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It’s called Suspension of Disbelief, and it’s part of the magic that oozes out of Wicked. Simply put, we know it’s not real, so we put our reality goggles in a drawer. The lights are dim; we sit back with popcorn and post-mix cola, allowing ourselves to be carried away to a place that is not real, full of people who don’t exist. And in true big screen magic, Wicked delivers.
First, there was the book by Gregory Maguire published in 1995, then the stage version, which finally brings us to the wicked, (Come on. It had to be done,) big screen adaptation.
From the opening sequence to the soaring end, this 2 hour 40 minute kaleidoscope felt like it was over in a blink. With a fast paced style of storytelling, coupled with a brilliant soundtrack, I wasn’t disappointed. I felt like I did the first time I watched that other film about wicked witches, roads made of yellow bricks, and the comfort of home. Again, I was a 7-year-old, dazzled and transfixed. In true movie magic, I was a child again; excited, mesmerised, and without a doubt, feeling this colourful, exciting adventure was real.
Ariana Grande IS Galinda/Glinda; perfectly cast as the ditsy, naive “Good Witch.’ Cynthia Erivo is phenomenal as Elphaba, “The Wicked Witch.” The scene where she rides aloft her broomstick singing Defying Gravity, is stunning.
With the supporting cast of Jonathan Bailev as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz – a role he was born to play, and Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Wicked is the perfect film to counter some of the bleakness we currently face. Look out for the cameo featuring Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, the original stage Glinda, and Elphaba.
The sets, colours, grandeur and design of the film are all striking and hyper-colossal, but it is the story that brings it all together. An alternative telling of the Oz story, asking the question: What made the Wicked Witch, wicked? I read the novel many years ago, and was reminded that sometimes, occasionally, a cinema adaptation can get it right. Go see Wicked. Suspend your disbelief, and imagine that you too, can defy gravity.
Look out for Part 2 of Wicked due for release in November, 2025
