So I always intended to write a review on Wicked before watching Wicked For Good. And as I am a master procrastinator, I left it until the very last minute. Yes, I am very quickly writing my review of the first movie before heading out to see the second.

Honestly, I feel a little like those people who were caught watching the first movie on their laptop while at the cinemas, waiting for the second movie to start. But what can I say? I’ve been a master procrastinator since I was a young teen, it’s hardly going to stop now.

In fact, I procrastinated so much, I had to go back into the theatres to watch a re-release of the first movie. But honestly, I think it just goes to show that the movie had rewatch value. The acting was phenomenal, the singing was exceptional. And I have nothing but praise for the cinematography, the costuming, the sets and even the casting of every character.

Ariana Grande Was Perfect For The Role Of Glinda

I remember when the first movie was in production, there was so much backlash against Ariana Grande taking on the role of Glinda The Good. As though she wasn’t an actress to begin with. Sure, since her acting days, she’s been known more for being a pop star but honestly, that was the real career deviation.

Ariana Grande has always wanted to be an actress. More specifically, she started in Broadway. She’s also been mentioning wanting to be in Wicked for over 10 years. And she met the original Glinda when she was 10 years old.

She was never going to half-arse this role. I agree that roles should be cast based on talent and drive. But that is clearly the case here. Ariana Grande isn’t just a pop star who had a passing fancy for acting. She’s an actress who happened to become a pop star along the way.

And she truly gave her all into this role. I cannot imagine anyone else as Glinda (at least within the movie). Her range is so much greater than I ever would’ve expected just from listening to her music. She has truly grown into the role. And I have been listening to the Wicked songs on loop since I first watched the movie.

It’s abundantly clear she took the role very seriously. She worked hard for it. And whatever else happened behind the scenes, in a world of predators and paedophiles, I’m just relieved all parties involved in the scandal were adults. And whatever else, at least she’s pro Palestine. So yeah, I’m still going to praise her skill and dedication to the role.

Casting The Wicked Witch As A Black Woman Was A Masterful Choice

Now, Wicked The Movie / Musical may be based on Gregory Maguire’s book of the same name but they are very different stories. In fact, I am actively against putting Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo on the cover of those books. Children are absolutely going to want to read the books and it is not age appropriate in any way. It honestly isn’t even appropriate for adults.

And the one thing that the books contain, that I didn’t see within the movie, was the inclusion of colourism. Because in the book, Glinda did not like Fiyero. In fact, Fiyero was the one attracted to Glinda. And Glinda had never even considered him. Why? He was too dark skinned for her.

So I find it refreshing to have the Wicked Witches cast as black women. Because at the end of the day, the green skin is just a metaphor for being a woman of colour. Elphaba is shunned from society because she is seen as an Other. And yet, those in power, are quick to attempt to exploit her.

They’re willing to take her labour but unwilling to create space for the very marginalised communities she wants to help. And The Wizard takes no steps to hide the fact that he manufactured the conflict between humans and Animals. In Othering an entire group and making them out to be the bad guys, those in power are able to stay in power and divert attention away from their own inadequacy by creating a scapegoat.

And Cynthia Erivo portrayed this perfectly. Her unique experiences as a black woman meant that she was able to get into Elphaba’s headspace in a way that her predecessors could not. And it forces the audience to acknowledge their own bias. Because it’s easy to sympathise with the green woman who’s tormented and scapegoated by society, it’s much harder to acknowledge the plight of a black woman and realise the privilege you receive as a result of someone else’s exploitation.

Final Thoughts

So this review was deeply political. But it’s fine. Because the Wicked Movie / Musical, book and even the original Wizard Of Oz are all political stories. And expecting a reviewer to not get into the real world politics driving this story is like telling a Star Wars or Avatar The Last Airbender fan to stop making the story political.

It’s like me eating an entire cake and ignoring the sugar. It’s a basic ingredient and it ties everything else together. It just so happens that while it is deeply political, it’s also incredibly entertaining.

And I for one, am very excited to see Wicked For Good. And this time, I’ll try not to procrastinate so much before writing the review.