There are plenty of reasons to see John M. Chu’s film adaptation of Wicked, chief among them being this stellar cast’s renditions of some iconic tracks. Since the film first started screening, people haven’t been able to stop gushing about Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s live vocal performances. This is guaranteed to produce some memorable and emotional moments, especially if you were on set at the time of filming and a choir of birds decided to join in.
I recently spoke with John M. Chu himself, and when describing his biggest “goosebumps moment” during production on Wicked, he told a beautiful story of when Cynthis Erivo as Elphaba sang one of the musical’s most emotional songs, "I’m Not That Girl", with help from some feathered friends:
One of the most goosebumps moments was I'm Not That Girl. Of course you have Cynthia singing. And at that beginning moment, if you watch it, it's almost like the music comes from nowhere. We couldn't actually hear. It's only in her ears unless I put my headphones on. So I'm just hearing this little echo in this giant set of a forest that we built in the soundstage, and there were birds who made nests in the things. And every time she sang, these birds would sing because they had some sort of attachment to her voice.
John M. Chu
Wow, talk about a storybook moment! It sounds like this performance was straight out of Sleeping Beauty. Cynthia Erivo’s voice attracts a choir of live birds and mine would probably make them keel over. The silence on set could only aid in the impact that such a moment had, without the sounds of pre-recorded instruments drowning out the chirping and the belting. John M. Chu went on to explain:
But her singing that was so quiet, everyone was… I could see grips tearing up, and I knew that something was very special happening. That we all actually identify with not being that girl, not being the person that's going to get this or that. And I love when it's a song you've heard over and over again and it changes its context, and Cynthia is very good at that.
John M. Chu
Hearing John M. Chu’s passion for the task at hand, we can only assume it's a major ingredient in what makes Wicked a great film. Our official Wicked review gave the film a perfect 5/5 stars, critics won’t stop gushing about it, and as if that wasn’t enough, even the original Glinda herself Kristin Chenoweth has given it her stamp of approval. This production has had plenty of haters and seen its fair share of controversy, but now just days away from the film’s theatrical release, we can stand confident that these are hurdles John M. Chu and co. have been able to overcome.
You can see Wicked for yourself on November 22! We’ll see who comes out on top between it and Gladiator II in the fight for this weekend’s box office dominance. This is just the first film, with the second coming our way in November 2025, so gear up for a whole year of Wicked mania! At this point, either get on board or get out of the way, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in Wicked news.
