I love Broadway, and before I had kids, my wife and I would see at least three Broadway shows a year.
One of those shows was of course Wicked, as how could we not? In fact, we saw Wicked twice, once before kids, and once after. And…well…it's okay. I mean, it's no Miss Saigon. So, when Wicked was announced as an upcoming movie, I thought I'd merely just like it since that’s how I felt about the Broadway show.
But, holy great Wizard of Oz, the movie is AMAZING! In fact, I think I finally understand why people love this story so much now. It's one thing to love both the Broadway show and the movie, like my colleague Alexandra Ramos, but to merely enjoy the play and to LOVE the movie? Well, I'll tell you exactly why I feel that way.
First Off, The Setting Of Wicked Always Felt Too Big For The Stage
The first thing that really struck me when I saw Wicked on Broadway (well, besides the big dragon), was when Glinda descended in a big, metal wheel. It actually took me a few seconds to realize, Oh, this is supposed to be her bubble.
Now, as a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz series, I could put two and two together, but when I took my children to see it on Broadway, my daughter leaned over to me and whispered, “Why is she in that thing?” which I of course explained to her. That’s the thing about Wicked on Broadway – you really have to use your imagination in certain regards; more so than in other Broadway plays, even.
So, all I have to say is kudos to the people who worked on the Broadway show, because they really had their work cut out for them. However, I think one reason why I wasn’t that impressed with Wicked there was because I’ve read all of the Oz books. So, my idea of Oz is GRAND, and the stage play, for as much as they tried, didn’t really feel that spectacular to me.
The film does such a good job of this, though, that I’m actually telling people new to the story to just skip the stage production altogether and watch the movie instead.
From the burning of Elphaba’s effigy in the beginning, to the great soaring moment toward the end, I truly believe that the film captured the full imagination of Oz, whereas the stage production just kind of touched upon it. Again, this is nobody’s fault, but I think that Oz outside of the books needs to be on a screen. The scale needed is just too big for the stage.
I Also Think The Animal Subplot Works So Much Better With Actual Animals
Another way the movie is superior to the play (in my opinion) is because of an animal subplot. You see, in Wicked, animals are losing their ability to speak, and one of Elphaba’s favorite teachers is a talking goat named Doctor Dillamond.
Now, I never read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which the play and movie are based upon, so I’m a little confused about animals losing their ability to speak since there’s a very talkative chicken named Ballina in the later L. Frank Baum Oz books, but I digress. The animal subplot is effective in the play, but a lot more effective in the movie.
And, that’s because we actually see other animals worrying about the change of events in the movie. This makes it feel that much more distressing. Also, in the play, the “goat” is played by a bipedal person who, if I’m being completely honest, almost looks like he belongs in a werewolf movie with all the make-up, but with horns.
No, it’s so much better to have actual, four-legged, CG animals worrying about their futures in the movie rather than somebody in a costume on the stage. It just hits on another level.
The Movie, Being A Part One, Feels Like It Has More Room To Breathe Than The Stage Production
I’ve heard some people say that the movie version of Wicked is way too long at 2 hours and 40 minutes, and yeah, I can see that. Especially when you figure that this is a PART 1, and the Broadway musical version, as a whole, is only 2 hours and 45 minutes, so yes. I can definitely see somebody saying that they really stretched out this movie’s run-time.
However, I couldn’t disagree more. Much like my colleague, Riley Utley, said in her positive Wicked review, this version could go down as “one of the best modern movie musicals” ever.
I think a big part of that is that the film adaptation has plenty of room to breathe. For example, in the show-stopping number, “The Wizard and I,” we don’t just see Elphaba holding a suitcase, and singing her heart out like we do on Broadway. No, instead, we see Elphaba looking at colored glass, showcasing what she might look like if she wasn’t green, and then running all throughout Shiz until finally leaving the school grounds and then belting out her final note at the edge of a mountain.
It makes the moment that much more dramatic and exciting. When Elphaba and Glinda actually go to the Emerald City, it’s a huge moment, and we really get to see just how marvelous this new location is.
In every way, I feel like the movie truly felt like the epic story that the Broadway show just couldn’t match.
I Liked The Actors Who Played Elphaba And Glinda In The Two Productions I've Seen, But I Much Prefer Cynthia Erivo And Ariana Grande
Let’s be clear. Anybody who makes it to a Broadway stage is 99.99% more talented than pretty much everybody else in the world. That said, I never saw the original stage production with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, whose vocal stylings I’m so used to. Instead, I saw it with different actresses, who were fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but I have a feeling they were no Menzel or Chenoweth.
However, I really loved Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, and I’m super glad that nobody was singing along in the performance that I went to, because it would have been a shame if anybody in the audience tried to drown out their amazing vocals.
Because besides just doing phenomenal jobs acting-wise, both Erivo and Grande sang exceptionally well. So much so, that I think I even prefer their voices to the ones I’ve heard over and over again on the Broadway soundtrack.
Yes, in a lot of ways, Erivo and Grande were trying to be as faithful to the voices we already know and love from Menzel and Chenoweth (who actually have cameos in the film). But, I also think they had their own personal flair that really elevated them above the actors I saw both times on Broadway.
It also helps that I could actually see both of Erivo’s and Grande’s faces clearly, whereas I had nosebleed seats on Broadway, but either way, that’s just another win for the movies. Anywhere you sit, you’ll still get a great view.
And Jeff Goldblum Is Just 100% Perfect Casting As The Wizard
In what will surely go down as one of Jeff Goldblum's best movies in the future, he absolutely kills it as The Wizard. He’s one of those casting decisions that I didn’t think I needed until we actually got him.
Because, I’ll be honest with you. My favorite song here is not “Popular,” or “Defying Gravity.” It’s “A Sentimental Man.” I had no idea how much I needed Goldblum to sing that song until I actually heard him sing it.
Goldblum has always been the most interesting and charming man in any movie he’s ever been in, and to see him as The Wizard (who is supposed to be charming) just works on so many levels.
Plus, knowing where the story was heading, I was ready to see that dark turn he makes. But, guess what? Goldblum fills the role with a sort of, “I’m just trying to help here, guys,” attitude, so it doesn’t really come off as sinister like it does in the two stage productions I saw, but rather, as a guy who just thinks he’s doing what’s best for Oz. I love it!
This is why I prefer the movie to the stage production. For more news on all things Wicked, be sure to swing by here often!
