“Yes, the Wicked Witch is dead,” Glinda regrettably professes in the opening of Wicked, the official first installment of the highly anticipated Broadway-to-film adaptation. The project has been in the works for over a decade and passed through several directors until it finally landed in Jon M. Chu’s lap (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) after the COVID-19 pandemic halted its progress under Stephen Daldry (The Crown, The Reader). Being a musical enthusiast from a young age, Chu reworked the new-age Broadway classic—based on Gregory Maguire’s novel that reimagines The Wizard of Oz through the untold and complex friendship of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch of the South) in a pre-Dorothy Oz—unapologetically in his own way. Many A-list talents, including Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Jessie J, and Anna Kendrick, auditioned for the chance of a lifetime.
Ultimately, Chu chose pop diva Ariana Grande, who originally auditioned for Elphaba, as his Glinda, leaving Broadway powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as the titular Elphaba. Later, it was revealed by Grande’s vocal teacher that the “Problem” singer trained five days a week for several months to make her voice more “operatic” ahead of auditions. Erivo, an almost-EGOT-status Broadway star, was a natural selection given her award-winning performance as Celie Harris in the stage adaptation of The Color Purple and her underappreciated contributions to the film industry, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and honoring Julie Andrews. Like Grande upgrading her “stage” name to read Ariana Grande-Butera on the silver screen, Wicked is ushering in a new era of Hollywood musicals—one that positions Erivo and Grande as its founding mothers.
Grande centralizes the story of Elphaba’s transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West with one memorable line: “Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” Set against a politically turbulent Oz, the film documents Elphaba’s journey from an outcast with extraordinary powers to a pivotal figure challenging the forces around her. As her friendship with Glinda is tested and truths unravel, the story hurtles toward a skyborne defiance, a crossroads that could alter the fate of Oz forever—leaving the stage set for an even greater reckoning in the next chapter.
From the handful of teary-eyed press interviews flooding social media, you’d wonder if the co-stars had a cataclysmic event on set. The answer is yes: Wicked not only blends the musical’s iconic storytelling with unbelievable on-set chemistry, but the film brims with innovative visuals, rich costuming, and standout performances—including eargasmic moments like “What Is This Feeling?”, “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity”—that reimagine the tale for all ages and the big screen.
From the opening sequence, the camera zooms in on a lone black witch hat surrounded by embers and ruin, one of many cinematic “aha” moments Chu excels at throughout the nearly three-hour feature. Although a rare occasion without music, the foreshadowing introduces the political unrest taking over Oz, especially in the vibrant Munchkinland as they celebrate the Wicked Witch’s “death” with a gigantic wooden statue of Elphaba set ablaze. Glinda, tasked with doing the honors, isn’t her cherry comedic self but rather a shell of guilt as she looks up at her former friend. Glinda’s brief present-day internal conflict gains clarity in Part One’s significant backstory, which leads up to this moment (and will resume in 2025’s Part Two).
For any naysayers questioning Grande’s vocal chops, they forget she started on Broadway alongside Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies in the musical 13. Even with her heavenly arias signaling her “pink bubble” appearance, audiences were simply unprepared for her “No One Mourns the Wicked” rendition, which features incredible finale whistle-tone operatics.
Grande also revealed throughout the Wicked press tour that she wanted to pause her music career to pursue musical theater, which she described as her “heart.” After witnessing Grande’s Glinda, there’s no turning back: there was simply life before Kristin Chenoweth (Broadway’s original Glinda); now, there is life after Ariana Grande—two must-see performances that will inspire a new generation. Grande was born to play Glinda, right down to the flamboyant hair flips, hostile positivity, passive-aggressive smiles, and strictly pink wardrobe.
Similarly, Erivo adds an undeniable weight to Elphaba as the British-Nigerian actress imbues her own history into this role in ways that previous, often white portrayals could never capture—and it’s more than having microbraids, though it’s a nice touch. Elphaba’s dilemma is a race issue: being judged and excluded for having green skin mirrors the too-often prejudicial experiences that people of color face in everyday society. Erivo uses Elphaba, her twin flame, as a sounding board to amplify her underrepresented voice throughout Oz with the grandiose ending of “The Wizard and I” and the battle cry of “Defying Gravity.” Similarly, Elphaba and Glinda are unironically yin and yang: where Elphaba is reserved and defensive, Glinda is bubbly and carefree. Although the sisters-by-choice share their own individual struggles, together they reach a conclusion that rewrites Oz forever.
Part of Grande and Erivo’s on-set chemistry is due to Chu’s distaste for CGI, which led production designer Nathan Crowley (The Dark Knight, Interstellar, The Greatest Showman) to build all its sets from scratch to help “immerse the audience”—similar to 2023’s Barbie. Few filmmakers have ever so cinematically grounded Oz. Although “The Wizard and I” revealed a secluded waterfall atrium hidden in the University of Shiz, the toe-to-toe pop of “What Is This Feeling?” visually reflected the gothic and drab institution, its educational pressures, and the characters’ emotional struggles. The Emerald City sparkled as a bustling, green-hued metropolis blending futuristic sheen with lush natural textures, anchored by a 16-ton train. Meanwhile, Munchkinland came alive with nine million hand-planted tulips, making the location a vibrant celebration of life and color, underlining Crowley’s tactile approach to creating an authentic and fantastical Oz. This meticulous attention to detail breathes new life into Grande and Erivo’s name-making performances.
In concert with Crowley’s handmade set designs, Chu enlisted Broadway costume designer extraordinaire Paul Tazewell (Hamilton, West Side Story) to stitch every bit of Oz into Elphaba and Glinda’s distinct personalities, individual arcs, and, most importantly, wardrobes. Mushroom-inspired pleats, fiddle fern embroidery, and a striking black ombre-accented dress connect Elphaba to her love for nature, embodying her journey toward self-discovery. Glinda’s attire is perhaps the most stunning, as Tazewell captured whimsical elegance through roses and bubbles, with a nod to 1950s Dior romanticism. In the newly choreographed “Popular,” Grande prances around Elphaba during an unwarranted makeover, subtly hinting at Glinda’s canonically unserious pink extravaganza. To forever iconize Glinda in a new signature, look no further than her Ozdust Ballroom gown, which features a Fibonacci spiral structure and custom-dyed silk organza that immortalizes the Good Witch as an ethereal sunset.
Wicked alone is a one-stop shop of what musical excellence can be in Hollywood. The secret? Singing live on set. Chu told Vanity Fair in March, “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F*** the pre-records. We’re going live.’” Besides poor casting, relying too heavily on pre-recorded tracks has been a hallmark mistake of past Broadway-to-film adaptations, like Cats. But as Erivo flawlessly belts in one behind-the-scenes featurette, the choice to sing live deepened their connection to the material: “We chose to sing live because it meant that we would be further connected to the words we were saying and to each other,” says Erivo.
Alongside vocal prodigies Grande and Erivo, Wicked boasts A-list talent: Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) as love interest Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) as University of Shiz’s dean Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as the Wizard of Oz. While Bailey, Yeoh, and Goldblum shine in limited capacities, their contributions are mere teasers for Part Two, where their arcs will take center stage.
In every way, Wicked mastered everything missing from Hollywood musicals. Chu not only reimagined a Broadway classic for the big screen, but he also employed a crew familiar with perfection to set a new Broadway-to-film standard. With a cast seamlessly bridging powerhouse vocalists and nuanced actors, led by Erivo and Grande at career-defining highs, the film is an electrifying tribute that also stands on its own ahead of awards season. From its mesmerizing set design to its spine-tingling performances, Wicked is both a love letter to its Gershwin Theatre birthplace and a bold step forward toward a cinematic future.
As the curtain closes on Part One, with its embers still glowing and the music lingering in the air, it’s clear the chaos is just the beginning. The yellow brick road is paved with promises of more heartache, revelation, and triumph in Part Two, coming November 2025. For now, audiences are left spellbound and caught somewhere between defying gravity and wanting more.
Leave a Reply