Like a Handprint on My Heart

SPOILER ALERT!

Hard to believe that a year has gone by since the first Wicked film came out. After sitting, mesmerized in the theater watching Jon M. Chu’s rendering of the epic tale of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, I was eager to see part 2. It did not disappoint. Way beyond the vivid green other worldly beauty and soaring vocals of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. Way beyond the original delicacy turned strength, approval seeking of Ariana Grande’s Glinda. A beautiful blending of the two. A yin/yang of darkness and light. The audience is called on to question their own morals and values as they address the dichotomy.

This was my take the first time I saw it. Yes, I loved it so passionately that I watched it again today. Same content; two different experiences.

“Visited Oz today and was ‘enraptulated’. I knew what to expect since I saw lots of video clips and trailers as well as interviews with the cast, so there were no surprises. The music, scenery and costumes were lush and lovely. I imagine Academy Awards for all of those production components as well as for the acting. What moved me the most were these:

The evolving and deepening friendship between Elphaba and Glinda as they inspired courage in each other.

The love between Elphaba and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) saw beyond appearances to the depths of who they were, even after a physical transformation for him.

The treachery of Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and the revenge she took on Boq (Ethan Slater) and by extension, other Munchkins.

The idea that Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) was the true evil in that film who pulled the levers…’pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain.’

The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) was really a useful idiot with no real power. A figurehead.

The mirroring of what we are experiencing in this country, as the Wizard and Madame Morrible demeaned and demonized talking animals and Munchkins, marginalizing them. They put their freedoms and lives at stake.

I wore both pink and green, and I think we all have a bit of Elphaba and Glinda in us. I lean more toward identifying with Elphaba. An animal advocate, a social justice activist, speaking truth to power and calling out lies.

I enjoyed this one even more than the first. It is darker and more intense, not as light and fluffy.”

The first time I saw it, I sat with my bestie Barb and her college age, film student daughter Dara. It was an IMAX theater so the sound and imagery were intensified. We had reserved seats in the middle of the large theater. Afterward, we processed the film while having dinner at Red Robin.

Today, I joined my cousin Jody and our friend Heidi in a smaller community theater. This time, seating was first come, first served. By the time we arrived, the only three seats together were in the first section. The last time I was that close to the screen was when I saw the re-release of the Poseidon Adventure. I think I was in college at the time. When my friends and I got there, the only seats available were in the second row. When the massive wave hit the ship, it was like we were under it. YIKES! I was concerned about the same experience today. Imagine flying monkeys zipping and swooping right over you. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to crane my neck back too far and that I could see in intricate details the beads on Glinda’s iridescent pink and baby blue dress and the freckles on Elphaba’s face.

The culture in Oz included their own language with words such as confusifying- to confuse a situation as much as possible and rejoicifying- celebrate in a loud and joyful way! Rejoice boisterously.

I was even more aware of the parallels between our current state and the Machiavellian workings both behind the scenes and right out front under the eyes of the ‘Ozians’ who chose to believe the propaganda spewed by the Wizard and Madame Morrible. A conundrum arises: are people responsible for challenging the edicts and pronouncements by the leaders and if they don’t do so, are they responsible for the outcome? I think so. In present time, people are willfully ignorant of the injustices committed against others who, like the animals in Oz, are rendered voiceless. While Elphaba sees through the deception and calls it out, at her own peril and is called ‘wicked’ for it, Glinda is willing to settle for admiration and the frippery, until she can no longer ignore the injustices levied against the animals and the Munchkins. Glinda literally and figuratively steps out of her bubble, to speak truth to power.

Of course, my favorite song from this film is For Good. The brilliant Stephen Schwartz penned the lyrics and the blending of Erivo and Grande’s voices is sheer perfection. I have never listened to this song without tearing up. Each time I imagine the people in my life who are with me ‘like a handprint on my heart’.

All of the characters are transformed, some in death, some in life. Watching part 2, the audience witnesses the true identities of the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion.

Wicked:For Good has a surprise ending that ties the story up in a rainbow beribboned package, complete with the platonic love story between the two women and the love triangle between Fiyero, Glinda and Elphaba.

As a bonus, the movie was ‘witch approved’.