Wicked review: Critics praise Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's sensational performance in the 'fabulous spectacle' yet the duo haven't managed to convince everyone they can 'defy gravity'

The Guardian

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Peter Bradshaw described it arsenic a 'sugar-rush phantasy with the overpowering prima beingness of Cynthia Erivo; it fundamentally dunks you face-down successful a hyperreal shot pit of M&Ms for 2 and three-quarter hours.'

The Daily Mail 

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Brian Viner praised: 'It's a fabulous spectacle, which demands to beryllium seen connected the biggest surface possible'.

The Independent 

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Clarisse Loughrey praised Ariana and Cynthia's performance, but felt the brace were fto down by the existent cinematography of the film, arsenic she likened it to a TV advert. 

Variety

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Peter Debruge praised: 'Unlike respective caller tuners, which tried to fell their philharmonic magnitude from audiences, Wicked embraces its individuality the mode Elphaba does her emerald skin.'

Rolling Stone

David Fear added: 'When Erivo nails that infinitesimal and rides into Oz’s past books connected a broomstick, for a divided 2nd you consciousness similar there’s nary spot you’d alternatively beryllium than riding alongside her. Not adjacent home.'

The Telegraph 

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Robbie Collins gave the movie a scathing reappraisal arsenic helium claimed that the film's starring actresses 'don’t travel adjacent to defying gravity successful this bloated, beige surface adaptation of the Wizard of Oz prequel'. 

BBC

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Nicholas Barber wrote: 'The movie ends with a opus called Defying Gravity, truthful it's lone just to accidental that that's precisely what Wicked doesn't negociate to achieve'.

Wicked 

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The Royal Festival Hall successful London indispensable person seen immoderate sights successful its 70-odd years but perchance thing rather similar Monday evening’s European premiere of Wicked, astatine which the fortunate members of the assemblage were those not seated down the resistance queens dressed arsenic Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. 

There were a batch of them, and they each seemed to beryllium astatine slightest 6ft tall, not adjacent taking relationship of the beehive hairdos.

The signifier philharmonic Wicked, notional prequel to The Wizard Of Oz, by each accounts has a immense cheery pursuing and Jon M Chu’s eagerly-awaited movie adaptation, conspicuously targeted astatine slightest partially astatine the aforesaid demographic, is simply a riot of camp. 

When it yet came to an extremity connected Monday evening, a rapturous lasting ovation each but raised the roof.

It had been a agelong clip building. Chu’s exuberant movie lasts 2 hours and 40 minutes, and leaves the communicative lone half-finished. 

Wicked Part Two is scheduled for merchandise this clip adjacent year.

I saw the philharmonic connected Broadway not agelong aft it archetypal opened (my woman and I extravagantly took our 3 children, which arsenic I callback outgo astir the aforesaid arsenic a mean household saloon). 

From what I retrieve of the original, the movie cleaves to it precise intimately – unsurprisingly, arsenic 1 of the screenwriters is Winnie Holzman, who wrote the signifier version. 

But Chu besides makes the astir of each disposable cinematic bells and whistles. It’s a fabulous spectacle, which demands to beryllium seen connected the biggest surface possible.

It begins astatine the end, with Glinda (Ariana Grande) announcing to the long-suffering radical of Oz the decease of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), amended known arsenic the fearsome Wicked Witch of the West. 

But past immoderate impertinent national raises the rumour that she and Elphaba were erstwhile friends. It is true, she confirms. And truthful backmost we are whisked to their respective root stories, and to the mode successful which they archetypal bonded.

As anyone who has seen the signifier philharmonic volition beryllium aware, Wicked cleverly evokes The Wizard of Oz by exploring however the kindly but misunderstood Elphaba discovers her acheronian broadside and however the manipulative Glinda finds her interior goodness. 

It’s simply a saltation of of Ray Bolger’s Scarecrow looking for a encephalon successful the unforgettable1939 picture, and Jack Haley’s Tin Man looking for a heart.

To the extracurricular world, alas, and adjacent to her ain parents, Elphaba is defined by the information that she was calved green. 

Her father, the politician of Munchkinland, tin hardly carnivore to look astatine her, and it is truly by mishap that she gains a spot astatine Shiz University, wherever Glinda is among the aforesaid pupil intake.

There, the lone idiosyncratic to recognise the decency and endowment successful Elphaba, and Glinda’s interior slyness, is assemblage main Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). 

The absurdly handsome Prince Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), portion astatine archetypal appearing to autumn for the enticingly enigmatic Elphaba, soon has his caput turned, similar astir everyone else, by the dazzlingly pretty, fashionable Glinda.

Chu and the writers person tremendous amusive with each this and are superbly served by the cast: Erivo and Grande are some pitch-perfect and altogether sensational. 

I confess to uncovering Wicked’s songs a small repetitive but it’s hard to ideate anyone delivering them amended than those two, portion Grande has due comedic flair, which she brings to carnivore each clip Glinda tosses her luxuriant tresses. 

Yeoh, Bailey and Jeff Goldblum arsenic the Wizard connection splendid support.

There volition doubtless beryllium suggestions that it’s each a spot derivative, and surely Hogwarts got determination archetypal arsenic a schoolhouse of sorcery; inevitably, determination are galore parallels. 

But it’s done with specified tremendous pizazz, and the sets and costumes are truthful gloriously, preposterously, implicit the top, that I conscionable astir forgave the insanely agelong running-time and didn’t adjacent entity erstwhile a resistance queen built similar a prop forward, wearing a pinkish taffeta dress, leapt up with specified excitement astatine the extremity that helium elbowed maine successful the eye.