This was already topical in 1995. Today, it’s more relevant than ever.

Elphaba, played and sung magnificently by Cynthia Erivo, takes on the role of both the oppressed and the underdog. The marginalised and reviled, in whom no one believes, who nevertheless fights and…well, you’ll have to see for yourself. We all know how well underdog stories work, and not just since Rocky.

With an astonishing naturalness, Cynthia Erivo manages to play more than just the outwardly strong fighter who doesn’t allow herself to be suppressed by social norms or narrow-minded prejudices. On the contrary: time and again, her vulnerability – an almost unbearable longing for acceptance – shines through the cracks in her supposedly indestructible armour. As a viewer, I can’t help but sympathise with the witch.

This is exactly what makes Wicked so unique and profound. Disney’s Maleficent and Cruella could never, ever come close. Not only because Elphaba isn’t a fairy who was merely driven into wickedness by a curse, or a fashion designer who was «only» marked by a traumatic childhood. She’s a young woman, isolated and defamed, in a world that makes comfortable but unfair rules. This makes her anger and pain so understandable.

So tangible.

Ariana Grande: discovering her comedic chops

Opposite Cynthia Erivo stands the real surprise of the movie: Ariana Grande. Not because she sings well – even I know that. And I only knew her name and a few songs until now. I almost feared they simply wanted to cast Glinda with some star power for marketing purposes, not necessarily acting talent.

But: Ariana Grande is funny. Really funny – in a very authentic and natural way. Her comedic talent, her sense of timing and – yes – her self-deprecation are impressive. At the same time, she masters a balancing act: arrogant, self-absorbed and mean on the one hand, funny, sympathetic and compassionate on the other. Not an easy task, one that not every actress can master this easily. But Ariana Grande manages it perfectly. Kudos.

In truth, Wicked has always thrived on the friendship and rivalry between Elphaba and Glinda. On the highs and lows of their relationship, their mutual support and the conflicts that arise from their initially different values and goals. But as much as they can’t stand each other at first, there’s also this strange attraction between them. Not in a romantic sense, but just as fascinating.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have successfully transported this dynamic from the show stage to the big screen.

And while we’re on the subject of shows, let me make it perfectly clear: Wicked is a musical through and through. The dancing and singing are almost non-stop. If you don’t like it when dozens of pupils suddenly tap-dance through classrooms, schoolyards and canteens in sync with their rehearsed choreography, you won’t enjoy Wicked. And anyone who thinks they can just switch off during the many songs is missing out on important exposition or even action.

For everyone else, Wicked is a pure spectacle. Also because much less computer work was done than the many CGI-heavy trailers suggested. In fact, I was hardly able to stop marvelling at how many of the huge sets were actually elaborately built. Apparently, a train weighing several tonnes was made especially for the film – so much dedication to artisanship has gone into this project.

What can I say? Wicked is everything musical cinema should be – and more.