Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re embarking on a somewhat unusual journey, as we dawdle our way through the 2024 film Wicked, adapted from the 2003 stage musical of the same name, which was itself adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel. I’ve never seen the play or read the novel, but from what I understand, it catalogues the younger days of The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West, extrapolating an era spent at some sort of magical academy alongside Glinda the Good Witch.
Directed by John M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), the film stars Cynthia Erivo as our wicked witch Elphaba, and musical star Ariana Grande as the good witch Glinda. And that’s… basically everything I know about this film, beyond some general critical consternation regarding its staging and color design. I am a fan of musical theater, but I often find actual musicals to be a bit broad in their writing, rather than the incisive narrative song-cycles you can find on a good concept album. Either way, I’m eager to patch up this clear gap in my cultural knowledge, so let’s get on with the show!