The first film adaptation of the award-winning and beloved Broadway show, ‘Wicked’ is set to break records and attract old and new fans alike, this Thanksgiving. Pop star Ariana Grande and Broadway alum Cynthia Ervio co-star in this musical, where friendship serves as an anchor in a dystopian world. The Staples’ community will be flocking to cinemas, to watch an old classic re-energized for the big screen.
Oz might not be a real place, but the themes explored in Wicked transcend a place and time. People all over the world can relate to these challenges of forming identity and cultural acceptance, and for that reason, some believe that the movie will be able to hold more cultural impact than the Broadway musical did.
“Broadway is such a specific location,” Joey Vazquez ’27 said, “but the movie can become a global phenomenon.”
While many know Wicked as a musical, it began as a Frank Baum’s novel ‘The Wizard of Oz’, where unnamed Wicked Witch takes a backseat to the protagonist, Dorothy. Although her character was written as an unquestioned villain, Gregory Maguire, author of “Wicked,” explored the question of whether anyone is truly born evil.
“Everybody in America knows who the Wicked Witch of the West is, but nobody really knows anything about her,” Maguire said in an interview with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. “There is more to her than meets the eye.”
The Wizard of Oz’s influence stays everlasting, as its practical effects ignited all filmmakers’ imaginations and gave it a timeless effect. However, with heavy-reliance on CGI in recent blockbuster films, some have grown weary of its overuse.
“We saw that with Marvel recently,” Narrative Film teacher Sam Goldberg said, “that production value can actually be diminished because of the amount of CGI they had.”
Wicked was an immediate success on the Broadway stage, as its relatability and sharp storytelling captured the attention of fans around the globe. Not only could people identify with the themes of belonging, but experiencing the magic of the stage production holds power to influence a lifetime.
“I remember seeing it fresh out of college, and thinking,” Choral director Lauren Pine said, “‘this is why I want to do what I do’.”
