Anyone who loves Wicked has always known that Wicked: For Good would be a tricky proposition. Wicked‘s second act is, famously, a darker, trickier, and more challenging beast than the sleek, steampunk-cool Act 1.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is no longer a wry outcast, but a fiery rebel, increasingly desperate to be heard by a populace thoroughly propagandized to twist and ignore the truths she reveals. Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) has taken her “popular” schtick to new heights as a vaguely-titled symbol of goodness. Once-carefree Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) barely smiles now, instead biting his tongue and hoping to protect Elphaba from afar. All set against an Oz that strips the marginalized of their rights while distracting the populace with weddings and scapegoats — it’s not cheery stuff.
In that sense, Wicked: For Good does pay for the “sins” of its source material. Or, at least, it doesn’t fully solve them. But the result is still a marvelous movie musical: stylish, beautifully performed, and earning those moments we’ve all been waiting for, not taking them for granted because of fans’ existing affection.
New Material with Mixed Results
Wicked‘s second act clocks in at under an hour; Wicked: For Good runs for over twice that. That necessitates a fair bit of expansion. Whereas the first Wicked achieved its extended runtime mostly through subtle padding of existing scenes, Wicked: For Good inserts new scenes — and songs! — wholesale. The results are mixed, as is the pacing.
Let’s start with the new songs. Elphaba’s “There’s No Place Like Home” fares better, by virtue of being simply a better song and having a more natural spot in the narrative: a moment of reflection, where an old friend gently prods Elphaba as to why she is so insistent on saving a country that has never loved her back. It is sort of an “Anthem“-lite, but Erivo’s vulnerable delivery helps sell it.
Glinda’s “The Girl in the Bubble,” on the other hand, is… fine. It’s far from Stephen Schwartz’s best melody. Its placement, late in the narrative, does fill in a largely implied moment in Glinda’s arc, which Grande-Butera acts the hell out of. The biggest problem, though, is the lyrics. “Pop” is just an inherently silly syllable (which the show knows: see the comic masterpiece “Popular”). No one, no matter how gifted, can deliver a serious, angsty lyric using that verb.
Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and Boq (Ethan Slater)’s storyline also gains a few new scenes, to chilling effect. It’s an interesting choice to frame Nessa’s descent as, essentially, a spoiled teenager finally being told “no” and acting impulsively in response. Honestly, I appreciate the reminder of just how young these characters are. That’s part of the tragedy of it all.
Fan-Favorite Moments Get Their Due in Wicked: For Good
All the moments you know and love are here in Wicked: For Good. Grande-Butera delivers “Thank Goodness” — not as “signature” a song as “Popular” but requiring much more complex character work — with aplomb, letting us watch her switch between her public and private personas at a second’s notice. “Wonderful” gets an upgrade with the (perhaps controversial) addition of Glinda to the scene. But it makes sense. Of course, Glinda would try to fix things, and of course, Elphaba would be more likely to be won over — however temporarily — if Glinda is nudging her too.
The heavy hitters come in the second half. Erivo and Bailey’s chemistry lights up “As Long As You’re Mine.” The revised staging traces Elphaba’s evolution from anxious and disbelieving to playful and, well, wicked. Bailey, for his part, remains a world-class yearner and flirt. He uses his expressive eyes to communicate incredible depth of feeling in Fiyero’s every scene, from the passion on display here to the grief and resignation in the scenes that follow.
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: ‘As Long as You’re Mine’ From Wicked: For Good
Erivo’s “No Good Deed” is the barnburner of Wicked: For Good, and Erivo more than delivers. It’s full of grief, regret, fear, and pure, unleashed power. And then there’s “For Good,” the song that makes millions of theatre kids (me, it’s me.) sob uncontrollably. As someone who has cried through that song more times than I can count, I can safely say the film version hits those beloved emotional beats perfectly.
Wicked: For Good Is About the Girls
Wicked: For Good is, ultimately, a story of transformative friendship: of love that pushes us to do things we never dreamed we could. I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again. Once a doubter, I’ve been thoroughly won over by Erivo and Grande-Butera’s obvious care for their characters and their skill in portraying them.
The movie is at its best when it lets their desires drive the narrative. Both actresses turn in phenomenal performances. Erivo is heartbreaking as Elphaba slowly realizes there is nothing she can do and no way she can “win,” even with the truth on her side — a realization that rings all too true in our real world. Grande-Butera carefully traces Glinda’s complicated evolution: from easily won over to would-be peacemaker, to a lone survivor trying to carry the torch for those she’s lost.
Perhaps, the story tells us, the world isn’t ready to have illusions ripped away. Perhaps it never will be. But if there are people willing to have a change of heart, and people willing to make amends, perhaps that long moral arc of the universe will, in fact, bend towards justice, the way we’re always told. Wicked: For Good isn’t about giving us easy answers or tidy happily-ever-afters; it’s about offering hope after a “frightening time,” and that’s something we could all use more of.
I’m Also Obsessulated With…
- Why, oh why, were there so many weird lyric changes for no reason? You can’t tell me, “And since I can’t succeed” is that much better than “Since I cannot succeed.”
- Michelle Yeoh has taken more flak this go-round for her lack of singing ability. And yet, her silkily subdued Morrible is still deliciously evil. Jeff Goldblum fares better, managing the vaudevillian “Wonderful” nicely.
- The de-aging of [spoiler] in a pivotal flashback is going to haunt my nightmares. Thanks.
- The costuming and production design remain a complete and utter feast for the eyes. And yes, I will even defend that cardigan/robe.
- All of our leads make some fantastic vocal choices, but I’m especially partial to Erivo’s “Fiyero” riff and Bailey’s “up that I fell.”
- As a veteran viewer of … too many Wicked stage performances, I didn’t think the staging of the melting scene and the finale could make me cry more than I’m used to. I was wrong (in the best way).
Wicked: For Good is in theaters now.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Universal Pictures