By Juliana Di-Cola

Wicked is known as the face of Broadway (along with Hamilton, of course) for a good reason. 

This cleverly written and astounding production ‘defies gravity’ and surpasses the overall image of the wicked witch constructed by the Wizard of Oz. I have always been a massive fan of The Wizard of Oz, and after uncovering this musical, I adored Wicked Witch of the West or Elphaba even more.

That is one of the reasons why I loved Wicked. When I saw it for the first time in the Sydney Lyric Theatre the production it was like I had ascended into another world, one where it gave me a holistic look at the Wizard of Oz, one that offers the Wicked Witch depth and the backstory necessary to make me wonder is wickedness trusted upon us? Or are people born wicked? 

After seeing Wicked, I see it as wickedness, which is created not necessarily by the person but by society.

This is why it is such a perfect piece of theatre, so perfect that I worried it might fracture if anyone were to mess with it. 

So, when I found out last year they were making a movie adaptation, I had mixed feelings. 

On the one hand, being given the opportunity to see one of my favourite musicals on screen was just too exciting to pass up. But on the other hand, screen adaptations don’t exactly have the most stellar reputation. 

From the excessive sequels and prequels and, well, over-recycled, unoriginal ideas. It was tiring and told me companies were getting greedy and lazy. To see one of my favourite musicals be pushed out of the sub-par content machine would devastate me.

Regardless, I was still hopeful there were a bunch of musical movies that had a lot of success: West Side Story, In The Heights and La La La Land (which won six Oscars and, in my opinion, should have gotten a Best Picture.) 

So when it first came out, I didn't immediately go. There was hesitation in me that I shouldn't have been there. I mean, the HSC was over. I had too much free time so that I could have seen the movie. I was just nervous.

But that was before two pivotal things happened: One, My For You page was flooded with people praising Wicked, and Two, my friend asked me if I wanted to see it. 

So I shrugged off that hesitancy and went, ‘Oh, why the hell not? 'It can't be worse than the reboots and all the sequels and don't get me started on the upcoming Snow White movie.

I went there knowing it wouldn’t meet the hype but hoping to be proven wrong. 

And I was so glad I was. 

That movie was immaculate from start to finish. It captured theatre's essence so well while giving a fresh outlook on the musical. I found that this was because the movie played on elements that are seemingly unique to the film, like when Elphaba was falling in defying gravity and seeing her younger self-reflection in the glass. It was a powerful moment that stuck with me because she was finally taking the leap. 

Cynthia Erivo was also stunning as Elphaba. She encapsulated that reliance and strength as well as her sass and wit. And of course, her voice was so angelic yet powerful, particularly in defying gravity. 

Ariana Grande as Glinda was amazing. You could tell this was her dream role as she put everything into it, from her singing to effectively capturing Glinda’s bubbliness to her top-tier humour. She left me in stitches. 

And, of course, who could forget Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero? The man who captured everyone’s hearts from his charming smile to his wit and, of course, his singing and dancing.

And I could honestly keep going, praising everyone in this film. From Jeff Goldblum to Michelle Yeoh, I must make one more special mention to the director, Jon Chu. The visionary behind Wicked and why it looked as authentic as possible. His passion and reverence for the source material helped him create a simultaneously original and fresh film. 

I am not even going to hide that I saw it three times. Safe to say, I am really looking forward to seeing part two this year. I know it will be just as amazing as the first half. 

So yeah, if you live for origin stories, love The Wizard of Oz, or are genuinely looking for a production that will take your breath away, see Wicked. Whether it’s on the screen or the stage, both are different forms of art and different expressions. 

But the same wickedly wonderful story.

Juliana Di-Cola is a 1st year student studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in creative writing. In her free time, you may find her working on her latest novel, reading an unhealthy amount of fantasy and Greek mythology retellings and listening to Epic, a musical retelling of the Odyssey. She hopes to become an author and takes inspiration from Madeline Miller and Rick Riordan.