It's understandable to not have seen Wicked before. It's been a stage play for decades, but the November 2024 movie adaptation is the first time the musical by Winnie Holtzman and Stephen Schwartz will appear on the big screen. On the other hand, it's getting increasingly difficult to not be aware of it. For those still wanting to know more before they see the movie, the recent Elphaba trailer is an excellent place to start.
"Before she was wicked..."
As the trailer opens, we see the yellow brick road leading to Munchkinland, where the Wicked Witch of the West and her sister were the daughters of a local governor. But Elphaba, the protagonist, is being burned in effigy as Michelle Yeoh's Madame Morrible announces, "Citizens of Oz, she is evil. This wicked witch." As an instrumental version of "No one mourns the wicked" plays and we see Glinda the Good Witch alongside this embodiment of evil, the trailer finds other words to describe her.
"She was kind." Each of these shots is not wholly good or evil. Elphaba rescues a frightened lion cub, paving the way for the Cowardly Lion's later personality.
"Funny." Elphaba startles her roommate with a gleeful cackle. This is the ending of the song "What is this feeling," in which the two talk about their "unadulterated loathing" of each other. It's another moment where it may be a compliment, but it's not her finest hour.
"Heroic." We see the flying monkeys famously featured in The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch's minions. It is one of her spells that gives a monkey the ability to fly, but it causes him pain and the flying monkeys are later pressed into her service.
"Heroic." Like Dorothy Gale in the future, Elphaba confronts the Wizard as he grandstands as well as when he faces her in the flesh. While she sees him as he is, she accuses that he has "no real power."
"Good." This is the trait where we are left to wonder if it's an accurate term as her hands curl around her broom and asserts that "Someone's got to do something." She flies literally into action on the broom just before the title is displayed.
This trailer shows Elphaba to be set apart from society while finding ways to improve it. Of course she can be considered to be evil or should we say, "Wicked."
Wicked comes to theaters on November 22.