To borrow (and edit) a lyric from another Broadway powerhouse: how do you solve a problem like splitting an uber-popular show into two equally (hopefully) winning movies? With more than a 15-minute intermission to contend with since the first half, “Wicked,” premiered in November 2024, “Wicked: For Good” does the best it can — for better and for worse.
First, a recap: “Wicked” ends with Glinda (Ariana Grande, astonishing) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, glorious) parting ways — with Elphaba defying not only gravity but the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Oz itself. “Wicked: For Good” picks up after a brief time jump, wherein Glinda has become a figurehead in Oz, engaged to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey, given little to do but still managing to have chemistry with everyone and everything, including, it must be said, at least one of the flying monkeys) and mildly puppeted by the Wizard and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).
Elphaba is living off the grid and working to expose the Wizard and rescue persecuted animals, outfitted in her now-signature hat as well as several divine black capes and cloaks (and one truly baffling crocheted shawl we’ll come back to in a minute). As Nessarose and Boq, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater have some strong moments together and apart, building well to their ultimate roles within the story.
Where the film suffers, almost debilitatingly so, is due to the musical itself: Act II of “Wicked” just isn’t that interesting. “Wicked: For Good” goes nearly 40 minutes without a true bop and commits the cardinal sin of separating Glinda and Elphaba for far too long. “Wicked” (the first movie) soars precisely because of Grande and Erivo’s chemistry, their constant banter and partnering, to some degree, on several wildly winning songs. “Wonderful,” normally a duet between the Wizard and Elphaba, becomes a trio of voices with the addition of Glinda, and even theater purists will be glad; by that point, we’re longing to see them together again onscreen.
As songs go, the two new numbers — ”No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” — are, like most new music written for a movie adaptation of a musical, serviceable and ultimately forgettable. You won’t be humming either tune on your way out of the theater. (See also “Suddenly” from “Les Misérables” and “Evermore” from the live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast.” Or don’t, actually. They’re bad.) “As Long As You’re Mine,” traditionally staged as a dramatic and intense romantic moment for Elphaba and Fiyero, is devoid of nearly all physical and emotional connection, making what should be a (hot!) turning point in the story seem hollow and confusing. It also features Elphaba clad in the aforementioned “hideocious” (Ozian parlance) shawl, a garment that could not be less seductive.
Still, the highs are very high. Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design for his work on “Wicked,” and he continues to stun here, every gossamer skirt and tasseled epaulet a love letter to these characters and this world. And yes, there is a horse of a different color, and yes, a quartet of misfits (and Toto, too) heads down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City.
But when all is said and done, we are seated for Glinda and Elphaba (and Grande and Erivo). “Wicked: For Good” is, by design, Glinda’s film (as “Wicked” was largely a showcase for Elphaba), and Grande supports her comedic chops from the first film with her portrayal of heartbreak and resolve here. “For Good,” the pair’s final duet, is the resolution we want and need, and director Jon M. Chu gives this song some well-earned space to breathe and to knock us right in the tear ducts. It would be easy to write off this film as unnecessary, or even middling, but I’m not that girl. It’s proof that even among greatness, there is still room for good.
“Wicked For Good” is open at The Little and other area theaters now.
