God knows, it feels like Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have been attached at the hip for most of this century, tears and joke together while decked out in fabulous ensembles of green, black and pink, the official (right?) colors of Wicked. The press tour and behind-the-scenes gossip accompanying Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited show has been exhausting and dramatic – probably expected for the film adaptation of a Broadway musical juggernaut beloved by theater youngsters everywhere (I was one of them). , and featuring one of the biggest pop stars of the era.

Ultimately, it’s what appears on screen that counts. And regarding Villain: Part 1 many things are true at once: the excellent Erivo and Grande could not have been better suited to play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, who will become Glinda the Good Witch; the film’s themes are enduring and relevant; and whoever made the decision to split the show into two separate films deserves to be cursed with a spell from the book of Grimmerie.

Wickedvery loosely based on that of Gregory Maguire Wizard of Oz revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westtells the origin story of Elphaba and how she became L. Frank Baum’s iconic villainess. She is rejected by her father and ostracized by her peers for the simple fact of being born with abnormally green skin, and discovers at a young age that in response to their insensitivity, her rage manifests uncontrollably as a magical force of nature. ‘interior. Years later, this ability catches the attention of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the pragmatic headmistress of Shiz University, who eagerly takes Elphaba under her wing for private tutelage in witchcraft.

Two good friends, two best friends

Elphaba is assigned to a room with Galinda, the bubbly and supremely vain beauty queen who is none too happy about now having to share her private suite with the school’s eccentric. The two clash for all the expected reasons: if Elphaba’s vibe is “emo-goth girl shopping at Hot Topic circa 2003,” Galinda’s is “Barbie.” Galinda is initially jealous of not being able to study with Madame Morrible. But very quickly, they become friends (even best friends), just as Oz enters a period of social unrest.

Gilles Keyte

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Universal images

There’s a lot to recommend here, especially for fans of the series: the humor is punchy, Christopher Scott’s expressive choreography enhances the characterizations, and Paul Tazewell’s costume design details are spot on. But what stands out from afar Wicked is this central relationship between these two enemies turned friends. Erivo and Grande have the strengths: both come from theater backgrounds (the former won a Tony) but are also naturals in front of the camera, and so are able to bring subtlety and grandeur as needed. Even under the green makeup and against the backdrop of the horribly overwhelming CGI aesthetic, their chemistry is undeniable, whether they’re bickering during one of the series’ highlights, “What Is This Feeling?” or finding common ground during Act I’s breathtaking finale, “Denying Gravity.”

This is particularly palpable during the big Ozdust Ballroom sequence, in which Elphaba, once again ostracized by her classmates, reacts defiantly to their laughter by dancing, and Galinda, feeling empathy for perhaps being for the first time, joins her. This is both the most musically theatrical thing that could happen in this most musical of theater shows, and it gets to the essence of the show’s enduring appeal.

A topical allegory – to a tune

Meanwhile, the show’s other central preoccupation is striking in this moment. Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book is a vast, dark meditation on the nature of good versus evil and what it means to resist or give in to fascist movements. Oz is a world in which animals have evolved to become as intelligent as humans, with the ability to speak and live like humans, although they have long been discriminated against for doing so. (In the film, Elphaba’s beloved teacher, Dr. Dillamond, is a goat voiced by Peter Dinklage.) The paternalistic, self-proclaimed wizard (Jeff Goldblum, at his Goldblum-iest) intends to deprive the animals of Oz of their autonomy and rights, and to use Elphaba’s powers to do so.

The musical, both on stage and screen, is a considerably diluted and entirely different version of Maguire’s novel. But there are parallels with our real world – currently marked by calls for mass expulsions, the erosion of abortion rights; etc. – are still clearly evident to anyone reading today’s news.

The allegories of the persecution of minorities are made even more palpable by casting Erivo, a black woman, as the Wicked Witch of the West. (To date, only one black actress has played her full-time in a stage production: Alexia Khadime, in London’s West End over a decade ago and again in the current production.) By coding the pariah turned political agitator like Black – her hair is in micro braids and, except for the green makeup, Erivo’s facial features are fully visible – the realities of the world we live in are inescapable. “His green skin is an outward manifestation of his twisted nature!” » a character proclaims to the people of Oz at one point, infuriating them to position Elphaba as the common enemy. Asserting that her skin – who she is – is reason enough to demonize her: she is not entirely different from, say, recent rhetoric used to target Haitian immigrants in Ohio.

Gilles Keyte

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Gilles Keyte

For all its virtues and relevance, it is curious that in this two hour and 41 minute adaptation of the first act of the show – longer, it should be noted, than the entire stage production without intermission – little substance has been added to justify this affair being in two parts. Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox stay fairly faithful to the source material (which Holzman also wrote) and there are no new songs to accompany all of composer Stephen Schwartz’s original songs. (It looks like Part 2 will feature new songs, which might be for the best given that the Act 2 numbers suffer in comparison to the stacked first half.) There are few attempts to incorporate more of the story The book’s excessive Maguire and other supporting characters, like Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and romantic interest Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) aren’t fleshed out any more than they are. are on show.

The result is a film that, while enjoyable and sometimes moving, ends with its climax (“Defying Gravity”) which also happens to be a cliffhanger. This is an unusually and extremely particular state – both complete and incomplete. This feeling is not exactly hatred. But it’s a bit tedious, especially since it probably means we have to expect another full year of Wicked’s press tour. Like its predecessor, it’s a flawed production that has plenty of heart and intelligence. If only he had the courage to tell a complete story in a reasonable amount of time.