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By Lucy Fudge

‘Wicked’ has been wowing audiences worldwide for over two decades, unashamedly solidifying itself as a modern musical theatre classic. It offers a new perspective on the lives of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, by telling the story of Elphaba, a young girl who is estranged due to her green skin and Glinda, a perky, popular blonde with whom she is forced to share a room at Shiz University.

The stage-to-screen adaptation was first announced in 2012, and over a decade later, ‘Wicked: Part I’ is finally gracing the screens of cinemas, and sharing this beloved story to fans old and new. Directed by Jon M. Chu (‘Crazy Rich Asians’, ‘In The Heights’) and starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the expectations for this film were sky high, and the results, thrillifying.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as the iconic green and pink twosome, and it is evident how much passion they have channeled into this movie. For those who don’t know, Grande began her career on Broadway in 2008, in ’13 The Musical’, alongside her future ‘Victorious’ costar Liz Gillies. From the very start, she was very vocal about her love for ‘Wicked’ and how she dreamed of one day becoming The Good Witch, so it is no surprise that she plays the role like it was made for her.

Erivo is perhaps best known for playing Celie in the Broadway revival of ‘The Colour Purple’, a performance for which she won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical among other accolades. Erivo puts her heart and soul into playing Elphaba. From her shy optimism in ‘The Wizard and I’ to her unstoppable determination in ‘Defying Gravity’, Erivo captures the complexities of Elphaba’s character beautifully.

When playing roles as iconic as these, it can be so easy to try and replicate the original performances of the remarkable Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (who may or may not make a surprise appearance back in Oz), but Grande and Erivo play their roles with authenticity and originality, staying true to the characters that fans know and love, whilst still putting their spin on it.

The cast put on an incredible performance throughout, with Ethan Slater capturing Boq’s bashful awkwardness perfectly, and Marissa Bode plays the “tragically beautiful” Nessarose. Peter Dinklage (Dr. Dillamond) and Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible) take on the roles of two of Shiz’s professors, and Jeff Goldblum portrays the somewhat sinister whimsy of The Wizard of Oz excellently.

It would be absurd to talk about the incredible performances of the cast without mentioning Jonathan Bailey’s fabulous take on Fiyero Tigelaar, the carefree, “deeply shallow” and incredibly handsome prince who comes waltzing into Shiz. He fully embraces Fiyero’s flirtatious personality, making it hard for anyone both on and off the screen to resist his charms, and his take on ‘Dancing Through Life’ is extraordinary.

From the brightly coloured fields in Munchkin Land to the myriad of greens in the Emerald City, ‘Wicked’ is a spectacle from start to finish. The costume and set design exceed all expectations, and the attention to detail is inspiring. Christopher Scott has done an impeccable job with the choreography, making numbers such as ‘Dancing Through Life’, ‘What is This Feeling’ and ‘One Short Day’ a feast for the eyes and the ears.

Often the fear with musical stage-to-screen adaptations is the risk of the show losing some of its original charms, with plot points or characters getting brushed aside, but by splitting the acts into two movies, they have been able to dive deeper into the characters and world-building, without the worry of the movie feeling overcrowded or rushed.

‘Wicked’ is a show that holds a very special place in many people’s hearts, and it is wonderful that such an extraordinary story can now be accessed and seen by a broader audience. The movie honours the stage show, remaining true to the story and the characters, and is a prime example of how movie musicals should be made. The cast and crew have done a marvellous job bringing this story of friendship, knowledge, and good versus wicked to the screen, and I for one will be patiently waiting on the edge of my seat for part two.