Wicked is a musical directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) featuring the enormous talent of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Wicked is a prequel to the classic The Wizard of Oz, where its two leads play characters that will later become The Good Witch of the North and The Wicked Witch of the West.

The film is the first of a two-part adaptation of the stage musical of the same name that explores the relationship between Galinda Upland (Grande) and Elphaba Thropp (Erivo).

 

Wicked landed a massive win in casting Grande and Erivo - these two are truly excellent. Grande has surprisingly great comedic timing and Erivo brings relatability and humanity to a character doomed to her fate set out in the beginning of The Wizard of Oz.

 

And of course their singing is superb, especially Grande showing off her whistle register mastery in multiple songs throughout the film. Wicked also benefits from a hugely talented supporting cast of Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage just to name a few.

Director Jon M. Chu has honed his skills in musical projects like In the Heights (2021, itself a stage adaptation) and cut them loose in Wicked, as the film is a joyous, elaborately designed production.

 

It is a visual feast; a testament to the talents of the production and costume design teams. It will be interesting to see if Wicked’s songs take on lives outside of the film or for any to become classics, songwriter Stephen Schwartz’s work in conjunction with the stellar performances of Grande and Erivo certainly create the possibility.

Wicked is a fantastic adaptation of the stage musical, with the amazing core performances of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo bringing so much to an already captivating production.