This post is defying gravity! La la la, defying gravity!
Let’s delve into the magic, shall we, 3.5 readers?
Well, it’s official. Wicked is a hit. So much so that it took me 3 weeks to get a ticket to see it at my local theater or any theater within reasonable driving distance. I only got a ticket this weekend because I thought ahead and bought it last week. In a time when theaters are at risk of going the way of the dodo, it’s great to see a film that puts butts in seats.
It’s primary fanbase? Females and families. Moms and daughters were singing along to the tunes that have become modern classics and producers would do well to take notes about what motivates the public to buy a ticket vs. waiting to stream at home.
Power, power and power. How do we get it? How do we hold onto it? You wouldn’t expect to learn so much about the nature of power in a movie based on a Broadway play based on a novel that serves as a prequel to one of the most beloved children’s stories of all the time – The Wizard of Oz, be it the original 1800s novel by L. Frank Baum or the beloved 1939 film starring Judy Garland.
Alas, as it turns out, the politics behind the land located somewhere over the rainbow are intense. The Wicked Witch of the West, the green skinned OG baddie of film whose black leather boots other movie villains aren’t worthy to lick, was just a scapegoat all along.
The story follows Elphaba (Cynthia Errivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande) in their early years at Shiz University, the place where Ozians go to learn all things magic under the tutelage of headmistress, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh.)
Elphaba has spent her entire life despised by all, from her classmates to her family, over the color of her green skin. It’s no different at Shiz, as she quickly descends to the lowest of social ranks while pretty and perky Galinda rises to the top. They become roommates and eventually, BFFS, until fantasy land politics drive them apart.
Literal scapegoating is at play as society starts pinning all the blame for the land of Oz’s ills at the feet or uh, paws and hooves, of talking animals. Humans want animals to stop talking and just bleat, bark, moo and cluck. Elphaba feels for them, in particular, goat professor Dillamond (Peter Dinklage) whereas Galinda, a pro at being popular as the song goes, just wants to rise through the ranks and obtain power, fame and yes, love from the masses and she can’t do that by going against the grain.
And so, a power struggle begins worthy of a political science classroom discussion. When any conflict arises, you can be an Elphaba and take the morally right but politically unpopular stance and become hated and despised by society. You can be one of the blind followers like so many residents of Oz who tow the line and do and believe as they are told without further introspection. Or you can be a Galinda, who knows the status quo is wrong but really, what can you do about it, so why rock the boat when you can just be pretty and smile and go along with the flow and collect all the benefits of being a goody two-shoes?
I suppose you as a member of the Oz fandom can pick and choose what you believe, which ironically, happens a lot to many of the characters in this tale. Truth is a matter of perspective, a lesson apparently known in the 1990s when the book that started it all (the long running Broadway play and now the movie) was written, and it certainly has never been more true in today’s social media age. But at any rate, if you want to believe the Wicked Witch of the West was indeed little more than a nasty, vile beatch on wheels who lived to oppress the Ozians with her villainous ways, then you can. But if you want to accept that Wicked is cannon and believe that said witch was just a victim of social injustice who was unfairly lambasted for taking a heroic stand on talking animal rights, you can too.
Cynthia Errivo really can belt out a tune and she’s beautiful, so honestly, I don’t get the marketing where she’s showing up to interviews bald with a big ass nose ring, but I suppose she likes that look and in the spirit of the film, we shouldn’t scapegoat her for it although I could write an entire separate post complaining about the weird trend of women putting rings in their schnozes.
Ariana Grande has long wowed young audiences as a pop star sensation but this is her first starring role and she nails it. This was the role she (and other past Galindas) was born for – perky, charming, popular and only inadvertently evil.
And of course it wouldn’t be a movie with an eccentric dude in charge of everything with weird ways without Jeff Goldblum.
STATUS: Shelf-worthy. This movie was only part 1 and alas we’ll be waiting awhile for part 2. There’s a reason this story formed the basis for one of the longest running and beloved Broadway shows of all time. It has a lot of heart and if you’ve ever been unfairly picked on then you’ll identify with Elphaba’s struggle. Wicked puts butts in seats, whether those butts are on Broadway or in a theater near you, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
Bookshelf Battle 