Wicked

Last Thursday the movie "Wicked" premiered in Mexico City, and Alejandro and I went to see it at the World Trade Center cinema on Sunday.

The movie is based on the hit Broadway musical, which in turn is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.  "Wicked" is a revisionist version of the children's book "The Wizard of Oz", in which the life of Elfaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, is viewed sympathetically.  I read the novel, and quite a few years ago Alejandro and I saw an excellent stage production in Spanish here in Mexico City.

I thought that the movie was very good.  The recreation of Oz and the acting, particularly by the actress who played Elfaba, were superb.  Fans of the musical will disagree with me vehemently, but, frankly, I don't think that the musical score is that memorable.  I have never left the theater humming any of its songs.  However, the singing by the two leads was excellent.  (Just to show you how clueless I am about modern pop stars...  I have heard of Ariana Grande, but throughout the movie, I thought she had the role of Elfaba.  Later, I found out that she played Glinda, the Good Witch.  The Wicked Witch is played by actress and singer Cynthia Erivo.  I had never heard of her, but, as I said, she did a wonderful job.)

The movie is very long... it runs 2 hours and 40 minutes, and it only covers the first act of the Broadway musical.  Part 2 will be released next year.  It seemed to me that the movie brought out the dark elements of the novel much more than the Broadway show did.  In Maguire's reimagining of the children's book, Oz is an authoritarian state in which the Wizard stays in power by playing upon the fears of the populace of anyone who is different... be they green-skinned witches or talking animals.  The one who is truly wicked is not Elfaba but the Wizard.