“Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead” – But This Isn’t Your Grandma’s Oz
“Ding-dong! The witch is dead!” These words mark the celebration of the citizens of Oz upon the demise of the Wicked Witch of the East, crushed by Dorothy Gale’s house from Kansas. Now, Dorothy must seek the Great and Powerful Wizard to return home, though, as we know, he’ll likely demand she eliminate another wicked witch in return.
But that was another movie. Based on another book.
Wicked: Part One doesn’t begin with words, but with a song. And this song, too, is dedicated to the death of a wicked witch – the sister of the Witch of the East, whom Dorothy doused with water, causing her to melt away. However, Dorothy isn’t the focus here. This is a tale about the Witch of the West, an adaptation of one of Broadway’s most famous and long-running musicals, which even inspired an entire episode of “South Park” (and has awaited its screen adaptation for many years).
The Untold Story of Elphaba
Long ago, in the city of Munchkinland, a girl was born to the mayor’s family. But not just any girl – she was green… and, as it turns out, not the mayor’s daughter at all, but the offspring of a traveling merchant who sold his wife a certain green concoction. The girl was named Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and was disliked by the entire village for her difference. Years later, Elphaba accompanies her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to Shiz University, but by chance, she ends up staying there herself. Headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) discovers Elphaba’s magical abilities and promises her a meeting with the Wizard of Oz. Elphaba has dreamed of this meeting her entire life, but to achieve it, she must endure humiliation from her classmates and cohabitation with a spoiled blonde named Galinda (Ariana Grande-Butera in the credits), who later removes the “a” from her name.
Ariana Grande as Galinda in a still from “Wicked: Part One”
From Page to Stage to Screen: The Journey of Wicked
In 1995, author Gregory Maguire released the book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” In essence, it’s a rather dark fanfiction that managed to attract the attention of film studios and composer Stephen Schwartz (“The Prince of Egypt,” “Pocahontas”), who wanted to create a slightly more lighthearted musical based on the story. In 2003, his dream came true – “Wicked” premiered on Broadway and has been running ever since. The film adaptation lingered in development hell for a long time until John M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “In the Heights”) took the helm, and in 2021, the film found its leading ladies – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Notably, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the iconic “Hamilton,” played a significant role in Chu’s appointment as director.
Not everyone was convinced that a musical adaptation was a good idea (after all, “Wicked” has a huge army of theater fans who have loved green since childhood and have had high expectations for the film for 20 years). Some argued that Ariana Grande is a pop singer and her vocals aren’t suitable for a musical, and that Broadway adaptations rarely rival the original (examples abound, from “Dear Evan Hansen” with an overaged Ben Platt to “Cats” with its digitally removed…). But all doubts were dispelled after the release of the first trailer – it became clear that the film was made by fans for fans, with great love for the source material.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in a still from “Wicked: Part One”
A Cinematic Celebration of Broadway
Wicked: Part One is truly a tribute to the Broadway stage. It’s a celebration, a festival, and a love letter to detail. The creators even preserved the two-act structure, dividing the film into two parts (the second will be released in 2025), to ensure nothing is missed. However, “Wicked” has also gained a cinematic scope that simply wouldn’t fit on stage. It’s the kind of vibrant fairy tale that everyone needs as winter approaches, to make them feel that they “deserve a chance to fly.”
And, of course, this is no longer the rom-com with James Franco in a hat and Zach Braff as a monkey (“Oz the Great and Powerful”) – the conflicts in “Wicked” don’t arise out of thin air. Yes, the characters sing and dance. Yes, Ariana Grande maximizes her comedic potential and has already been dubbed the new Lucille Ball. Yes, it’s a fairy tale about witches based on a children’s book. Yes, there are not one, but two love triangles. But behind all this lie multiple social, political, and ethnic aspects – because, first and foremost, it’s a story about what it’s like to be different in society simply because you were born that way. It’s an ode to the misunderstood, the outsiders, and the underdogs who have to defy gravity to stand on their feet and not fall.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in a still from “Wicked: Part One”
It’s a story about the true nature of evil, going beyond the canonical fairy tale in two colors, where the evil queen or witch has always been that way, and the main characters are saccharinely good and kind. “Is a person born evil, or is evil imposed from the outside?” This question is posed by Glinda, and few know what actually inspired Maguire to write the book – the infamous true crime story of 1993, where two ten-year-old children murdered 2-year-old James Bulger. This crime affected the author so deeply that the entire novel, and then the musical, essentially became a sublimation on the theme of the nature of evil. And although the musical omitted the darkest and most explicit scenes of the original work, its essence remains relevant even 30 years later.
The Cast: A Recipe for Success
Returning to the adaptation: the path to the heart of any musical audience always lies through the actors (“Cats” again doesn’t count; CGI left nothing alive in them, or, conversely, left too much). And the cast of “Wicked” deserves a separate review. Jonathan Bailey (aka Anthony Bridgerton from the Netflix hit of the same name) has finally revealed to a wide audience not only his charm, but also his talent as a stage performer, where he actually made a name for himself before “Bridgerton.” But the real chemistry here is between Cynthia and Ariana – after all, “Wicked” is also a story of friendship between two very different women, each of whom undergoes a profound personal transformation. In life, Erivo and Grande are already accomplished artists, but on screen, they managed to recreate themselves through each other, and together they truly are the greatest team there’s ever been (a line from the musical’s main hit, “Defying Gravity” – ed.). In short, pink and green are the hit colors of the season.