I said it when I reviewed the first instalment Wicked and I’m saying it again – this world does not deserve Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jon M. Chu.
Last Wednesday night I attended the Sydney premiere of the second instalment of the global phenomenon Wicked For Good. The geeky 14 year old theatre kid inside of me was (and still is) gushing with praise for this modern cinematic masterpiece. It would have been very easy for Chu to film, verbatim, the second half of the stage show – and it probably would have been very successful. But similarly to his approach to the first film, Chu has taken the source material and added depth and complexity. The second film opens with Oz in turmoil. The Wicked Witch of the West is wreaking havoc, political unrest is spreading across the land and the government (led by the Wizard and Madame Morrible) is using Glinda to manipulate the public.
This movie sees the evolution of Glinda from naïve and controlled to enlightened, self aware and driven. Although Glinda’s story takes a similar arc in the stage show, Ariana Grande’s performance in Wicked For Good elevates the character to a whole new level. Her performance, to put it quite simply, is astonishing. She is funny, dry, enchanting and heart breaking. I would even go so far as to say that Grande out-acted Cynthia Erivo this time around.
Make sure you take your tissues because I started sobbing about 30 minutes in and didn’t stop until after the closing credits rolled. Whether it was her beautiful new, original song Girl in the Bubble, or her heartbreaking realisation that Fiyero loves Elphaba, Grande is highly deserving of an Academy Award for her portrayal of Glinda in this movie and one would be hard pressed to find a more compelling performance this Oscar season
Cynthia Erivo is just as good in part 2 as in the first film. More determined than ever to be the voice of truth and uncover the Wizard and Morrible’s evil and immoral machinations, we also see a woman torn between taking care of the land she loves and taking care of the people she loves, all while jeopardising her own happiness. Vocally, Erivo has no peer. She is in that very small handful of vocalists of the last century who transcend both generation and genre (think Streisand and Garland). Any disappointment from her largely generic and unmemorable new original song No Place Like Home is washed away with the sheer force of her voice in No Good Deed, the tsunami of emotion in As Long As Your Mine and with Grande, delivers the duet of the year, the beautifully heartbreaking For Good.
The supporting cast are all excellent (again). Jonathan Bailey, now officially the sexiest man alive, is as magnetic as ever and whether in his Captain of the Emerald City Guard uniform or a hessian covered face in Scarecrow drag had my heart fluttering. Torn between duty and true happiness, he is the perfectly flawed dashing prince who is just as devastated to break Glinda’s heart as he is happy to be with his true love Elphaba.
Ethan Slater’s Boq and Marissa Bode’s Nessa Rose play their scenes beautifully – the latter having a dramatic transformation as the Governor or Munchkinland and her reveal as the “Wicked Witch of the East”. Indeed, the release of the official motion picture soundtrack of Wicked For Good will be the first time Nessa’s big number – Wicked Witch Of The East has been recorded in the English language (and every time I’ve seen Wicked on stage, I remember how good a number it is!) It is a dramatic turning point for both the character and her relationship with Boq as well as one of the story arcs bridging the original 1936 Wizard of Oz movie with the Wicked multiverse.
Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard and Oscar Winner Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible are both perfectly cast. Their scenes in this second instalment with Grande are pure cinematic gold – especially when Glinda banished the Wizard from Oz and orders the arrest of Morrible. This moment is essentially an eleven o’clock number for Glinda as she evolves from observer to leader.
The look and feel of the film is striking – notably Paul Tazewell’s amazingly intricate costumes which visually represent the emotions and journey of the characters and have nods to both the 1939 movie and the Broadway musical.
Jon M. Chu has again created a love letter to fans of The Wizard of Oz and the stage musical version of Wicked with easter eggs aplenty for eagle-eyed fans. Chu has really levelled up with this film adding complexity, character development and plenty of pathos – as well as enabling the superb cast to deliver career defining performances. There is plenty of Oscar buzz already – and deservedly so.
My advice to fans – see Wicked For Good on the biggest screen you can to immerse yourself in this contradictory, amazing, joyous, fantastical, wonderous, spine tingling, sad, heartbreaking and resolute world of Oz for one final time – but be warned – bring your tissues because girl, you’ll need them!
Wicked For Good opens in theatres nationally on November 21.
In his past lives, Damien was a drag queen and musical theatre actor. He made his stage debut as a fat cow in a school production of Joseph in 1984. He holds a BA with a major in drama from the University of Newcastle. He is completely obsessed with musical theatre – especially Broadway divas.
Since relocating to Sydney at the beginning of 2024, he attends every musical he can get to and lives with his partner and grumpy 12-year-old poodle.
His claim to fame is that he once met Patti Lupone in New York and she was nice to him.