My Wicked ways

Many years ago I read Gregory Maguire’s book, Wicked, and I absolutely despised it. While there were moments when I eagerly turned the pages, the truth was I just wanted the story, and the book, to be over. I’ve never read anything else he’s written and was also successful in avoiding any of the hype of the surrounded the Broadway production of the same name.

No, thanks. Not interested.

Yesterday, I surprised myself by purchasing an advance ticket for the theatrical release of the same story. Well, Part One at least. The second half of the story won’t be in theaters until next year.

I went to the movies alone, which meant no distractions and an entire small bag of popcorn to myself. As I got comfortable in my seat for the 2:40 film, I looked around the theater and was surprised to see a mostly adult crowd. I had imagined more teens and young 20 somethings who had been raised on a steady diet of Kristin Chenoweth and Sutton Foster. Maybe the youngsters were saving themselves for an evening showing, while I had opted for a matinee in the hopes that I wouldn’t nod off as I’m often inclined to do when in the dark.

My expectations were zero. The only preconceived notion I had about the production was that Arianna Grande could do with a cheeseburger, with a milkshake. She is painfully thin.

What did I think? I really enjoyed it! The story made much more sense to me on the screen than it had on the page. The costumes were fabulous – elaborately pleated organaza, gorgeous mutton sleeves, every shade of pink imaginable…seriously, a treat for the eyes. As were the sets. The rainbow of the poppy fields and the magnificence of Oz were as vivid as an acid trip. Loved those aspects completely.

The performances were terrific, despite there being moments when Grande’s vocals caused me to cringe a bit. She just seemed a tad shrill at times. However, the humorous inflection she included in many of her self absorbed lines prompted me to laugh more than once. I thought Cynthia Erivo was mesmerizing. Her eyes told a million stories and what they couldn’t express, her voice could. She was, in my opinion, the star of the show.

Going into the theater, I didn’t realize that I would only be getting half the story, despite an investment of 160 minutes of my time. I’m not going to say that I’m going to be counting the days until the second half is released, but I must confess, I suspect I’ll be hearing “Popular” in my head quite a few times prior to that date.

How do you feel about Wicked?