Wicked

[Ibleedbrown]

My GF saw the theatrical performance on Broadway a few years back, and l think it’s safe to say she’s a super fan. Wicked is to her what West Side Story is to me in the realm of musicals, so it’s a big deal. So of course she got tickets for us and all our kids to see the cinematic version on the big screen a couple days ago. 

I only had a cursory clue as to what it was all about going in, that it was a sort of prequel to the Wizard of Oz and it was a story told from the Wicked Witches’ perspective, and it had something to do with the theme of wickedness. Oh, and l’d heard the big hit song, and fair bet you have too. 

After seeing it l gotta say it’s pretty darn good. It has plenty of the hallmarks of a home run musical. The aforementioned hit song, plenty of other supporting songs with their own big hooks, an interesting and thought provoking plot, flashy dance sequences, and soaring instrumentation. 

I’m admittedly a sucker for a good musical, and this one did it for me. When l get a shit eating grin and start weaving and bobbing in my seat, l know it got me, and there were a good half dozen moments like that for me watching this flick. 

No single performance really wowed me, though l got a kick out of seeing Jeff Goldblum play the Wizard himself. The dynamic quality of seeing it in the movie theater with the big surround sound and vivid picture and popcorn was a +1 here. 

I read a couple Wizard of Oz books as a kid, the original by L. Frank Baum and one of the sequels. I noted a couple things in Wicked that pulled from the books but weren’t really a thing in the Wizard of Oz movie, which l thought was cool. 

It’s a solid A for me.