When I say fascist governments, colourism, and mediocre-but-dangerous-white-men-peddling-propaganda-against-marginalised-groups, what comes to mind?
For many of you reading this, I am sure that you are picturing our current political landscape. For theatre kids and those who have been foaming at the mouth for the release of the first Wicked movie, the Wizard is another example of this.
As someone who has seen Wicked an ungodly amount of times over a span of 13 years, seeing it in November of 2024 was an entirely different experience. From the US election, the ongoing genocide, the war on women’s bodies, to the femicide in Australia – the story of Wicked hits harder than it has at any other time over the past 21 years.
So – let’s start off with the most poignant change from any other production of Wicked I have ever seen: Elphaba being portrayed by a black woman, the masterful Cynthia Erivo. The significance of this casting choice is not something that can be understated.
For those of you who Wicked was not your personal gateway drug of musical theatre, here is the lowdown: Elphaba is a witch who was born with green skin and because of this, faces prejudice every day of her life. She is incredibly gifted, but no one acknowledges her talents because they are too focussed on the colour of her skin. Elphaba feels inferior to her ‘frenemy’ Glinda because of how Glinda upholds patriarchal and racist beauty standards.
The first person to acknowledge Elphaba’s talent in the film is teacher Madame Morrible, portrayed by Michelle Yeoh – another woman of colour. She takes Elphaba under her wing and becomes her mentor. Despite trying, Ariana Grande’s Glinda is not allowed to join their class and she is floored by the idea that there is a space that she does not belong in.
Now, onto the Wizard. The Wizard has no powers, no intellect, no empathy, and his only skill is creating friction and getting people to turn against one another. Despite having heard this line many times before, when Jeff Goldblum utters “the best way to bring folks together, is to give them a really good enemy,” it is impossible to not get chills as this line mirrors our correct socio-political climate.
This quote in the film is referencing how he is spreading propaganda about animals (who in this universe can talk, but are being eradicated) and misleading people into thinking that they are dangerous criminals – because he believes that by discriminating against animals, that the humans will be better off. I wonder where we have seen this sort of behaviour before…?
With the way that far right media and politicians are demonising everyone from trans folks, to drag queens, immigrants, to women who exercise their right to choose – they are making enemies out of any vulnerable groups of people.
The way in which Wicked portrays these themes is undeniably elevated through the political landscape of which the movie is coming out in. But this isn’t a new story, the musical has been on Broadway since 2003, and the book that the musical is based on was released in 1995. So did the creators of Wicked have a vision almost like a prophecy? Or is our current reality a tale older than The Wizard of Oz itself?
Well, when Wicked first premiered on stage in 2003, America was still mourning the tragedy of 9/11, George W. Bush was in office, and the War on Terror was well underway. In the years since its premiere, the world has experienced a global pandemic, had two recessions, many wars and genocides, the #metoo movement, the rise of fake news, and far too many other tragedies to name. Seeing Wicked at any of these times over the past 21 years, you would be able to draw some comparisons between the world of Oz and ours.
The combination of all of these elements makes Wicked in 2024 a timely and relevant reflection of our world, and while this is a compliment to the film, it is no compliment to our world.