Since the news of casting for the movie Wicked, its popularity has skyrocketed. The first two things someone should know before watching “Wicked” the movie are that it’s a musical and that it’s a rendition of “Wicked The Musical.” But before that, you have to be established with the musical itself. So, if you have questions about watching a movie but don’t like musicals, I suggest questioning that decision.
Wicked The Musical
Wicked, The Musical, written by Stephen Schwartz, is based on the famous movie “The Wizard of Oz” directed by Victor Flemming, and the novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” by Lyman Frank Baum. The well-known story, as we all know, starts with a young girl named Dorthy, who, from Kansas, gets stuck in a tornado with her dog Toto. They then land in an unknown land that isn’t Kansas, although it is met with strikingly short people and the Witch of the North, who informs Dorthy she is in munchkin land. In the process of landing, they did so on the wicked witch of the East. As a reward, she is given the silver shoes of the Witch of the East by the Witch of the North, who informs her that she can get home by meeting the Great Wizard of Oz in 
Emerald City on the yellow brick road. I think we all know how this story ends.
Although the musical is taught from a different perspective, this time way before Dorthy’s arrival, it begins way before the witches of the East and North become who they are, in any rendition of the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” with the younger versions of these witches. Elphaba, played by Idina Menzel, has green skin, East, and Glinda, played by Kristin Chenoweth, has blonde hair and a perfect appearance, North. Elphaba is a major outcast due to her green appearance but gets paired with the perfect golden girl Glinda as roommates at Shiz University. At first, there is a clear rivalry between the two girls, although eventually, they grow fond of each other and become best friends. Although driven apart again when, Elphaba finds out the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fraud and is doing evil behind the curtains of Oz. This causes a significant problem for Glinda, who must choose between obeying and standing by the Wizard as a citizen of Oz or fighting against him with Elphaba. Her choice indicates why Elphaba is painted as the Wicked Witch of the East.
Wicked the Movies
The movie, directed by Jon M. Chu and produced by Marc Platt, David Stone, and Erik Baiers, follows the direction of the musical very much. Elphaba is played by Cynthia Evivo, and Ariana Grande plays Glinda. The songs from the original musical have been beautifully redone by the fantastic actresses who played both Elphaba and Glinda. The movie brought the musical story of Dorthy and her journey to Oz to life with fantastic special effects and a green screen.
These actors brought back to life the musical “Wicked” and its story through their fantastic ability to capture the character’s essence. Their powerhouse of vocals and emotional acting made the audience and fans connect to the characters. As someone who has always known the story about Dorthy and Oz, there had always been a hatred towards the Wicked Witch. However, understanding her past and the struggles she faced gave me an understanding of her actions from all the pain she suffered as a child and also throughout her life.
