Wicked, one of the most successful musicals of all time, is set to make its much-anticipated debut on the big screen this November. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande portray the two iconic witches Elphaba and Glinda, while ‘Step Up’ director Jon M. Chu, takes on his biggest challenge yet, turning a beloved show into a cinematic spectacle.
On a behind the scenes chat with the film’s choreographer, Christopher Scott, we learnt that the key to making the film work was staying true to the stage show while taking a fresh approach to presenting it on the screen. “I wanted to create original choreography for the film, knowing that we’re going to be able to do things that the Broadway show just can’t do by sheer scope and scale. I went in with a clean slate and tried to soak in Jon’s vision, so I was not too connected to what I remembered from the stage. This is a love letter to the theatre show and Oz and classic cinema, but this version of Jon’s vision is at the forefront.”
A prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked” tells the story of everything leading up to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz before she walked up the yellow brick road. In its original Broadway run, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth portrayed frenemies Elphaba, who would become the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch. The show has built a fan base & toured the world for over 20 years, including sold-out theatrical runs in Dublin.
For Scott, a fan of the show since seeing its original Broadway run, working on the film ws a dream come true. “It felt surreal. I pinch myself every day” he told us, “You dream big when you’re a kid, but I never would have fathomed the idea that I would be the one choreographer to do this film.”
The movie’s production was a massive undertaking involving building practical sets on an enormous scale. Not only does it have to please fan’s of the stage show but it also has to honor the legacy of the 1939 film. In a behind the scenes promo, Chu explains why he wanted to go to such lengths for the film. “I knew that we wanted Wicked to be immersive. What does it feel like to be in Oz? To feel it in your fingertips? If you want to be inside that world, you’ve got to build it; you got to build the Emerald City, and you’ve got to build Munchkinland to see all that detail. All of it adds to the things that you can imagine. A lot of it is real, physical, tangible sets.”
Scott says these large sets informed his choreography. “I was so inspired by the scale of the sets, but you have to remain flexible. Sets are built, but then Jon will have a new idea or an area wouldn’t be suitable for dancing. I was blown away that our production designer Nathan Crowley could still find flexibility in his work.”
The film stars Grammy winning pop sensation Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo, one of the few artists to receive nominations for all four major American entertainment awards (EGOT), she has won an Emmy, a Grammy & a Tony award, and narrowly missed out on an Oscar. Working with two of the biggest musical stars in the world didn’t phase Scott. He says their musical background, made his job easier. “I’m always down to work with actors that can’t dance, but there’s a development period that you have to have because they want to look good and feel good, and dance is very vulnerable. You have to break through that vulnerability, which is a process that takes time. And with film, there’s never enough time, but with Cynthia and Ariana, it was so easy.”
He says they constantly surprised him with how good they were. “There’s a self-awareness with their bodies, so when you show them something, it’s easy to see what will fit them and what will not. They have this awareness, and you can get into the nuances of the movement, which is a bit harder to do if somebody’s trying to learn the steps.”
Other actors in the film include the breakout ‘Bridgerton’ star Jonathan Bailey who plays Fiyero, and Scott says his performance blew him away. “Jonathan was shooting a season of ‘Bridgerton’ at the same time as ‘Wicked’. I didn’t even know if he could dance. I did one session with him before filming and asked him about his character. That’s what I do with all the actors; you have to get to know their version of a character and not a version from reading the script. He came to rehearsal with this beautiful take on his character, which brought so much richness that it became so helpful in creating choreography for him.”
Scott also says he was surprised by Jeff Goldblum, whose dance sequence was so good that audiences won’t believe it was him. He also says “Michelle Yeoh doesn’t have dance moments as such, but as she moved through space, I became aware that I was in the presence of true artists and storytellers.”
Words – Cara O’Doherty
IN CINEMAS NOV 22nd