Rob Reviews "Wicked: For Good"

I have seen a lot of criticism of Wicked: For Good not needing to be a second half of that story and instead using this and its predecessor as one film.  While I understand how some could feel this way, composer Stephen Schwartz explaining how much would have to have been cut in order to do that in a run time that wouldn’t force the audience to block out a day makes sense.

Personally, I had no issue with this for that reason alongside the fact that most musicals are divided into two acts.  The first installment ends right where the intermission would be when seeing it live (after “Defying Gravity”), so that just seemed to be the natural place to “take a break”.

The story picks up after Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) living in exile as she is hunted, being blamed for the events that ended the first film.  In the meantime, Glinda (Ariana Grande) has become the face of Oz with the assistance of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard himself (Jeff Goldblum).  She is instructed to be the one to keep the spirits of all Oz-ians up during all of this turmoil as she announces her upcoming wedding to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey); did I mention he didn’t know about it?  As the events of the source material start to come together, the emotions and conflict arises to a fever pitch.

I have said it before, and I will say it again for a specific reason: I am not a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz.  Growing up, the movie was EVERYWHERE, and I just got past critical mass with it.  I HAVE seen the live stage musical, which I enjoyed to the point that could be expected.  I didn’t hate it, but it is also not at the top of my list for repeat performances.  With all of that, I can say that I actually enjoyed Wicked: For Good MORE than I enjoyed the first half.  I have always thought that the level of world building in the first act was more than it really needed to be, but the level of performance makes it so it is difficult to not have it there.  This time around, the cast and crew up their game to a level I didn’t think they could reach.

Grande continues to shine and put more of her talent on display with a range that is simply INSANE to witness.  I know a lot of other actresses were up for the role, but I believe this was the EXACT right choice.  For those that saw the original Broadway run, she gives the legend of Kristen Chenoweth a run for her money, especially during “The Girl in the Bubble,” which features an amazing sequence of visuals and movement orchestrated by cinematographer Alice Brooks that is part talent and part movie magic that fits right in with the type of thing that would have been done back in the ‘30s if the industry were a little more advanced.  Glinda’s character arc holds the delicate balance of this story, and Grande handles it with style and grace.

The other part of this literary teeter-totter continues to be absolutely crushed by Erivo, whose Elphaba also should be talked about in the same breath as Idina Menzel’s.  While she is just a bit less of a character story as Glinda’s, Erivo makes Elphaba’s story show as that much more so as the actual witch who wants to unleash the evil that her fellow countryman perceive her to be while also understanding the caring woman she truly is.  For her, “No Good Deed” is an absolute HIGHLIGHT both in performance and visually, and with this as well as “The Girl in the Bubble” being placed where they are, it’s the perfect moment to prepare as the final act hits full-throttle.

Wicked: For Good truly sticks the proverbial landing that makes it worth the while to see in a premium format.  I am not sure I would want to do a full double feature with the two, but maybe watching them over a weekend might be in order later down the road.  Do yourself a favor, though; see this one in a theater!