Jon Chu’s Wicked is in theaters this weekend and it’s already getting crazy good reviews – so good, in fact, that it makes a case for being the best Broadway adaptation ever. The Broadway musical, adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, was an immediate hit upon its debut in 2003. The original run garnered three Tony Awards (having been nominated for ten), seven Drama Desk Awards, and even a Grammy for the Original Cast Album. It continued to sell out, breaking its own attendance record again and again. It’s been so successful that it’s something of a shock that it’s only just getting a movie adaptation.
The story centers on Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda (Ariana Grande), the future Glinda the Good Witch, as they enroll in Shiz University to learn magic and higher studies. The pair are reluctantly thrown together as roommates, but soon, they become genuine friends and forge a close bond. That bond is threatened, however, by the political machinations of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and dark rumors swirling through the underbelly of Oz.
If reviews indicate anything, the adaptation of Wicked was worth the wait. It currently holds a 73 on Metacritic and a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics are praising it for the performances of Erivo and Grande, a strong supporting cast, the soaring music, eye-popping production design, and an undeniable charm. So powerful are the performances of its two leads that it wouldn’t be too early to start thinking about Oscar nominations. Here are what just a few critics have to say about it:
“That relationship is Wicked‘s beating heart, and Erivo and Grande bring it to life with a palpable chemistry that courses through the whole film. This is best shown in the key moment during the standout musical sequence “Dancing Through Life.” With the Shiz student body gathered for a dance instigated by charming newcomer Fiyero (an incredibly dashing Jonathan Bailey), Elphaba arrives in her trademark pointed hat, only to be laughed at by everyone around her.
Erivo keeps her head held high, even as tears glimmer in her eyes, in a defiant stand that took my breath away. When Grande’s Galinda joins her, I became fully sold on the love between these two women.”
“It helps greatly that he has deeply talented stars in Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande: magnetic multi-hyphenates who can meet every physical and emotional challenge of these iconic characters. Following in the footsteps of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth would seem like a daunting task, but Erivo and Grande bring their own vocal power and dramatic interpretation to the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. You truly feel the friendship between these opposites, particularly in one beautiful, wordless dance sequence where they forge their unlikely bond, which is moving in its understatement. That’s the foundation of this story, so it’s crucial that we know their connection is true for its destruction to be meaningful.”
“Playing Elphaba, a lonely outcast turned anti-authoritarian rebel, Erivo marshals a formidable arsenal of skills: She can sing like an angel and convey a full spectrum of emotions—dejection, outrage, longing, triumph—using only her face and body. As Galinda, who when we first meet her is a harebrained girlboss along the lines of Mean Girls’ Regina George, Grande is charming and often quite funny. Her agile soprano voice is just right for the character’s virtuosic solos, and her lithe body moves with the grace of a dancer’s and looks sensational in the eye-popping costumes by Paul Tazewell.”
“Erivo and Grande have the pipes to deliver the award-winning songs by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz; they’re simply the best Oz tunes since the Fleming film. Erivo’s soulful power and Grande’s multi-octave glide sound great alone as well as when the two are harmonizing.
The pair also have the acting chops to carry a story that is more tragedy than comedy, one that poses an existential query voiced by a character: ‘Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?'”
Travis Hopson – Punch Drunk Critics
“Everyone knows Erivo has a powerful voice, but I would argue that her acting career has been spotty until now. While she’s way too old to believably be a student at Shiz (the same goes for most of the cast), Erivo beautifully captures Elphaba’s resentment, fury, and in her most private moments a touch of sadness over a situation not of her choosing. Grande has done some acting in the past but the pop superstar has never been in the spotlight like this, and she’s hilarious as the narcissistic Glinda. Both characters are given surprising amounts of depth, and even as they begin to soften to one another there’s complexity to it because each woman has aspirations that we know will eventually lead to conflict.”
