The Story
The story of Wicked is one of friendship, boldness, and going against the norms to do what’s right. Wicked is the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, who many know as the villain from the Wizard of Oz. Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) is a young woman who is green. She attends school and forms an unlikely friendship with Glinda (the Good Witch who is also well-known from the Wizard of Oz). Elphaba wants to work with the Wizard because she believes people will no longer hate her for being green. But she discovers shocking secrets that make her rethink her plans, causing her to turn away from her dreams and do the right thing.
History of Wicked
Wicked has been a musical on Broadway for many years. It was originally based on the Wicked book by Gregory Maguire. Wicked was based on the book and movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (though the movie was shortened to just The Wizard of Oz) by L. Frank Baum.
The original Broadway cast of Wicked starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba–the Wicked Witch of the West–and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda–the Good Witch. Wicked on Broadway was loved by many as an amazing musical. However, some people had doubts when they heard it was turning into a movie. Many feared it would be similar to the Broadway musical Cats, which was made into a movie but people didn’t like it.
Of course, Wicked was eventually made into a movie, and people love it.
The Movie
Wicked the movie has a truly amazing cast. It stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande-Butera as Glinda. Other characters are also played by amazing actors and actresses.
The movie is split into two parts. Part 1 has already come out, but we will have to wait a while for Part 2, which is supposed to come out about a year after the release of Part 1. Part 1 tells the story told in Act 1 of the Broadway musical, ending at the same point in the story as Act 1 does, directly after the song “Defying Gravity”. Unfortunately, viewers will have to wait longer than the typical length of intermission for the next part.
People are liking the movie for a lot of different reasons, but among the most common are the amazing songs, the interesting story, and the values communicated through it. These things make it fun to watch.
The Wicked movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes, but most viewers agree it’s worth every minute.
Works Cited:
“Wicked (2024) – Full Cast & Crew.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/title/tt1262426/
fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st#cast.
“‘Wicked’ ‘Perfectly Captures the Magic’ in First Reactions Praising Ariana
Grande, Cynthia Erivo.” The Hollywood Reporter, www.hollywoodreporter.com/
movies/movie-news/
wicked-first-reactions-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-1236049260/.
