#but Wiz Glinda and Wicked Glinda have very different voices so idk if it would work

[toiletpotato]

the casting directors of The Wiz and Wicked have an opportunity to do the most thing imaginable

[aizenat]

Finally saw the Wicked movie and it was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. For a movie version, Ariana was fine as Glinda. Not as campy as I’d prefer, but it was fine. Jonathon Bailey was adorable (all the moments he got to flirt with guys in Dancing Through Life was wonderful!). And I did enjoy Ariana and Cynthia’s chemistry. Whatever weird sex shit they got going on seemed to help with giving them great chemistry cus they were fun.

Cynthia, Cynthia, Cynthia was absolutely the wrong choice for Elphaba and nothing can make me take that back (unless she dominates in act II). Musically, she did NOT deliver in that musical. I’ve always felt that Glinda gets nicer notes (in the songs they sing together, Elphaba typically takes the supporting harmony while Glinda sings the actual melody), which I get why they do that. But the point is if the actress playing Elphaba had a powerful and dynamic voice (uniquely so, like Idina), it doesn’t matter; you’ll still hear her and she’ll easily carry the songs she’s singing alone. But I was very underwhelmed with Cynthia’s voice. Even her rifts weren’t that impressive, which surprised me as a Broadway actress who was in The Color Purple. Like tbqh, I just expected better vocally from a black actress whose claim to fame was a black musical.

Like I was surprised by how typical her voice sounded; nothing interesting or unique about it to make me understand why the industry wants to make her an EGOT so badly (she’ll likely finally win that Oscar with this role and get it, but why?). Like Jennifer Hudson winning that Oscar for Dreamgirls made sense; I know this may be a hard pill to for older black folks to swallow but she sang that act 1 closer better than Jennifer Holiday. Yeah, I said it. We can understand why J Hud got that attention. Cynthia? Very mid for a black woman I’m very unimpressed.

When she got to the parts of Defying Gravity where she had to belt some, I thought “okay okay, keep going, more of this.” But then it never got bigger or bolder. I really wanted to put my bias to the side and not hate on her cuz of her stupid mouth when she was promoting Harriet, but that was such a mid performance. The no-name actress playing her on Broadway when I saw it right before Covid was light years better than Cynthia and that’s insane. Every main actor has stage experience, and yet Cynthia was the one I was wondering why she was there. She’s not a bad actress, but if that’s the best she can do vocally, what was all the hype for? I don’t get it? Anyone who can be on a chorus on Broadway can sing better than that; I’m not getting it. I’m so frustrated with how disappointing her voice was.

I will say her rift on that last note (after they took eight years to get there; jfc they did not have to change the arrangement to Defying Gravity that much lol) was a lot nicer in the movie/full recording than it was in the trailer. So that was nice. And again the acting was fine overall.

Oh another nitpick/creative direction I wish they took was if they let the “animals” be humanoid like they would be on stage (also get some good physical effects/makeup going), and then have them the fully cgi animals once they “devolve.” I think that would also make the way that Elphaba can relate to them make more sense; they’re like humans but different, just like she is (I mean, she’s just green but you get my point lol). It’ll also make their “devolved” state more noticeable. Just a creative choice I would have made and preferred, but not a knock against the movie. At least not a huge one.

Idk it is what it is. It was really nice and the ensemble moments were phenomenal. All the dancing and such was so nice and dynamic and it makes me think a bit of the Wiz with its choreo and production. The outfits were also amazing!!! Like it LOOKED amazing. And there was a bit of substance behind it. Just not as much substance as I feel would match the energy elsewhere.

When the second act comes out I do want to see that in theater. It at least is a movie that deserves that imo.