Defying Gravity

EntertainmentePathfinderMackenzie Cobbler

Defying Gravity

 All things wicked

Theater kids rejoiced when the trailer for the movie adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical Wicked dropped during the 2024 Super Bowl in February. There have been high hopes this year as more teasers were released and actors, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who will play Glinda and Elphaba respectively- began their press tour. While waiting for the movie to be released, fans have stayed occupied by all the details surrounding the fantasy blockbuster. 

Wicked, the musical, is based on a young adult novel by Gregory Maguire that takes place before the events of The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The book has themes of social, political commentary and questions the very meaning of good and evil. The movie will follow a similar premise. Younger versions of Glinda and Elphaba attend Shiz University, where they become roommates and form a friendship despite their differences. After encountering the Wizard of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda’s lives soon take very different paths. It’s all exhilarating.

Of course, this movie being a musical, there is a soundtrack. The songs from Wicked are loved by theater kids and music fans alike, so there is a lot of pressure to do them justice. The soundtrack includes No One Mourns the Wicked, Dancing Through Life, Popular, and Defying Gravity. The tracks listed all feature Ariana Grande.   

To adapt a musical featuring an incredibly talented cast, the movie would need some serious star power. Wicked certainly delivered. As previously stated, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo play Glinda and Elphaba. Michelle Yeoh portray Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University, and Jeff Goldblum as the mystical Wizard.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, another iconic duo to play the two witches, have left an amazing legacy behind. Grande and Erivo will have some big shoes to fill. It is not a matter of which set of actresses play the parts better; it is more so that Grande and Erivo meet the high standard set by the actresses before them. But from the behind-the-scenes clips and videos, as well as Grande and Erivo’s powerful voices, it does not appear they will have much to worry about.

“As the vocal phenomenon Ariana Grande channels her inner Glinda, I hope she brings her inner Mariah Carey and Kristen Chenowith to the role but also makes it her own. She has a lovely angelic soprano voice and I am excited to hear them sing,” Music lover and dual enrollment history teacher Christopher Horne said.

This Wicked film is on theaters since November 22, 2024. With it being Thanksgiving weekend, it’ll be more convenient for those going to opening weekend.

“As for Cynthia Erivo, I am already getting chills thinking about her performance. She has so many awards for her amazing vocal performances and her work in plays and on Broadway, I just know she is going to Defy Gravity with this role and I look forward to seeing her on the silver screen!”


Written by Mackenzie Cobbler | Graphic Designed by Mackenzie Cobbler