Spoiler alert!
“Are People Born Wicked? Or Do They Have Wickedness Thrust Upon Them?”
That is the core question of the new film adaptation of the musical. This is part 1 of a long movie, (2 hours and 40 minutes) so settle down for the duration, popcorn in hand, if you are so inclined. Part 2 should be released a year from now.
I have never seen the Broadway version (starring Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North and Idina Menzel as Elphaba which is the Wicked Witch of the West’s actual name), of the brilliant narrative of life in Oz before the 1939 movie that most are familiar with in which Judy Garland’s Dorothy wishes for life to be different and then is whisked away ‘somewhere over the rainbow’. There, as we know, she meets her buddies The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion and they accompany her to be in the presence of the Wizard to have their wishes granted (Brain, Heart, Courage and for Dorothy to return home). In that telling, there are clear villains and heroes, from the get-go, absolute good and evil, with the green skinned witch on the dark side and the Wizard and Glinda positively, sometimes nauseatingly good. Or so it seems…
In the newly released film, the lines are blurred at first and the juxtaposition of good and evil, freedom and control become more clear as the story proceeds. The opening scene celebrates her death at the hands of Dorothy who douses her with a bucket of water and all that remains is her forlorn peaked hat sizzling in a puddle. We see the munchkins celebrating their freedom from the tyranny of the witch. One thing to notice is that munchkin village is populated by citizens of all colors, ages and body sizes, which is a departure from the original film. Down from the heavens wafts Glinda (earlier called Galinda) in her iridescent bubble to confirm the news. She demurs at first when one of the munchkins asks if she and Elphaba were friends as was rumored. She finally admits that they went to school together. The truth is, their connection went far deeper than that. Shadow and light, fear and courage. Subterfuge and truth. Ultimately transcending limits and Defying Gravity.
Yes, there are big production numbers and exquisite costumes and scenery, but the core of the film is the character building and bonding.
Flash back and we see the birth of Elphaba who comes into the world with green skin. Her father is appalled at what he views as a monstrosity and banishes her to the care of an ursine nanny named Dulcibear. Soon after, another child is born, named Nessarose who has a physical disability and is in a wheelchair. Later on we find out why. She is the favored child and Elphaba, the demonized one. That doesn’t prevent the sisters from bonding and at several points, they defend each other. Nessarose becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in part 2 who meets a certain fate in the original 1939 film, striped socks and all.
As Elphaba grows, so too do her magical powers that seem to emerge when she has strong emotions. When Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is accepted to a school called Shiz University Elphaba (played by the other-worldly beautiful Cynthia Erivo) is also admitted by the mysterious Madam Morrible (embodied by the not-as-she-seems Michelle Yeoh) who is one of the professors because she sees potential in this erstwhile outcast young women. She and Ariana Grande‘s Galinda, all frilly and pink and self absorbed become reluctant roommates and then friends.
Throughout the film, the audience gets to see an entirely different side of Elphaba than the way she is portrayed in The Wizard of Oz. I found myself cheering for her. She is an animal lover and then animal rights activist as there is a plot afoot to silence and disenfranchise the anthropomorphic animals of Oz who had leadership and teaching roles. She has come to accept her green skin as a strength and doesn’t allow it to limit her as something to be ashamed of. She speaks truth to power. She sees behind the veil and long before Toto pulls away the curtain she recognizes the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) as the slick salesman and dangerous fraud that he is.
“Where I Come From, We Believe All Sorts Of Things That Aren’t True. We Call It History.”- The Wizard of Oz
Watch for SNL’s Bowen Yang as Pfannee (pronounced “fanny”), who is the self chosen promoter of Glinda and boosts her ego every chance he gets and be alert for cameos by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. What’s also fun is watching for the Easter Eggs (echoes of the OG version). I caught most of them, including how the flying monkeys got their wings.
Without giving away too much of the story, suffice it to say that it is a parable about how absolute power corrupts absolutely, how ‘otherizing’ beings who threaten that power and then making them into an enemy to be persecuted was always part of the plan. It is about racism and bigotry and authoritarianism in the guise of patriotism. This movie couldn’t be more timely, even though the source material, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, written by Gregory Maguire, was published in 1995. Now, I’m just waiting for someone to call it ‘woke’.
I am hoping that my favorite song from the Broadway version will be in part 2, called For Good.
Behind the scenes sneak peek of Wicked Part 1.
—
This Post is republished on Medium.
—
Photo credit: iStock
