The Paw Print

By Alexa Gola, Associate News & Features Editor

As the holiday season approached, “Wicked” debuted in theatres across the country, defying the gravity of box office records as families and musical lovers poured out to see it. Starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked” was practically guaranteed to be “pop-you-lar.” Still, having never watched its Broadway counterpart live, I was excited to see how director Jon M. Chu would translate the experience of a live musical into a film more accessible to the masses. 

From the opening scene, it was evident that “Wicked” was indeed created to be performed live. Though the celebrating crowd certainly conveyed the joy of a once terrified people who had just learned that their greatest fear was dead, the screen lacked the energy of a cast singing and acting with their emotions live on stage. When the camera zooms in to watch the motions of one character, the audience loses the picture of the characters outside of the spotlight, many of whom are just as important to telling a wider story. To see the relief of the town tells the story, but to feel it is what really brings the story to life. That connection between the actors and audience is what appears to be sacrificed in taking something that was so clearly created for a stage and pasting it on a flat screen.

Still, it would be unfair to say that the “Wicked” film entirely fails to take off from the ground. Grande’s Galinda-turned-Glinda is a wonderful pretty, pink-loving princess to Erivo’s compassionate and understandably less outgoing Elphaba. The film admittedly takes a while to reach the point where Glinda becomes a more dynamic character, but when it gets there, Grande does a nice job of making Glinda’s shifts seem genuine, rather than forced by a scriptwriter. Meanwhile,well before Erivo takes to the skies, she truly manages to defy gravity with her embodiment of Elphaba’s remarkable compassion towards everyone around her, even as they push her away. 

As someone told me lately, “everyone deserves a chance to fly,” so it only seems fitting that “Wicked” should be accessible not only to those with the opportunity to see the musical live, but to anyone and everyone. Though arguably too long for a movie musical that has been cut into two pieces, and not quite capturing the energy of live performance, through the efforts of its actors, the “Wicked” film manages to tell its story to anyone who wishes to see it. 

“Wicked” became available on streaming services on Dec. 31.