Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Defy Gravity (And London Rain) With ‘Wicked’ Cast at Europe Premiere

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As a long-time fan of musicals and all things Oz, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement as I witnessed the European premiere of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked (part one) at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The sight of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo braving the torrential U.K. rain, clad in their chiffon yellow and black frocks respectively, was a spectacle that will linger in my memory for quite some time.

On Monday evening, a magical transportation took place, whisking London away to the land of Oz for the premier of Jon M. Chu’s eagerly awaited first part of the movie adaptation titled “Wicked“.

For the first time, the director presented the film’s media screening (he was unable to attend its initial Los Angeles launch due to a newborn), in the Royal Festival Hall of our city, accompanied by his Glinda and Elphaba who faced the heavy downpour in the U.K.

A pair under umbrellas, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, dressed in a flowing yellow chiffon gown and a waist-embracing black dress respectively, replaced Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Bronwyn James, and Jeff Goldblum on the green carpet filled with fans.

Producer Marc Platt, the man behind the historic Broadway run of “Wicked,” expressed that the journey to where we are now has been quite lengthy. “Wicked” initially began around two decades ago, and originally, I aimed to bring it to the big screen. However, one of my most esteemed composers who had a profound impact on me during my childhood and continues to inspire countless others since then, reached out to me and suggested, “This needs to be a musical first.” That person was none other than Mr. Stephen Schwartz himself.

Composer Schwartz stepped up onto the stage while Platt was still talking. “After that,” he began, “we embarked on a journey together. We transformed the stage musical into reality. I’d like to express my gratitude to my colleagues and friends at Universal Pictures for their unwavering support of our show and film over these numerous years.” It transpired, he explained, that the movie had taken so much time because he was searching for the ideal director. Platt added: “I was looking for someone with such creativity, skill, and compassion to step forward and say, ‘I want to direct this movie’.

Chu humbly took in the enthusiastic cheers echoing within the 2,400-capacity theater and expressed a sense of fittingness, as he was now back in London (as the movie was produced at British studios).

He explained logically, “It’s fitting since this is where we constructed our creation,” he shared before presenting his team who accompanied him on stage. “This was the site of all those countless contributors, the intellectual might, the imaginative sparks, the bold dreamers who brought the Emerald City and Munchkinland to life. It’s such a heartwarming feeling to be back on familiar ground.

The initial movie among Chu’s duology that reimagines the popular musical is titled “Wicked”. Its sequel, scheduled for release during Thanksgiving 2025, completes the pair. This production is inspired by Gregory Maguire’s best-selling novel and delves into the unknown tales of the witches from Oz.

It premiered on Broadway in 2003, with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

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2024-11-19 02:25