12/20/24 no one mourns the wicked!

hello world!! this is baby's first blog entry.. so let's see how it goes!

i felt like screaming into the void because today was so eventful and what's better than a little digital diary? i saw wicked today and i actually LOVED it! coming from a theatrical background, i honestly had my reservations (as i do with any movie-musical) and i had some friends with less positive reviews beforehand. still, i absolutely adored it! minor spoiler warning for those who STILL haven't seen it ahead.

firstly, the casting. i was absolutely FLOORED by cynthia erivo's performance as elphaba. that's a storied character and i can't imagine anyone else stepping up to the plate like she did. even without mentioning her stunning vocals, her chemistry with the rest of the cast and the way she portrays elphaba's arc as coming into her power and sense of self is utterly cathartic. additionally i was pleased to see elphaba being played by a woman of color, given that she's a character whose story revolves around being set aside for her skin, and while it's a little odd it's been taken so long for a non-white actor to take that role, i'm glad to see her here.

about ariana! this was a decision i definitely questioned a bit when first hearing about it. i grew up with ms. grande on the disney channel so i'm familiar with her acting (and her vocals speak for themselves) but this is a HUGE role. and as much as i respect her i had doubts! luckily they were completely squashed and she killed it -- she brings the poised, airheaded but good-natured, and slightly hyperactive energy that defines galinda. she shines, and though i was mostly fixated on erivo's show-stopping elphaba, i could never not smile when she was on screen.

now lets talk technical! this is where i have all my thoughts, given that i've teched musicals myself. obviously this is a film and not a stage show, but i couldn't help myself. the set was gorgeous, first off. i found the dorm and the classroom my favorite, and i wish we could've seen more of the emerald city, but i do have a few little nitpicks. firstly, i just did not like the lighting design of the dorm. the room itself and all the props for both characters really humanized the space, but i wish they had done more here. there are a lot of practicals on set in the form of lamps and i only wish the designers had made more use of them! i think showing the divide in their room and personalities through lighting, especially during that hat scene and "what is this feeling" could have been visually very interesting. i liked shiz, but it honestly felt a little underwhelming as sad as that is to admit. the world both felt very small (which i think for oz is the right choice, alluding to that very vintage wizard of oz kind of feel) and GINORMAS with the huge cgi city shots near the end. i understand they're trying to create a visual spectacle, but i found it.. jarring. costuming, however, i enjoyed. love how they leaned into the camp aspects in the shiz uniforms, but not a fan of the oz-dust outfits. ozdust in general i was a little let down by? i wish i could articulate exactly WHY but it was hyped up so hard just to be a sad homecoming. with the stage show it feels lively and whimsical, but i didn't get as much of that here, which was disappointing given how less restriction they had with it being a movie. the only other note was how happy i was to see them not use cgi in elphaba's design. i will ALWAYS preach practical effects over cgi and i think it was the right move not to alter her at all. 

also her wig is gorgeous. i spent half of this movie looking at those microbraids because OH MY GOD??? so many props to the hair crew for building that, for designing that, for getting that on her head and into this movie. overall i just treasured the whole film! i have so many other thoughts on the choreo, johnathan bailey, nessa's portrayal, and more but this entry is getting exceedingly long. can't wait to see how they adapt act two next year :)