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“Wicked” is the prelude to the iconic story of “Wizard of Oz”. When “Wicked” first opened in 2005, the effect it had on the future of Broadway was vast. Today, it is still playing on Broadway, as well as in traveling productions. Last year, “Wicked” was released as a movie, directed by John M. Chu. The second half, “Wicked: For Good” released on Friday, November 21st. The musicality of the musical and the movies are both valuable, but there is a big difference between the cast. This is especially true for two iconic characters, Elphaba Thropp and Galinda Upland. Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth played the two in the original Broadway cast, whereas Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande played them in the movie adaptation.
“What Is This Feeling?”
“What Is This Feeling?” is the iconic duet between Elphaba and Galinda, played by Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenowith. The two are mistakenly paired as roommates after a misunderstanding with Madam Moorible. This song is the beginning of their short-lived feud. Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Mezel are the blueprint of Galinda and Elphaba, and their clashing personalities are prominently shown throughout this song. In comparison to Ariana Grande’s version of Galinda, Chenowith plays a less ditzy and more emotionally intelligent version of Galinda. This is shown throughout this song, as Chenowith’s Galinda tries to persevere past her roommate. Grande’s version of the character plays into the “mean popular girl” stereotype, making her an unlikable character the first half of the movie.
Unlike Broadway, the movie carries more creativity because the cinematography, sets, costumes and the choreography is more noticeable and enjoyable compared to the stage adaptation. The choreography for “What Is This Feeling?” was by Christopher Scott. He is the overall choreographer for the film and developed the specific dance sequences for the movie. Scott has also done choreography for television shows such as “Austin and Ally”, “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance?”. He is well known in the dancing community and made this duet iconic. When part one came out November 2024, it became a TikTok trend to recreate the dance moves Grande and her ensemble performed.
Due to the cinematography used in “What Is This Feeling” you can truly see the raw emotion from both Erivo and Grande. Cinematographer Alice Brooks worked on Wicked as well as other stage adaptation “Tick, Tick…Boom!”. Brooks knew her version of Wicked would be rich and luxurious and she succeeded in doing so.
“Dancing Through Life”
This song is arguably one of the best songs in the musical. While it is not the most powerful vocally, it is one of the biggest dance numbers and sets the scene for climatic scenes in the movie. Fiyero, played by Norbert Leo Butz plays a more accurate version of the character. He is meant to be arrogant and a little ditzy, as shown through Butz’s take on the character, which Jonothan Bailey does not portray. The stage adaptation of the song is admittedly a little underwhelming compared to the movie, specifically for the lack of Jonothan Bailey due to his more likeable portrayal of Fiyero’s character, but it is still worth a watch.
The movie version of “Dancing Through Life” is often preferred over the Broadway version due to the use of cinematic techniques like close-ups to convey emotional depth, extended runtime that adds more detail and context to the story, and elaborate stunts made possible by special effects. These elements allow for more intricate storytelling, better pacing, and more spectacular choreography than can be achieved on stage. A scene shared between characters Nessa and Elphaba became a viral meme on TikTok. Millions of videos were made of people attempting to make an impression of the way Nessa said “Boq”, another popular character in the story.
“Popular”
This song is one of the most iconic songs in all of Broadway history. It has been done time and time again on Broadway, in traveling casts, and even shows like “Glee”. Even though it has been reprised countless times, the original will always be quintessential. This song emphasizes the difference between the two Galindas. Grande plays a more quirky, yet arrogant version of the character, while Chenowith’s original flows better with the rest of the story. While she is still overconfident, she shows true empathy towards Elphaba, which is expressed throughout this song during the iconic makeover scene.
This is Grande’s most popular song to come from the movie. Grande has expressed that she has always wanted to play a role in Wicked, and it was her ultimate dream. Through the song, she highlighted her talent and passion for the story and left many fans satisfied. Though the song centers around Glinda,, Elphaba still has participation. Elphaba’s participation turns the song into a back and forth conversation rather than one sided speech from Glinda. She even makes a small reference to the original Wizard of Oz movie by tapping a pair of two ruby slippers together three times while trying to find an outfit for Elphaba.
“Defying Gravity”
Defying Gravity is arguably one of the most powerful songs in all of Broadway history. Idina Menzel’s version of the song set the precedent for future Elphabas, in terms of vocal technique and acting choices, which are both things that can make or break a character. The Broadway adaptation is more fulfilling and powerful than the movie because there are no special effects to take away from the song. Menzel’s version of this song intrigues the audience because she sings this song with such powerful emotions. This is the climax of the story, because Elphaba is finally realizing her true potential, which Menzel captures perfectly in the context of the scene.
Erivo starred in many Wicked promotions. Her most famous one is an ad promoting both the movie and Wicked merchandise sold at Target. In the commercial, Target employees can be seen trying to recreate Elphaba’s battle cry from the song “Defying Gravity”. Ervio walks up to them and says, “that’s my line” and proceeds to do the battle cry. This became a huge meme on TikTok. It got to a point where new fans of the franchise thought she actually said it in the movie. Unlike the stage version, which focuses on the song’s pure musical power and quicker build-up. The film adds cinematic moments like hot air balloons, more character development for Glinda, and a longer, more detailed sequence, which some feel enhances the drama and epic scale.
