Wicked for good

Dec 19 – Jan 1

Fri Dec. 19 1:30 & 7:00 pm
Sat Dec. 20 7:00 pm
Sun Dec. 21 1:30 & 7:00 pm
Mon Dec. 22 – 7:00 pm
Tues Dec. 23 – 7:00 pm
Wed Dec. 24 – CLOSED
Thurs Dec. 25 – CLOSED
Fri Dec. 26 – 1:30 & 7:00 pm
Sat Dec. 27 – 7:00 pm
Sun Dec. 28 – 1:30 & 7:00 pm
Mon Dec. 29 – 7:00 pm
Tues Dec. 30 – 7:00 pm
Wed Dec. 31 – CLOSED
Thurs January 1 – 1:30 & 7:00 pm

Music / Fantasy
PG — 2 hr 17 min

Wicked: For Good really sings where it counts: with the emotional ache of the fractured friendship at the story’s core.  All the technical marvel remains dazzlingly in place from director Jon M. Chu’s first half of Wicked, based on the Broadway musical phenomenon, which came out just one year ago. That includes the elaborate production design from Nathan Crowley and the exquisite costuming from Paul Tazewell, both Oscar winners from part one. If you enjoyed all of that and hope to see more of it, don’t you worry: The darker tone that marks this second half doesn’t mean there’s an absence of wonder in the wonderful land of Oz.

But the real magic comes from the deeply felt performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, as the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda evolves in complicated ways. As we saw in the first film, the green-hued outsider and the pink-clad popular girl wouldn’t seem to have much in common, but they truly saw each other as no one else ever had. The way they locked eyes wordlessly on the dance floor was unexpectedly stirring. And because part one laid the groundwork so convincingly, the fact that their bond breaks in part two is that much more meaningful.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.

As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.

As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.

The film is, in its essence, an ode to eternal friendship. Its heart comes near the end when the witches are about to part once more and Grande and Erivo sing For Good. The camera captures each of them as they face each other, and of course finally swirls around them as they sing, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” This film is as slick and shiny as Glinda’s lip gloss, but it may also be just what its many fans want.