Chu’s prequel and origin story — based on the long-running Broadway musical which debuted in 2003 — she’s Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), a shy, misunderstood young woman born with special powers and a viridescent tone.

The film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opens in theaters on Nov. 22.

Not everything soars but Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are dynamite as besties in "Wicked," a "Wizard of Oz" prequel based on the Broadway show.

Elphaba hopes her sorcery lessons will lead to a meeting with the all-powerful Wizard of Oz, whose glorified head is carved into the campus and who, she secretly hopes, will grant her wish to be “de-greenified.” She sings of this wish in “The Wizard and I,” a lovely number introducing Erivo’s uniquely supple vocals.

Wicked is in theaters this Friday, but will it defy gravity? Our film critic Patrick Beatty has his non-spoiler review.

In "The Wizard of Oz," there can be no doubt which witch is the worst witch: That would be the one with the army of flying monkeys, who melts upon contact with water. But in "Wicked," the green-skinned spell-caster turns out to be far more sympathetic than Glinda,

Jon M. Chu’s film of the hit Broadway musical is an absolute thrill: wonderfully cast, beautifully sung, dazzlingly designed and costumed, writes Moira Macdonald.

Wicked is easily one of the most anticipated films of 2024, as it's bringing to the big screen a three-time Tony Award–winning musical that defined a generation of theater kids, with a Hollywood-scale spectacle of song,