Wicked’s Two-Part Release Plan Avoids A Problem With The Musical We Don’t Like To Admit

The Wicked movie’s two-part release could improve upon a snag in the stage musical that its fans either ignore or won’t care to admit. It’s an effortless feat to shrug off any drawbacks of the Wicked stage production, as the musical is near flawless and commonly regarded as one of the best of the 21st century. Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical brings to life a compelling portrait of the Wicked Witch, helping to discount the antagonistic narrative of her that’s depicted by The Wizard of Oz.

Wicked’s story, along with its history of fantastic stage performances, originally starring legendary singer/actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, burgeoned into a cultural phenomenon, giving rise to numerous productions across the years and, of late, a highly anticipated Wicked movie adaptation. The stage production’s all but immaculate legacy makes it easy to doubt that the Wicked movie can improve on the original musical or that the musical has any flaws at all. However, with expanded cinematic plans, the Wicked movie naturally has the space to develop a part of the story that the musical arguably stumbles on.

Wicked Part 1 Can Spend Longer Showing Elphaba & Glinda’s Friendship Blossom

The Musical Develops Their Friendship In A Matter Of Scenes

The musical’s first act establishes much of the Wicked Witch’s origins, including how she, Elphaba, was once friends with Glinda the Good Witch (formerly known as Galinda) in her college years, though, at first, their relationship was troubled. Marked differences, jealousy, and even instances of bullying made it hard for them to connect – but when Elphaba and Glinda finally became friends, it was at rocket speed. Despite fostering heavy hatred between the two, the musical develops their friendship in a matter of scenes, which is hard to buy when their feelings for one another were once as “fervid as a flame.”

Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship grew as intensely as it did quickly, and they formed a sisterly bond that’s become one of the best parts of the musical. Whereas much of the first act developed from mutual disdain, just a few scenes actually featured them reveling in their friendship, like in the brief instances when Glinda gave Elphaba a makeover or when Elphaba invited Glinda to see the Wizard of Oz. While the musical doesn’t afford enough time for their friendship to blossom, the Wicked movie’s two-part release means it can explore the evolution of Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship more profoundly.

The musical gets away with fashioning Elphaba and Glinda into instantaneous friends because it has the capability of suspending the disbelief of audiences. By act one’s conclusion, when Elphaba and Glinda part ways after becoming companions (“Defying Gravity”), the cast comes out to bow, and the stage appears for intermission, making it easy for audiences to overlook or forget how quickly their friendship formed and changed in the span of a few scenes. The movie won’t have this advantage but could improve on the musical if it devotes time in part one to focusing on Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship period.

Elphaba & Glinda’s Friendship Would Have Been Too Rushed In A Single Movie

Wicked’s Immense Story Is A Lot To Cover

Granted that the musical fast-forwarded through Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship and used stage production magic to cushion the impact, it’s hard to fault it because the Wicked canon is incredibly extensive compared to the standard duration of a stage play. Though loosely based on Maguire’s canon, the musical strives to cover Elphaba’s evolution from college past the events of The Wizard of Oz, the intricate politics of Oz that shape her worldview, and everything in between. The musical’s success proves it triumphantly packed enough of the lore into its short time span, but the Wicked movie format will undoubtedly struggle.

Wicked’s two-part movie plan is brilliant, considering that even its near-flawless predecessor labored to get the most out of Wicked’s story. If a standard film averages 80 and 120 minutes long and the musical has around 40 minutes and creditworthy stage techniques over it, then the Wicked movie would fail tremendously in sticking to the confines of one film. Most everything in Wicked’s story, including Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, would feel rushed or negated, but luckily, with two films to cover canon, the upcoming movies will have the time to develop the story and the space to evolve it further.