Let me say upfront that I’m not a fan of musicals, so I’m not the target audience. I could be the poster child for the inverse-target audience. So, if you’re a 57-year-old white guy who doesn’t like musicals, read on. 🙂

Just because I don’t like musicals doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them. For instance, I gave Barbie an A, because the songs were entertaining and well-written and accentuated the story instead of telling the story.

Let me explain, because I actually figured out what it is that I don’t like about musicals while watching Wicked. I find that musicals are like reading a book where the author tells the reader what is going on and how the characters feel. The first rule of writing, if there were such a thing, is: show, don’t tell. For instance, if a writer writes: “I’ll make a scrambled egg sandwich,” Bob said depressingly. That is a huge mistake. Instead, the writer should examine how to show the reader that Bob is depressed about making a scrambled egg sandwich.

All of this is to say, I think that Wicked uses the songs more to express what the characters are thinking and feeling instead of accentuating the story. I’m not saying it was nothing but that, but mostly.

Performances

I have to say, Ariana Grande is the best evidence I’ve seen that we live in a simulation. She is too blond; too petite; too gifted to be real. She is like a Disney princess, but real. And this is coming from someone who up until two weeks ago thought she was a middle-aged British woman. (I’m not sure who I was confusing her with.) She was also a splendid actress. Her character was a little over the top, but she sold that aspect well enough. I’d love to see her get a chance in something a little more real and meaty.

Cynthia Erivo was the strength of the movie. Her range of facial expressions sold her character’s depth. She was the bright and shining light when it comes to quality acting in Wicked. And as talented a singer as Ariana is, her voice can’t match the power and depth that Erivo brings. The final Defying Gravity song was tremendous and easily the only song in the movie that I thought added to the story.

I’ve been a huge Michelle Yeoh fan since I first saw her in SuperCop with Jackie Chan back in 1992. She made a great Madame Morrible, but wow, she can not sing at all. That’s okay, it wouldn’t be fair for her to have a great singing voice to go along with all of her other talents.

Is it ironic that Peter Dinklage is in Wicked but doesn’t play a munchkin? I recognized his voice as Dr. Dillamond after about three syllables.

And finally, Jeff Goldblum is a slam dunk as the Wizard of Oz. There couldn’t have been another choice.

Story

I would love to see a non-musical version of this story, because it really is compelling, even though I don’t know how it ends. I love that the villains are the people that the hero most admires when the story begins. The message of Elphaba’s determination to overcome her perceived stigmas is motivational. Wicked has many of the elements needed to stand as a great story, if it weren’t drown in song and dance scenes.

Grade: C+

About The Peetimes: Obviously, I tried to avoid singing in the Peetimes. I was mostly successful.

I think the second and third Peetimes are the best.

There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Wicked.

Rated:	(PG) Some Scary Action | Brief Suggestive Material | Thematic Material
Genres:	Fantasy, Musical, Romance
USA release date:	2024-11-22
Movie length:
Starring:	Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Director:	Jon M. Chu
Writer(s):	Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
Language:	English
Country:	United States

Plot
A vivid reimagining of the classic The Wizard of Oz, Wicked spotlights the untold stories of Oz’s most famous (or infamous) characters, namely the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good Witch. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the life-changing events which eventually label her “wicked,” introducing spoiled rich girl Glinda, local prince and heartthrob Fiyero and even the Wizard of Oz himself, a troubled man very unlike the one you may remember. As Elphaba, a passionate political activist if there ever was one, fights injustice and seeks to undo the mistakes of the past, dark secrets and personal tragedies shape the history of Oz, paying homage to the classic Wizard of Oz story while simultaneously changing fans’ understanding of it forever. A cautionary tale about love, friendship and trust, Wicked effortlessly reveals that there are indeed two sides to every story.