‘Wicked’ Style 🧹 From the Stage to the Screen 🫧
So many thoughts on the origin story of the highly anticipated movie musical.
Happy Wicked opening weekend to everyone celebrating! As someone who has long loved musicals, and as the mother to a burgeoning theater kid, the buzz around this movie has been thrilling. And the press tour style these last several months? Incredible! High-fashion method dressing at its finest.
Before we decode what stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have worn to promote the film, including its five (5!) global premieres, I wanted to take a step back. It has been at least 15 years since I last saw Wicked on stage. Although I can sing every line of Popular and Defying Gravity, I felt like I needed a review of sorts. Revisiting the show’s roots, and reading up on the movie adaptation, reminded me why I love Wicked. It was also filled with ah-ha moments, helping me spot very thoughtful sartorial details in the fashion frenzy the film has stoked.
My yellow brick road of Wicked research was its own journey. I can’t recall a project with this much press in recent history. Everyone involved appears to have given multiple (and refreshingly candid) interviews; I devoured them all. So! Much like the Wicked movie, I have divided my newsletter into two parts.
First up: A Wicked primer, beginning with a look at the dark novel (received as “ambitious” by one reviewer and “a joke” by another) on which the story is based. Then I dive into the beloved musical as well as the larger-than-life vision for the movie and the off-screen bond of its stars. Keep scrolling for details about the on-stage costumes and how the looks have been adapted (fantastically) for the movie. Stay tuned! So Many Thoughts on the press tour fashion coming soon.
💭 Are you a Wicked fan? Let me know why in the comments. If you see the movie this weekend, I want to hear all about it. Share your thoughts below. (Especially if you wore something special. 💚 I may pull out my green suit.)
The SMT community on Substack is open to paid subscribers and is a wonderful corner of the internet. Highly recommend checking it out!
Curious about upgrading your subscription? Check out these paid newsletters:
So Many Thoughts on Wicked’s Journey From the Stage to the Screen
This newsletter will most definitely get cut off in your inboxes — click here to read it in full.
Before we dive into the fashion, what is Wicked about?
Are you ready for this spiral? 🌪️ The new film adapts a beloved 2003 Broadway show with the same name, which in turn is based on a 1995 book by Gregory Maguire. Maguire wrote Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West as a prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the 1900 children’s novel by L. Frank Baum. That book, quite famously, became the classic movie musical starring Judy Garland that was released in 1939.
Maguire reimagined the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, casting the green-skinned Elphaba in a much more sympathetic light. Wicked follows her to Shiz University, where she is roommates with the vain, blonde Glinda. (Initially named Galinda, the “a” is later dropped after a professor struggles to pronounce it).