By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The jokes are out there about people trying to keep it straight. It’s a book. It’s a Broadway show. Now, a “Wicked” movie comes to theaters just in time for the holiday season. Released a week before Thanksgiving, on Nov. 22, “Wicked” is a joyful ride for both longtime fans and newcomers.
Keep in mind this is “Part One.” That was a bit confusing. Movie goers where I attended were milling about,, after the already almost three–hour show, wondering, was this intermission? Am I supposed to stay for another three hours for “Part Two”? Granted, we all would have—it was that worthwhile. However, it IS long, and I for one am glad I can wait until next year to continue.
I really appreciated the timing of the release of this first portion (which can stand alone). “The Wizard of Oz” first came out one November long, long ago. OnOn television,, when when you couldn’t record or pause was still a thing, it then showed every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a holiday tradition. Gregory Maguire’s novel, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” was published in 1995. The Broadway rendition started in 2003. I’m going to stay away from the arguments over who should have been given the starring roles in this one. The people they decided upon did awesome. Nuff said. First and foremost: You should go see it.
“Wicked: Part One” covers the time of Elphaba, the “Wicked Witch’s” schooling at Shiz University (yes, that is a terrible name) to the time she is invited to the city of Oz to meet the Wizard and her subsequent big decision that sets her life in the direction it will then follow. It’s an emotional and extremely pivotal moment when Elphaba becomes who we think (thought?) of her—that nasty lady on the bicycle with the flying monkeys that torments Dorothy.
Elphaba here is played by Cynthia Erivo. She is an incredible singer and actress who brings everything to the role. We are with her every step of the way as Elphaba endures the teasing for her green skin, for her rebellious ways, for being genuine and real. Elphaba’s skin color is undeniably a vehicle for a conversation about racism and discrimination. On the other side of Elphaba’s coin is the incredibly fake yet maybe with a good heart, Galinda (that’s “GUH-Linda,” NOT “Glinda”), played to a tee by Ariana Grande. She has so much fun with the role and her costumes are out of this world (tidbit: they were designed by the same costume designer, Paul Tazewell, who worked with our very own Pacific Northwest Ballet for “Sleeping Beauty”).
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From left: Director Jon M. Chu, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film ‘Wicked’ in London on Nov. 18, 2024. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
There is an Asian and Asian American presence in the film,, but I have to tell you it’s somewhat small. If you are hoping to get your fill of Bowen Yang, you will not. His role is very minimal—he’s one of Galinda’s groupies and has exactly one memorable moment, when he moves out of the way for Fiyero, played by Jonathon Bailey, an English screen and stage actor. There is, of course, the formidable Michelle Yeoh as Elphaba’s sorceress mentor at Shiz, Madame Morrible. I mean, her name does not sound great, right? So get ready for her not to be the lovely and helpful instructor we want her to be. Morrible is a great character, though, and Yeoh plays her with perfect panache. She is regal and supercilious, beautifully decked out in fantastical outfits, the same as everyone else, and with a stunning mountain of silver-white curls on her head.
The singing is top notch. The skill shown by everyone in the dancing will surprise you. The lyrics to the already beloved songs are touching (I really got torn up when Elphaba, knowing Fiyero can never be for her, sings “I’m Not That Girl”). The story itself, in addition to being about humanity’s habit of casting out “the other,” is also about turning what it means to be “wicked” on its head. Instead, we get to feel close to the supposedly “wicked witch,” to learn her backstory, to empathize and sympathize with her. That was Maguire’s original intention, I think, and it works very well here, too. The main cast, let’s say Erivo, Grande, and Bailey, play their characters with a pleasing amount of layering—none of them are simple nor straightforward. All of them have something to love and only Elphaba has nothing to hate (imo). “Wicked” also shows how we all can be victims of circumstance and that how we are treated might determine how we turn out.
There’s a great reason to watch “Wicked: Part One” if you are a fan of the original “Wizard of Oz.” And it’s one of the reasons watching it in movie form versus on stage really pays off. That is how the filmmakers—which include director Jon M. Chu, a giant Asian presence, albeit offscreen—give tribute visually to the first film. The land of Oz here is much closer in appearance to that first visit taken by Dorothy, aka Judy Garland, than any subsequent film version of the movie has depicted. There are poppy fields and wheat fields that will take you straight back along that yellow brick road, as well as a very closely resembling city of Oz off in the distance, and the plaza where the first Wicked Witch meets her end, in Munchkin Country.
Visual cues continue even in postures and behaviors. There are of course the flying monkeys—that goes without saying—but there are also smaller touches that are in fact quite impressive—when Elphaba jumps on a bicycle, you instantly think of the first Wicked Witch; when Elphaba poses in silhouette, she mimics some of her predecessor’s most signature movements. There are tons of playful uses of the word “good,” which are so enjoyable and often also back up how superficial and self-serving Galinda can be.
“It’s good to see me,” isn’t it? She asks the Munchkins at the beginning. “That is very good of you,” is the highest praise. I’m doing this “out of the goodness of my heart,” Galinda might explain—proving that people believe whatever they hear. The dialogue throughout, as in the original musical, of course, is clever and entertaining. Yang does have one great line where he insists, upon the arrival of Elphaba to Shiz, where she is instantly in danger of ostracization, “I don’t see color” (as he’s walking away from her).
I especially loved the play on the phrase “I hope you’re happy” in the famous song, “Defying Gravity.” It makes you think about the often used words and how people that say them never say them to someone who is actually happy in that moment. It starts out with Galinda scolding Elphaba, “I hope you’re happy” at what you did, at what you’re doing, to us, to Oz (this is the finale). It ends with her saying, “I hope you’re happy” and really meaning it—she and Elphaba were friends, once. It’s touching and beautiful just as Elphaba sets off with a new purpose.
Kai can be reached at [email protected].
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