Wicked opens in theaters Friday, November 22. Wicked doesn't just defy gravity – it defies some incredibly high expectations, too. As a massive fan of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s Tony-winning origin story for the witches of Oz, I was wary of any attempt to turn the stage show into a film.
But Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights director Jon M. Chu unwinds Wicked with tremendous insight into what I and other fans love about it in the first place. As the future Good Witch of the South and Wicked Witch of the West, respectively, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo deliver masterful and passionate performances that make them the perfect Elphaba and Glinda for this generation of musical fans – no small feat for roles originated by Broadway legends Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.
Early glimpses of the film raised fears that it’d plagued by the same visual-effects problems as so many other modern-day blockbusters, but Wicked is as tactile on the screen as it is on the stage. I can assure you: The halls and dorms occupied by Elphaba, Glinda, and their classmates at Shiz University aren’t flat, lifeless CGI creations. The intricately designed sets elevate the choreography of each musical number and are used to great effect in comedic songs like “Popular.
” “Dancing Through Life” triumphantly translates the joy of seeing Wicked live: Dancers perform acrobatics in rotating circular bookshelves, Jonathan Bailey (who I swear has chemistry with every single pers.