As the “Wicked” movie flew into theaters, the question arises, “witch” is better ? Well, first let’s take a look at the differences. “Wicked” was a popular broadway musical back in 2003 but this past November the long anticipated movie was released. At first, the movie theater was a dreaded place to be with fans singing along and rules being put in place, but even with this seats were sold out. So what makes the movie different then the musical?
On Broadway there are many different actors for one character. For instance Glinda was originally played by Kristin Chenoweth but in 2004 it changed to Jennifer Laura Thompson. In the movie all characters were notably played by the same actor. This may seem like a small detail, but every actor has a different way of portraying a character. Details such as how Glinda walks could be changed depending on who played her. In the movie even the side characters could be seen acting the exact same.
Now, that difference may not have seemed to be a big deal, but the auditions for the characters on Broadway and the movie were vastly different. During the movie auditions Ariana Grande was told to come back without makeup. Film director Jon Chu stated how he wanted to find “Glinda” and not just someone reading Glinda
“I wanted to find Glinda…[Ariana] came in the first time, and she looked like Ariana Grande, and we thought ‘hey what if you came back and just didn’t have any of your makeup?’… and I saw her in a totally new light.” said Chu in an interview with WSJ Style.
On Broadway callbacks happen but those are for the best of the best, then out of those who weren’t chosen an understudy is selected. An understudy is someone who learns the lines and choreography the main role would learn just in case something would happen to the actor or actress starring.
A rating out of 5 stars from those who have seen movie. (Hannah Ivins)
Although there are differences between the productions, the love of both unites viewers.
Freshman Abigail Woodford went to see the Wicked movie and shares what made her want to go and why she liked it
“I liked all the advertisements, and I really liked Cynthia Erivo, and I listened to all the songs, so I just wanted to see it…I think it was amazing and it’s one of my new favorite movies, because I just like all the songs and how they did everything, ” Woodford said.
Erin Allen is the theater and dance teacher. She gives us her opinion on the movie and the Broadway play.
“I am excited that they’re taking a Broadway musical and creating a movie, which is not a new idea, because we’ve seen Chicago like that…And so I love that they are taking something that was so popular as musical and launched the career of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth and pushed forward into this movie,” Allen said.
The differences in the storyline itself is miniscule. For instance, at the very end of part 1, (spoiler alert) something happens to Elphaba’s father. The actions that occur can be seen in the movie but in the play the audience only simply hears about it. This may seem like a small detail but it does make the incident with the father more interesting.
An interesting twist to the movie is how it is broken up into 2 parts. Allen expresses why she finds the the broken storyline so intriguing
“They rethought the storyline a little bit and broke it up into two sections. So the movie this, this first movie, is exploring the first part of the musical. Because musicals are long, you know, they’re longer than the movies in general. And so it’s great that they thought about reimagining how it’s presented,” Allen said.
A poll taken shows 75% of 126 people have not seen the Wicked movie and 51% percent of 98 people hope to see the movie. Part two of Wicked is planned to come out in theaters Nov.25 2025. Overall the Wicked movie is only a little different from the Broadway production but, what stays consistent is the dedication from the cast, the fans, the music, and the message; looks can be deceiving.
