KU experts can comment on ‘Wicked’ film adaptation
LAWRENCE — Why these witches now? According to two University of Kansas experts, the “Wizard of Oz” prequel “Wicked” is the ultimate female buddy movie for the 21st century.
Jane Barnette, professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance, and Paul Laird, professor emeritus in the School of Music, have come to specialize, respectively, in the depiction of witches on stage and on the music of “Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. But they agree about the timeless — and timely — appeal of the forthcoming Universal Pictures version of the still-running 2003 Broadway musical.
They are available to the media to comment on the film ahead of its Nov. 22 premiere in theatres.
Barnette, author of “Witch Fulfillment: Adaptation Dramaturgy and Casting the Witch for Stage and Screen,” (Routledge, 2024) said she has asked herself: “Why this witch now?”
She said, “And the strongest answer is the power of female friendship. It's always been at the center of the ‘Wicked’ story. Especially today there is a need for community, a desire to celebrate female power and a greater appreciation of having friends who are very close to you. All of that is something that ‘Wicked’ speaks to.
“The other piece of its great appeal is the underdog story. Americans have always loved underdogs, and Elphaba is the ultimate outsider. Like Agatha Harkness or Harley Quinn, hers is a kind of villain-reclamation story.”
“Wicked” imagines the lives of the young beings who grow up to be the witches of the West (Elphaba) and North (Glinda) in L. Frank Baum’s Oz.
Laird, author of “Wicked: A Musical Biography” (Scarecrow Press, 2011) and “The Musical Theater of Stephen Schwartz: From Godspell to Wicked and Beyond” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), said, “It is very unusual for a Broadway show to have two such dominant female characters; Elphaba and Glinda do most of the singing in Schwartz’s highly effective score, the most important measurement of how significant these characters are in the show.
“Young women love the deep friendship between these characters,” Laird said. “The song ‘For Good’ rings profoundly true as a description of being ‘best friends forever,’ and for many, Elphaba’s ‘Defying Gravity’ is a powerful anthem of individualism and living one’s own life.”
Laird noted that some trailers for the new film show scenes that do not exist in the original version.
“The new ‘Wicked’ film covers just the first act of the show,” he said.
The play’s second act is expected to be covered in a movie sequel.
“This is very unusual in the adaptation of a Broadway musical into a film,” Laird said. “But this expansive approach probably will allow the film to include basically the entire score, and one can also hopefully expect effective development of the main characters and more detailed storytelling.
“With Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, the film would seem to have the necessary star power, and the decision to record songs live on the sets has spurred additional interest.”