Curious About The New ‘Wicked’ Movie? Let This ‘Know-It-All’ Break It Down For You.

Audiences raved at the reimagining of “The Wizard of Oz” when the musical “Wicked” debuted on Broadway. Tomorrow, a big-screen adaptation will hit theaters — and some insiders already have the scoop.

An expert’s opinion

The full title of the new movie is “Wicked: Part 1,” and reflects the fact that director Jon M. Chu decided to split the story into two segments. And Constance Grady, considered a “know-it-all” on the subject, recently sat down to reflect on how the story was told in this production.

Grady recalled watching the classic 1939 film — and reading the novels by L. Frank Baum — when she was a child. As she got older, she discovered Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked,” which reimagined the familiar story with the Wicked Witch of the West at the center of it all.

“When the musical came along, I immediately resented it for being a glitzier, simpler story than the book was … but when I was 17 I saw it on Broadway and was overwhelmed by the sheer spectacle of it and the gleeful drive of the songs,” Grady said.

The movie combines some of those elements and introduces others.

Exploring new themes

From the earliest Baum novels, “The Wizard of Oz” has consistently delivered political and social messages through the actions and words of its characters. The latest version carries on that tradition … though maybe not to the extent of previous adaptations, including Maguire’s novel.

The musical, both Broadway and film, glosses over issues like abuse of power and corruption that are weaved throughout the “Wicked” novel in favor of exploring the relationship between the titular witch Elphaba and the “Good Witch” Glinda.

With the latter half of the novel exploring even heavier themes, it remains to be seen how Part 2 will wrap things up.

Chris Agee November 21st, 2024

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