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"No one mourns the wicked! No one cries they won't return!" proclaim the munchkins as they celebrate the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Glinda hesitantly agrees with the munchkins, but deep down she knows that not everything is as it appears. She questions whether people are born wicked? Or do they have that wickedness thrust upon them? After all, she had a mother and a father as many of us do. Indeed, the story of the Wicked Witch is one that is surprising to moviegoers.
After two decades of touring the world as one of theatre's most-loved musicals, "Wicked" finally received its film adaptation.
First announced in 2016, the on-screen reimagining of "Wicked" has been a long time coming for "Wizard of Oz" fans and after two years of production, the film is finally in theaters.
Directed by Crazy Rich Asians' Jon M. Chu, the cinematic epic features an all-star cast of Broadway musical icons and fan-favorite Hollywood talent, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande driving the narrative of Elphaba and Glinda (actually spelled "Galinda" in the credits).
A long time ago, two individuals had a secret affair, flirting, kissing passionately and also drinking green elixir, a lot of it. The result of this relationship led to the birth of Elphaba, who eventually became the Wicked Witch of the West.
Elphaba (Erivo) looked incredibly different from everyone else as she was born with green skin due to the green elixir her parents drank.
From the start, Elphaba frightened those around her, even her own parents didn't want her. Now Elphaba is off on her own adventure, attending Shiz University, the world renown school for sorcery. She hopes that things might go in her favor, that people would get to know her. Sadly, she's mistaken.
But the school's headmaster, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), sees great power and potential in Elphaba whose magical powers become uncontrollable at times.
This makes her a real enemy of the most popular girl at the school, Glinda (Grande). What's worse is that the two girls room together.
Over time, Glinda realizes how hurtful people are toward Elphaba and how horrible she must feel; the two become best friends. Happily ever after? Not quite. Elphaba receives an invitation to the Emerald City to meet the great and powerful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). Of course, she asks Glinda to come with her.
The audience then follows the yellow brick road on a journey to discover just how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West.
As a standalone film, "Wicked" the movie stays tried and true to the stage musical as all of the original songs remained.
In fact, there are a couple new musical numbers, one of them that contains some surprises that will make Broadway fans go nuts.
Musically, both Erivo and Grande nail the numbers. They take great care not to tinker with a masterpiece. They're musical interpretations of each song really bring new life to these timeless songs.
I'll admit, when I heard Erivo and Grande were cast as the leads, I was skeptical. At first, I thought Grande was trying too hard to sound like Kristin Chenowith, the original Glinda on Broadway some 20 years ago. But her portrayal combines the performances of the various Glindas who have graced the Broadway stage, while still adding her own flair.
Erivo stays true to Idina Menzel's interpretation of the Wicked Witch, mostly. You witness Erivo become vulnerable in her feelings and thoughts in the film.
The film's primary message focuses on not judging others by their appearance. At first, Elphaba is despised by everyone, simply because of her skin color. Over time, people realize who Elphaba is on the inside: misunderstood and actually a decent person to be around. "Wicked" is certainly a film to see, so follow the yellow brick road right to the theater.
Grade: A
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Greg Williams is a reporter and Weekend Editor for The Sentinel. A Mifflin County native, he has been writing for The Sentinel since 1991.