“Wicked,” a well-known musical and novel, is steadily growing in popularity with the upcoming release of the new movie adaptation. “Wicked” was first introduced in 1995 through Gregory Maguire’s novel. His book was later adapted into a Broadway musical in 2003
The new movie “Wicked” is scheduled to come out on November 22. Though this upcoming release is exciting to many people, there are still some concerns regarding the film.
“I am slightly worried, which comes with any adaptation,” English teacher Darci Guess said. “I’m hoping they don’t change too much.”
Junior Bayleigh Michael, who participates in theater, has seen the musical at the Altria Theater in Richmond.
“I think the musical takes the original source material and really improves upon it,” Michael said. “It’s a really great experience, and I’d endorse it for anyone else who would consider seeing it.”
When movies are released, there’s often expectations at the box office. According to IMDb, Wicked is predicted to make $296 million domestically, but almost double that worldwide at $574 million.
“I think there’s a lot of suspension of disbelief in the musical, because Oz is this very fantastical place,” Michael said. “You can just let yourself fill in all the set pieces the way you want to, instead of having to focus on this very direct background as you would in a movie.”
To some, “Wicked” is more than just a musical because it has the ability to bring people together. These bonds that were created from the musical are creating excitement through the groups of people and friends waiting for the movie release.
“‘Wicked’’s a great musical,” freshman Luke Purcell said. “I’ve seen it a couple of times with my mom because she loves it, so we’re going to watch the movie together.”
More excitement is arising because movies offer more possibilities than musicals because of editing and computer-generated imagery.
“In theory, a movie can do a lot more than a musical can, especially in terms of special effects,” Guess said. “However, again, I’m hoping they don’t take too many liberties, but the two leading ladies have fabulous voices, so I’m sure musically, the movie will be great!”
