5 Things The Wicked Movie Does Better Than The Stage Musical

While the Wicked movie is an overall faith adaptation of the Broadway musical, the movie does make several effective changes. This faithfulness is one of the prominent reasons for Wicked‘s positive reviews, with director Jon M. Chu, stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, and the entire cast and crew demonstrating significant respect and enthusiasm for the stage musical in their adaptation. This includes every Wicked song from the first act of the musical being featured in the movie.

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Nevertheless, some changes were inevitable given the intrinsic differences in the artistic mediums of a stage musical and a feature-length movie. One of the most noticeable changes is the pacing of the songs, with “Defying Gravity” and other songs becoming much longer. Other changes were creative choices, nearly all of which enhanced the narrative, and helped set up Wicked: For Good‘s story ahead of its highly anticipated 2025 release.

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5

Elphaba Is Connected To The Animals From The Moment She Is Born

Dulcibear Raises Her

One of the earliest and best changes from the Broadway musical is showing how integral the Animals are to Elphaba’s childhood. A wolf doctor delivers the baby, and after Elphaba is born, with her parents treating her with disgust and resentment, it is the nanny, Dulcibear, who shows Elphaba kindness. She holds the newborn Elphaba while she is crying, soothing the child and promising to look after her. As Glinda explains, Dulcibear is the one who raised Elphaba, with the bear shown to still be looking out for her later in her youth.

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Not only does the movie show more of Elphaba’s childhood, but it demonstrates how she has been deeply connected to the Animals since she was born. This perfectly lays the foundation for Elphaba’s connection with Dr. Dillamond at Shiz University and her mission to save the Animals. It goes beyond Elphaba empathizing with their plight and knowing what it means to be an outsider, as an Animal was the only adult to care for and to show her compassion when she was a child.

4

The Lore Around The Grimmerie Is More Fully Explained In “One Short Day”

The Original Elphaba And Glinda Help Explain It

While the Wicked movie doesn’t have original songs, a section is added to the song “One Short Day” when Elphaba and Glinda explore the Emerald City. This added section features the original Broadway actors who played Elphaba and Glinda, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. While it is fun and rewarding to see the original Elphaba and Glinda in the movie, the scene is also a worthy addition to the story because it provides essential lore about the Grimmerie.

Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz has a cameo in the movie as the guard who says, “The Wizard will see you now!”

In a change from both the stage musical and Gregory Maguire’s Wicked novel, the movie’s version of the book was created by beings known as the Magical Wise Ones. The song goes on to explain how the Grimmerie could not be understood for generations, although there was a prophecy that one day, a powerful individual would be able to read it again. The Wizard allegedly is able to read it, except this is later revealed to be a lie. This lore helps better establish what the Grimmerie is and why it is significant that Elphaba can read it.

3

Elphaba’s Family And Friends Are Shown Reacting To Her Becoming The Wicked Witch

This Includes A Death Not Shown In The Stage Musical

Wicked ends with “Defying Gravity,” just as the first act of the Broadway musical ends with the powerful song. It is during this song that Madame Morrible spreads the message that Elphaba is the Wicked Witch and is now an enemy of Oz. In the stage musical, Glinda is the only one of Elphaba’s friends present during the song, and therefore the only friend seen reacting to this situation. The movie is not constrained to the Emerald City, though, and is also able to show how Elphaba’s family and friends at Shiz react to Madame Morrible’s message.

This is a particularly effective change for Fiyero, as it helps set up his mission to find Elphaba in the second half of the story.

Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, tells her in the second act of the stage show that their father died of a broken heart, but the movie actually shows this happening as he collapses to the ground when he hears the news. In addition to showing the reactions of Elphaba’s family, the movie shows the reactions of Elphaba’s friends, Fiyero and Boq, and other students at Shiz University. This is a particularly effective change for Fiyero, as it helps set up his mission to find Elphaba in the second half of the story.

2

The Movie Does A Better Job Setting Up Nessarose’s Act Two Story

There Is Already More Tension In Her Relationships With Boq And Elphaba

Wicked‘s second act sees Nessarose becoming a tyrannical leader of Munchkinland and becoming the Wicked Witch of the East. Her relationships with Elphaba and Boq also take deeply tragic turns. The movie does a better job of setting up these storylines in several ways. Even in Nessarose’s earliest scenes at Shiz, there is a sense of resentment that she feels toward Elphaba for making her life more difficult. She is upset when Elphaba accidentally uses magic during their arrival, lamenting how this was supposed to be a fresh start that Elphaba has now “ruined.”

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When Elphaba dances uniquely and is made fun of at the Ozdust Ballroom in the movie, Nessarose’s embarrassment is visible in a way that is not highlighted in the Broadway version. As for Boq, Nessarose clearly begins to notice his fixation on Glinda when they go to see Elphaba off at the train station, and Nessarose’s frustration with Boq is palpable. This helps set the stage for the fallout that will occur between Nessarose and Boq in Wicked: For Good.

1

Elphaba’s First Meeting With Fiyero Is Better

The Setting And Circumstances Are An Improvement

In the Broadway musical, Fiyero arrives at Shiz sleeping in the back of a rickshaw that almost runs over Elphaba. After waking up, and being confronted by Elphaba, who is angry at almost being run over, he remarks that “maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go.” Elphaba and Fiyero meet in the presence of Glinda and other Shiz students. In the movie, Elphaba and Fiyero first meet in the woods, with Fiyero riding a talking horse when he nearly stumbles into her.

The rapport Fiyero has with his horse also shows how he does not look down on the Animals, which adds to why he helps Elphaba rescue the lion cub later in Wicked.

This version of their meeting presents Fiyero as more charming and princely than entitled. It is a far more private meeting since it is just Elphaba and Fiyero in the woods, helping to establish more of an immediate connection and chemistry between them. This makes the development of their romantic feelings seem more believable later on. The rapport Fiyero has with his horse also shows how he does not look down on the Animals, which adds to why he helps Elphaba rescue the lion cub later in Wicked.

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Wicked

PG
AdventureFantasyMusical

Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

160 Minutes

Cast

Cynthia Erivo
, Ariana Grande
, Michelle Yeoh
, Jeff Goldblum
, Jonathan Bailey
, Ethan Slater
, Marissa Bode
, Bowen Yang
, Bronwyn James
, Keala Settle
, Peter Dinklage
, Aaron Teoh
, Grecia De la Paz
, Colin Michael Carmichael
, Adam James
, Andy Nyman
, Courtney Mae-Briggs
, Sharon D. Clarke
, Jenna Boyd

Director

Jon M. Chu

Writers

Gregory Maguire
, Winnie Holzman
, Dana Fox
, L. Frank Baum

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Source: https://www.phonggdkrongpac.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment

5 Elphaba Is Connected To The Animals From The Moment She Is Born

Dulcibear Raises Her

4 The Lore Around The Grimmerie Is More Fully Explained In “One Short Day”