By Steve Crum

Although box office heralded, Wicked is troublesome as well as wondersome.  At this writing, Wicked (aka Wicked: Part I) has just been Oscar nominated in multiple categories, including Best Picture. So what is “troublesome” about the movie? The screenplay alone is such. Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox have adapted the original, Tony winning Broadway production—also by Holzman, along with Stephen Schwartz and Gregory Maguire. (I have to confess that I have never seen the stage version.) 

So what’s not to love about the 160-minute (it seems longer) Wicked movie? Although its co-star, Cynthia Erivo (who plays the green-skinned Elohaba Thropp/Wicked Witch of the West) is a talented singer, there is not one song she sings that is hummable enough to hum—let’s say—in the shower. 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, however, is packed with songs that are still sung today. OK, times have changed over the last 85 years. But Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg (The Wizard of Oz) created wonderful songs with MELODY. 

Wicked’s Stephen Schwartz writes songs absent of substantial melody. He has only gotten worse at this since his days of composing music for Godspell and Pippin. Then again, recent Broadway and movie musicals can be accused of the same thing. Alas, the days of memorable songs by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hammerstein are ancient history.

We have what we have now, and are excited to lower the musical bar and jump to a standing ovation. I’m not among that audience, but many/most are. Consider me a grain of salt. 

Wicked has zero music and lyrics to even slightly compare with “Over the Rainbow” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard” from The Wizard of Oz.

My justification for spending so much time criticizing Wicked’s songs is a given: IT’S A MUSICAL! Call me both a fuddy and a duddy.

HOWEVER, there is still much to like about Wicked. The music is passable, but the visuals are awesome. It’s no spoiler to point out that the title itself is a giveaway. Assuming everyone has seen The Wizard of Oz, Wicked centers on the backstory of its scary, green-skinned, magical mistress of evil aka “The Wicked Witch.” HINT: She was not born evil. The story, told through flashbacks within flashbacks, follows the turn in her personality. 

That flashback within flashback technique can be off-putting since it is sometimes confusing due to the non-linear storytelling. 

But the cast is stellar. In addition to Erivo, there are Ariana Grande (Glinda), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar), Ethan Slater (Boq Woodsman), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), and Jeff Goldblum (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). 

There is also a very cool surprise featuring two cameos by way of Broadway!

The overall production is glitzy, packed with singers and dancers in wowser costumes, hair and makeup. Set design highlights include the Wizard’s domain plus a training academy reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. (Love that rotating library!) 

Perhaps most of all visual treats, we witness the origin of the evil Flying Monkeys. 

Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) impressively directs an elephantine production that succeeds despite lacking a score that could have made Wicked memorable for decades—even without Judy Garland.  

—————

GRADE on an A-F Scale: B-

__________

The sequel, Wicked: For Good, which will cover the events of the musical’s second act, is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.