Wicked (2024) Gregory Maguire, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, & Michelle Yeoh

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Transform this simple rock slash coat, this simple throat pop
into a magnificent ball gown.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Well gown, come on, coming on you fall gown.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Seriously, do you need my home?

Speaker 4 (00:37):
No?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Just wear the throat. It's pretty.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
We're doing it. We're really doing it. We're doing wicked.
Hi everybody. Some of you've never seen our faces or
heard our voices before. That's okay, welcome Hi there. This
is Book Versus Movie, a podcast where we read books
that have been adapted into movies and we try to
decide which we like better, the book the movie. I
am Margot patcoloniabook dot com and this is my good

(01:02):
Partica host Margot d A Brooklyn Pitchick. Hi everyone, straight
off the bat, I have several disclaimers. Just want to
say number one still coughing. I'm still coughing from my
lingering ick that I had like over a month ago.
So I might go off camera or you know, forgive
me if I inadvertently call number two and I'm just

(01:27):
gonna I'm just gonna come right out and admit this.
I'm traveling right now, so I'm in a hotel. My
audio is not ideal, and yes, don't come at me.
I watched Wicked on my phone. I'd never seen it before,
so I saw it for the first time on my phone.

(01:48):
And if you've never seen Wicked, and I can't imagine
you're listening or watching if you've never seen Wicked. But
if you are, don't do that. Please don't do that.
I cannot wait. I want to see it on a
big screen. But we're going to get to all of
that if you are brand new. So here's the deal.
Here's what we do here is we talk. It says

(02:10):
book versus movie. And today there's genuinely a book, and
there's genuinely a script which is also a book, and
then there's a movie. We will actually consider any movie
that's been adapted from any kind of original source. So
if it's a nonfiction work or a magazine article or
a play or a musical. Right, it's March, so we're

(02:30):
doing all musicals this month. Poem a song if we
can get our hands on the source material, and you
can't chew without spending a lot of money. And as
long as the movie is streaming on a major platform,
it is up for consideration. We are still looking for
ideas for musicals in March. We're just beginning March March
second as we record this. So if you have suggestions

(02:53):
for movie adaptations that you would like us to cover,
if you would like to meet the listeners of this
podcast or interact with us, there's a few places where
you could do that on the internet.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
We do have a basic Facebook page, be sure to
like it, but we're much more interactive in our private
Facebook group. So you type in Book vs. Movie Podcast
group in Facebook, excuse me and ask to join, And
we really do just talk about books and movies there
and ideas that people have, so it's a nice safe
space on Facebook to hang out. We are also on threads, Instagram,
and blue Sky and in all those places you spell

(03:24):
out book versus and then movie, and then we have
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that out at gmail dot com. Send us your suggestions.
We just asked that the movie be streaming on a
major platform, and whatever that book may be, we need
to be able to get our hands on it. It can't
be something we have to buy off of eBay. That's
just not going to work for us. And also, if

(03:45):
you'd like some stickers, we just got some stickers. Send
us your address via the email and we will drop
them in the mail for you right away.

Speaker 4 (03:54):
I forgot. There's one more disclaimer. If you are watching
this on YouTube on my channel at She's Not Yo Mama,
at Margo's channel at Margo Donahue, there's no way YouTube's
gonna let us play any of these clips, so apologies
and events will be like, let's go to the clip,

(04:15):
and then there'll be nothing, and you'll be very upset,
and I'm sorry. I'm sorry about it, but that's the
that's just gonna happen. I'm just going to tell you
right now. They have not been playing nice with the
clips these days, and i especially for something like Wicked,
They're just not going to have it, I'm sure. But
if you really if you're here for the first time
and you dig in what we're doing and you would
like to help us keep the lights on around here,

(04:37):
you can also support us on Patreon.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yes, p at Rio and we've been doing the show
for ten years now, so right now what we're doing
is putting everything from twenty twenty three and then previous
to that on our Patreon wall. Recent episodes are Hustlers
that's based on a magazine article Pano of the Opera,
Carmen Jones, Chicago and Oklahoma, plus we have just so
many more. Also, what we post there are the clips

(05:01):
you watch today, So you could actually sign up for
Patreon for free and you could see all these clips there.
And also our old old episodes are all for free
in case you think maybe we should redo one of those,
because we're always looking for those kind of suggestions. But
we want to thank everybody that supports us on Patreon.
We really appreciate it. But also you can support us
by just subscribing to this show, also by leaving a

(05:24):
review if you're an Apple or Spotify or whatever, if
you could do that for us, I'd be amazing. Or seriously,
just tell a friend about the show. It helps us
find our people.

Speaker 4 (05:33):
We really really appreciate it, and we've had just such
a great conversation, especially leading of people are getting very
excited about musicals in March, so there's already some good
suggestions happening in the Facebook group. We're very excited about that.
And we're also pay to talk about what we're doing next,
and we'll get to that at the end of the show.
So just before we got on the air, we were

(05:55):
talking about a little bit about the band of Wicked,
which is ferocious and large.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
They know their stuff, they really do.

Speaker 4 (06:11):
We want those people. We are absolute Wicked newbies. And
here's why, because we have to talk about the book.
And I was doing a lot of like while I
was traveling and like sitting in the airport stuff. I
was doing a little bit of poking around. I got
admit on the reddit a little by the Wicked reddit,
and I did see and I was reading from a

(06:34):
while ago, from right before the movie came out, And
so a lot of people were talking about the fact
that the runtime of the movie is, which is only
part one, is longer than the runtime of the entire musical,
and a lot of speculation was going on about like, oh, well,

(06:55):
maybe they are incorporating more stuff from the original book,
meaning the Wicked book, not the Wizard of Oz. And
then there was even conversations like, oh, there's a book.
I didn't realize that this was based on, you know,
So some people didn't know that it was based on
a book called Wicked, and they thought it was just
based on the Wizard of Oz. So, yes, there is

(07:15):
a book. There is an original book. We're going to
talk a little bit about it. What's his name McGuire
something Gregory, sorry, Gregory McGuire. And the book is called Wicked,
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
It came out in nineteen ninety five. Margoe and I

(07:37):
both read it when it came out, and it wasn't
my thing. It was not my bag. And it's fine.
It's not that it's a it's not a bad book,
and it's not poorly written or anything like that, especially
back like back then. This is a long time ago now,
just wasn't my thing, you know.

Speaker 3 (07:56):
Thirty years ago, thirty years ago.

Speaker 4 (07:58):
I loved The Wizard of Oz and the Wizard of Oz.
If you've never read the original Wizard of Oz, highly
recommend The Wizard of Oz, by the way, has some
super dark stuff in it. Let's see, literally dark and violent,
super very like heavy themes that are in there that
are very much glossed over in the Judy Garland and

(08:21):
this version, So the Wicked Book if you've never read it.
The Wicked Book by by maguire takes that and goes
even darker. It gives us an even darker prequel All
lah Star Wars Part one, two, three, and yeah, it

(08:42):
was just not my thing. It was just you know,
I read it and I was like, So, then when
the Wicked Musical came out. What year was that that
the musical?

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Two thousand and four, that's when. That's when it was
on Broadway. I mean it was it was workshop for
a couple of years, and you're in San Francisco. It
was in s F for a long time. I was
there building the show like Amber. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (09:04):
Yeah, And anyway, I heard there was a musical about
that book, and I was like, yeah, I'm not going
to go see that. I don't care about that, and
so I listen. I dismissed Wicked the musical, And even
when the film came out, I was like, that's great.
People like it. And yes, even though I saw it
on my phone and I'm not a fair judge and

(09:27):
I've never seen it on stage, I was very wrong.
So we'll get to that. But let's talk a little
bit about the original book, just so people have a
little bit of a baseline to work from here.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
Well, let's just talk a bit about our author is
Gregory Maguire. He's from Albany, New York. He was born
nineteen fifty four. He went to the university at Albany
Simmons University Tufts University, where he's got his PhD. He
is a prolific writer. He's just I was just looking
at The Wicked series is a series of four books,

(09:59):
and then there there then that's the Wicked Years, and
there's Another Day, and then there's Elfie, which is another one.
But he's also written a couple of dozen children's books.
He's written some books for adults, short stories. He's just
this book was very very popular. But he lives by
the way. He lives in Massachusetts with his husband and
his three kids. This book was, like we said, very

(10:23):
very popular. You and I I had a very tough
time reading it because I have a tough time with
fantasy in general. Unless I see the movie first. Sometimes
I can't read the book as I just can't picture
things very well. But this book was very very popular.
And the thing was is when they were turning this,
the movie rights were sold right away, and the movie
was going to be done several different ways, starting way

(10:44):
back in the early two thousands, before it even was
on was theater, and then he sold the rights for theater,
and then then we have Winnie Holsman, who created My
Soul called Life by the way, that was her show.
She she's the writer for this piece. They decided to
take different aspects to make this into the musical that
we know now. But the thing was is that they

(11:06):
could refer to The Wizard of Oz the book because
that was in public domain because it came out in
eighteen sixties I believe, or it's set there anyway.

Speaker 4 (11:15):
Yeah, remember the when we covered the Wizard of Oz.

Speaker 3 (11:19):
Right, we just re released it recently, so you should
be able to kindly find it.

Speaker 4 (11:23):
Yeah, it's kind of generally acknowledged that the chin Man
is a metaphor for some of these veterans that were
returning from the Civil War and amputees. So it's yeah,
it's it's right, post American Civil War.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
And so they he wanted to use those aspects of it.
But also in order Warner Brothers had to give the
okay to do anything from the movie, the nineteen thirty
nine movie. So we talked about this when we talked
about in that episode in the book, this the silver
it's silver slippers because that was actually the big currency

(12:00):
for the time. But when they made the movie, because
it was technicol or. They're like, well, we're not going
to do silver, that's boring. Let's get ruby slippers. And
so they owned the ruby slippers. So there's certain things
there in the movie they couldn't use in the play,
but now that they're doing a movie based on the musical,
they were allowed to put some things in. So that's
what's been a bit different. But I was actually really

(12:20):
interested in sort of the journey of this movie, and
a lot of actresses were attached. I mean a lot
of people, Selma Hayak wanted to do, like there was
going to be a TV series of Wicket and it
wasn't going to be musical at all, which I said
that they can do.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
I kind of do too.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
I love that. Yeah, But like Nicole Kidman's been a
part of I mean, there's so many people that have
been a part of this. But in just to break
it down, kind of like The Brass Tacks, it does
get picked up to be a Broadway musical in the
early two thousands, and then they they created the show
basically in San Francisco. It was written before that, but
then you know, with tryouts, they try out a show,

(12:59):
and the thing is that the audience knows, like this
is the thing in motion. Not everything's going to be here.
They're trying things out on Broadway, right, so they always
like they decide, oh, we'll move the song here and
put it there, or we'll take this joke out, we'll
put this in. And so San Francisco really has They
still write about Wicked all the time in San Francisco
because it's so a part of the culture there.

Speaker 4 (13:22):
Yeah, I just want to get back to the book
for a quick second, excuse me, just to give you
an idea of how different the book is from the musical.
If you've never read the book and you love this musical,
so the beginning and if you've seen the film, there
there is some stuff from the book that's incorporated in
the film, and I think it's mainly all the scenes

(13:42):
of Alphabet's early childhood because in the in the musical,
and we also read the script, by the way, we
should say, yes, in the musical, it kind of just
briefly mentions like quick, quick, wick kick, here's her backstory,
and she's green, and here she is. And in the
movie we much more into her early childhood, and that's

(14:03):
kind of more out of the book, but the whole
thing about well, in the book, she's just enrolled as
a student in SHA's University, and that's just like the
first part of the book. And then there's like a
little bit of a time lapse of five years, and
I'm just going to read you the synopsis of what
happens five years after they leave She's University. This is

(14:25):
how different it is from the music. Okay, So five
years later, Alphaba reconnects with former schoolmate Prince Fierro, now
married with three children, and the two be not married
to Glinda, married to somebody else, and the two begin
in elicit affair. So Alphaba and Fierro begin an elicit affair.
He's married with three kids. Alphabe makes an attempt at

(14:48):
assassinating Madame Morrible. Fierro is caught in Alphabe's hideout and
murdered by the Wizard's secret police force and blaming herself
for her his death, Alphabet takes refuge in a convent.
So there's this whole thing where she's hiding out in
a convent. And then years later, years forward from there,

(15:12):
she goes to Fiera. So Fierro lives in that castle
Keyamo Coo, which is in the musical as well, and
she goes to see his family, you know, his three kids,
and to beg their forgiveness because she's caused his death.
And she brings along she has a child with her
that we're to understand is Fierro's child, and then she

(15:37):
stays with his family, but his wife is not having
her apology like I'm a big deal. He's dead and
he cheated on me with you. And while she's staying
in the castle with with Fierro's Fierra, who's dead his family,
that's where she discovers the grimmery Okay in the castle there.

(16:00):
So it's a completely different twist and turn of how
the plan. So the musical as musicals do you know,
like when we talked about when we talked about Oklahoma,
for instance, the Oklahoma the musical has almost an opposite
message and focus of the original source material YEP, which

(16:24):
was definitely about like indigenous people and their rights at
a time when Oklahoma was becoming a state and people
didn't know how they felt about that, whereas in the music,
Whip were like we're going to be a state, you know,
so totally different and this is what happens when we
have when we have adaptations, and then of course we
have further differences when you then take a musical and

(16:46):
bring it to the screen. So again, I've never seen
the musical on stage. I've only seen clips of it
and whenever they've done like the Tony or you know,
funing on late night shows and as they sometimes do.
I've never ever ever seen Wicked on stage. It is

(17:09):
actually I think it's actually playing in San Diego right now.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
It's playing everywhere right now. That's another thing. It's so
popular it's hard to get tickets for it as well,
which is also you know when this when it came out,
it would be like twenty years ago, you know, I was,
I finally had my own apartment that I could afford,
but I could only afford me. I like doing stuff
like going to see a Broadway show was kind of
out of my budget. But also it was just very

(17:34):
very popular. I knew people who worked on it, and
I know people who I have a friend that would
fly in once a year from Atlanta to see it
every year.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
For years or one or those.

Speaker 3 (17:43):
It's one of those like she got so much out
of it, and I can see why now, I mean,
I just think there's so many interesting messages and there's
so many interesting ideas. I mean, I think also in
the play, they the animals are played by human actors
wearing animal kind of makeup, whereas in the movie they
actually do have the animals talking and it's brilliant.

Speaker 4 (18:06):
Oh, it's wonderful. We'll get to that.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yea, yeah, we'll get to that.

Speaker 4 (18:09):
And that's something that's not really in the book, not
really like there's there's a it's sort of it's it's there,
but it's not like a major plot point like it
is in the musical. And I love I love that
they chose that. Yeah, I'm just so so. I wonder
know what you thought of the script.

Speaker 3 (18:31):
The original Broadway script. I found it very easy to read.
I found it very I honestly, I enjoyed it very much.
I thought it was funny. I think I love the
way it just sort of lands with like Glinda showing
up and just doing her thing. I mean, it sort
of drops you in the middle of it. I don't
know how long this musical is. People say it's kind

(18:53):
of long.

Speaker 4 (18:54):
I don't I looked it up. It's like two fifteen
two thirty, which is about the about two and a
half hours, a little shorter than this movie is, okay, right,
I agree. I thought the script was very.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
Funny, very funny.

Speaker 5 (19:11):
And very.

Speaker 4 (19:15):
What's the word I want to look for. Here's the
thing is last week, last week we did August Wilson's
The Piano Lesson, and that script is a work of art.
It is like I was blown away by the writing.
That script is just so gorgeous and multi layered and

(19:39):
all that. This is not that. But you know, when
you when you at least not at first, I should say,
because as you say, like when we when we when
it opens up and it kind of drops us into
this world, you're like, oh, there's Glinda and she's pink
and fluffy and funny, and and then there's there's Alphaba
and she's like dry and caustic and has this this

(20:00):
kind of dry humor and and it's it seems very light.
And then it kind of the layers kind of come
in later on as it as it moves along. So
when I first started reading and I was like, yeah,
it's no Piano lesson, but but I did really and
it is very entertaining and it pulls you in for

(20:21):
that reason and then like I say, and then it
kind of it builds and builds and builds until you
get to the end and now you're like crying and
there's all these themes. So yeah, I mean, I wish
I had something to say about the stage version, but
I just I just.

Speaker 3 (20:34):
We have a couple of clips we can show. We could. Yeah,
let's start with Kristin Chenno with this is her.

Speaker 4 (20:40):
Opening, Okay, so we should say Kristin Chennew with and
Adina Menzel A big reason. I think that the for
the longevity of this of this show, it seems like
from what I from what I have read and seen, well,
we'll see it right now. We'll see you right now.

Speaker 6 (20:58):
It's so great as two eyes.

Speaker 1 (21:03):
Please direct your attention to the blonde girl in the bubble.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
It's good to see me, isn't it. No need to respond.

Speaker 6 (21:21):
That was rhetorical.

Speaker 3 (21:23):
Fellow Tonians, Let.

Speaker 7 (21:26):
Us speak land, let us steak, fateful, let us sweet
choice to find that here to see us.

Speaker 4 (21:34):
Three.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
He's a boy from mos whose.

Speaker 8 (21:39):
Name is he?

Speaker 6 (21:49):
You?

Speaker 2 (21:50):
Thank you?

Speaker 3 (21:57):
Explenda from Wicked Kristin Chanto with everybody. Okay, she's adorable,
she's hilarious, she's hilarious. I read her biography or autobiography
or memoir and she's adopted and she found her father

(22:21):
and her father was a her birth father was a
member of zz Top. That's where she gets her musical
ability because and I forget which member. I'm so sorry.
I'm sure I could look that up quickly. But when
she met him, he started saying, do an a minor,
do it this key, do that key, and she could
do them perfectly, and then he did it. They both
had perfect pitch. And I know she's her pipes and

(22:48):
different kinds. She could do operatics, she could just she
could do a ballad, she could do a brassy show tune.
She also is funny. And the thing with Glinda is
she's she's conceded and she's full of herself, and she's
pretty and she wants everyone to kiss her butt and
call it ice cream and all this stuff, and you
still like her because there's something about her that's just

(23:09):
not mean. She's just kind of this effervescent, self confident
person and it's like, who do you get to do that?
And she's like five feet tall, she's like really tidy,
and it's danny. She's a teeny little doll, which works
like also that works for the character. If she was
six feet tall would be totally different. But she's like
it's just anchors it like right away, like that's how

(23:29):
she shows up in the show. And it immediately you're like, okay,
where are we going now? You take me wherever you
want to go, and it's it's it is spectacular and
it is wonderful and I can see why people they
loved it so much. She's it's but once I actually
I did find it hard to read the script because
there weren't a lot of directions with the script. I
didn't so that I got I found it. Once I

(23:51):
saw the movie and I went back to read it,
I got it much better. That's another thing, like I
just have a hard time picturing what they're talking about
until I see it. And that's yeah, right, thing.

Speaker 4 (24:01):
Like it depends, you know, different different We've read a
lot of a lot of play scripts here at book
versus movie because we do a lot of play to movies,
as we talked about last week, uh, and different writers
handle that differently. Some of them like really paint the picture,
you know, and you really like last week again to

(24:21):
bring his handstes and again we knew exactly what that
that home looked like.

Speaker 9 (24:27):
We knew with the piano and where it was and
at the table and the chairs look like, you know,
all of that stuff. And some of them are a
little more you see, you see, and from what I
saw of different clips of different productions and some of
the you know, they they the different productions kind of
take it in slightly different different directions with the with

(24:49):
the the settings and the and the the way that
they stage, the different numbers and all of that, and
that's fine.

Speaker 4 (24:57):
Yeah, it's kind of cool. It kind of makes it
fun to see the Boston one and then the Chicago one.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah, right right, And it opens with the hat, the
witch's hat, the black hat is on the stage and
then Flinda comes out.

Speaker 4 (25:15):
But it's like.

Speaker 3 (25:15):
It's so this hat is supposed to be kind of
janky and silly looking, and then it's something that like
when they go to the and I try to find
out somebody will probably find this out for me. But
Shiz University. Where did they get the name for Shiz?
How did he come up with that? Because it's not
from the Shizzle, is it? I don't I don't so

(25:38):
excuse me, because that's nineteen ninety five he wrote it
or it was published anyway, So where does this come from?
But at the at when they go to the university
at first, Also in the play, Alphaba has a younger
sister who's in a wheelchair, and she's the one that's
going to the school. Alphaba is raised because her mother
had an affair with another man. And then that's why
Alphaba's green versus her sister, who's not. She's more like

(26:02):
our shade. I guess, I don't know what do you
call it. But her sister's the one that's going to
go to the SiZ University. And but Alphaba, then you know,
they start to see her there, like she meets the
professors there and stuff like that. I forget where I
was going with this, but there's they're just they're just different.
Alphaba is immediately in the movie, she's immediately brought in

(26:24):
to be in the school, whereas in the musical they
take a longer.

Speaker 4 (26:28):
It's a little, right, it takes it takes a minute.
And in the book she's a student from the very beginning, right,
So which I like better?

Speaker 3 (26:36):
I don't think you need to I think that too.

Speaker 4 (26:39):
I thought, why are we spending time with Like, what's this?
There's no reason for that. They could both be students
and the dad could just say I'm making you responsible
for your sister, like that's all they had peas, Yeah,
I agree. I thought like that was not a necessary
not necessary to show her powers. We could have seen

(26:59):
them elsewhere, like in a classroom setting or something like that.
I know that was one of the things that I
was like, yeah, I'm not sure that you know. Two hours?
What's the runtime of this movie? Two hours and forty minutes.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
I have to say though. And I did stop at
one point because I had to watch something else too,
but I the length a not bother me. I was
kind completely absorbed. I didn't check my phone, I didn't
do anything. I was like completely into it. But the
story is that they go to this university and they're
discovering their powers, and Glinda's like very spoiled. She has

(27:31):
her own suite at the you know, her own suite
at the school, and everybody adores her and she like
loves it. And then she and Alphaba then become roommates,
and then they become friends, and then they're going to
combine their powers to you know, whatever they want to do.
But and in the end they're going to Oz and
they meet the Wizard of Oz and then he's much more.

Speaker 4 (27:53):
And like Dorothy, they discover he's a fraud.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
He's a fraud, he's a shysters, he's he's not he's
not who he says he is. And so he and
the the the the person the professor from the school.
What was her name, Michelle Marble, thank you, Michelle Yao
plays her in the movie. Like they're they kind of
combine their talents to bring Alphaba, who they realize is
the one who has the real power, like she's got

(28:17):
they don't even know what to do with it. And
in the play, and and it ends in the first
act here, by the way, this is just the first
act for this movie.

Speaker 4 (28:25):
The movie discovers the first act.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
Yes, yeah, so the second act is coming out in
this following November. But it ends with there they met
the Wizard of Oz. They escaped, and now Alphaba is
going to go off and fly and she's whatever Elphaba's
gonna do, we're gonna find out.

Speaker 4 (28:42):
So the thing is and again this is buried totally.
Now we're completely away from the book. We're not anywhere
near McGuire's book anymore, Alphaba, And it's so wonderful that
then we started at this point in these two young
women's lives where they're trying to figure out who they are.
They have their experiences that they've brought with them, and

(29:04):
you know, when you're in college and you're like your
first time sort of on your own, but not completely
on your own, people are still kind of overlooking everything
you're doing, right, And they've all heard about this wizard,
this wizard all their lives, just like in The Wizard
of Oz, like he will grant your heart's most deepest
desire and Alphaba, up until the point where she meets

(29:25):
the wizard, she thinks that her deepest heart style is
to no longer be green because this has been a
source of such pain for her and bullying and so on.
And then when she meets the wizard and discovers that
he is in fact just an ordinary dude, like acting
big with the big platform and what all, she decides, Oh,

(29:52):
I actually I actually just want.

Speaker 5 (29:54):
To be me.

Speaker 4 (29:57):
I don't think I want to change after all, and
this guy doesn't have the power to change me, and
nobody did, I'm the only one who has the power
to change me. I just want to be myself, and hey,
if I can just accept me for who I am,
she realizes, like I am unlamited, She's she could do anything.
And she's trying to explain this to her friend, who

(30:21):
is also who's very popular. I'm not going to see
that who's very popular.

Speaker 3 (30:25):
You can't get it out of your head right once
you hear that.

Speaker 4 (30:28):
All the songs are so stuck in my head. Yeah,
her friend, who's beautiful and everybody loves her, but she
also knows Glinda really well and knows part of that
is affront and so she's trying to explain to Glinda,
don't you see, like, if we just accept who we
are and love ourselves for who we actually are, there's

(30:49):
nothing we can't do, Like Gina tay, there's nothing we
can't do. And that's where that's where we have intermission,
and then we have that wonderful defying gravity song. So
she now she her Alphaba's eyes have been opened. Glinda's
not so much. She's not quite there, but she also
hasn't had to walk the path that Alphabet has had

(31:12):
to name right, So so she's she doesn't, she's not
quite there yet. And all of this is a flashback,
as you say, like the show opens with the hat
on the stage, after Alphabet has been killed, Alaba has
been murdered. Little girl by means of a little girl

(31:36):
since with a bucket of water.

Speaker 3 (31:38):
And.

Speaker 4 (31:41):
Glinda, the Glinda that we meet at the very very
very beginning, is a different Glinda than we meet, you know,
at his university. So it's also the story of how
she finally comes to realize what her friend had tried
to tell her, but before intermission, and that's where that
that's where the movie ends, and we'll get into the

(32:02):
whole movie in a little bit. But but then then
you come back from intermission, Margo, and there's a whole
other section of the show.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
We have more to the story, which I'll be honest,
I didn't really go into that too much because I
figured the movie ends here, so I'm just gonna leave
it there and I'll wait until it comes out the
second part.

Speaker 4 (32:21):
Continued, Yeah, I could. I thought about that, but I
continued reading just because I was curious to see if
there was more of the original book that kind of
got brought in, not really just sort of thematically, I
would say there's some there's some some themes going on there,
but just to give us the broad strokes, when we

(32:42):
come back, Alphabet is now officially the Wicked Witch. Everybody
is like, she's wicked. Nobody mourns the wicked, and she's
owning it. She's like, yeah. And and Glinda, who again
not quite there yet, not quite as sim ball as
her friend is. She's dabbling a little in the in

(33:05):
the fascism, she's dabbling a little with the with the
Madame Morrible and the Wizard, and she's she's they are.
They are dazzling her with the promise of power basically,
and she she gives into that for a little bit.
Then we've got Neessa Rose, who I think does the

(33:28):
father die, and then met Nessa Rose is now the
governor of munchkin Land. I can't remember, I can't, but
they are they are afraid of Alphaba. They're afraid of
everybody is afraid of Alphabet's power, but for different reasons.

Speaker 7 (33:43):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (33:43):
The Wizard and Madame Morble are afraid because they realize
that she's powerful enough to expose them, and so she turns,
so she creates they create an enemy, and they turn
everybody in this land of Oz against Alphaba and do
everything they can to persuade her to get within their

(34:08):
grasp so they can either turn her to their side
or destroy her. You know, if they're not gonna if
they're not going to be able to use her, they
want to destroy her. And so ultimately Madam Marble, who
we learned specializes in weather, she arranges for a little twister,

(34:29):
just a little twister, just to scoop up a little
house in Kansas and dump it on Alphabe's this with
the Silver Slippers, and then Glinda, and it makes you
watch the Wizard of Oz in a whole new light.
Right you realize, oh, Glinda was in cahoots with the
Wizard and Madam Morble, who's not in the original at all.

(34:52):
But Glinda's in cahoots with this fascist regime to murder
Alphabe's sister and steal the Silver sli by means of
a little girl, a little human girl who's also been
abducted and thrown into this world.

Speaker 3 (35:06):
Right, it's a monster.

Speaker 4 (35:09):
So then then the story, then we know what happens.
Then we're now we're in the world of the Wizard
of Oz and so everyone's pursuing the witch, and eventually
there's the whole thing with Fierro, uh the bucket of water.
And at the very very end, as everyone is like
ding dong, the witch is dead, which is a different

(35:30):
you know, uh they here, it's uh, no one nobody
mourns the wicked Glinda Glinda. You see Glinda in a
whole new light by the end of the show. Yeah.
She she realizes like I made some choices, and she

(35:51):
does right in the end, she she does write by
her friend, I just read this last little bit. Yeah.
She confronts, we're assuming that you know what happens if
you're watching or listening to this, Like again, I can't
why would you be why would you be here if
you didn't know what happens. So I'm not even going
to give you a spoiler alert. Of course we're going

(36:12):
to spoil it. Glinda confronts the wizard with the elixir. Oh,
Glinda finds that elixir? Where does she find it? In
the hot? She finds it with the hot, the hot
on the you know, when the witch melts, there's the
hot and the bottle of elixir. Because she's always keeping
that green bottle of Elixer right, And so Glinda sees
the bottle of green stuff and is like, this belongs

(36:34):
to the Wizard. She recognizes it and she goes back like, hey, dude,
what's up with this green stuff? All the pieces come together.
The Wizard is the man who had the affair or
you know, bewitched Alphaba's mom into an affair, and so
he is Alphaba's biological father, and the Wizard is like, bye, bitch.

(37:04):
He He's like, oh gotta go, you know, just Likelizard.
I was like, Oh, I gotta get time to get
in the hot air balloon. Oh no, no, there's no
room for anybody else. Bye bye. There he goes, and
the the big moment and again I've.

Speaker 3 (37:22):
Never seen this on stage.

Speaker 4 (37:24):
I'm sure it's very fun. And everyone, if you watch
any of the clips, everybody, the audience just goes insane.
Rap door opens in the stage and out pops Alphaba
and I'm sorry. Fierro comes. Fierro shows up and he's like,

(37:44):
Elpaba's dead, and the trap door opens, Elba Ba pops out.
She's like, no, I'm not and the two of them
depart oz together and Glinda, who could easily have said
like they're actually alive. After them she does it, She's like, oh,
isn't it, aren't we lucky? The Wicked Witch is dead?

(38:06):
Ding Jong And that's the end of the show. That's
great that I'm assuming that's what's going to happen in
the in the second movie that's coming up again. Totally different,
totally different than in the book.

Speaker 10 (38:19):
We are.

Speaker 4 (38:20):
We are not anywhere in the realm of the original
book anymore. Also not in the realm of the Wizard
of Oz, right, So completely different work of art on
the same using the same characters. Kind of like a
comedia del arte of the United States, if you will.

(38:42):
So can we talk about the movie now?

Speaker 3 (38:45):
Well, let's I wanted to play a clip just the
of a Dina Yes, because so this is how the
musical ends. And this is from the twenty two thousand
and four excuse me, Tony Awards. And you have to
see in Dina menzel or adel disease. If you're John Travolta,
that's what bless it's hard. It's a tough name. And

(39:06):
he's reading from a que Carter prompter and yeah, but
she's you'll see for yourself.

Speaker 4 (39:12):
Here's here. This you'll see for yourself. And and also
I really I gotta think being a newbie to this
whole scene of Wicked, my takeaway is that the casting
of Christian chen With and Adina Menzel was everything to

(39:33):
the longevity and success of this show. I say, so, well,
let's just watch it. Let's just watch.

Speaker 11 (39:39):
It, and I'll mask them in.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
And nobody in all of us, no wizard that there.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
Is or is Amagavary. I believe that was her husband,

(40:52):
Tay Diggs. I think they were married at the time.
Who's he's And she was in Ruin. We talked about
Rent last year. She was in that as well, this
beautiful woman, like who can help it? Right? Both of them?

Speaker 4 (41:08):
Did they put all this talent in one woman? I
don't get it, I am it's so unfair.

Speaker 3 (41:14):
I'm known by my friends, especially musicals. If you see
me watch a musical in the theater, I will cry
at some point at some point because I'm so overwhelmed
by how talented everybody is, like down to like the
little characters on everybody.

Speaker 4 (41:28):
I get overwhelmed by the dancer who's all the way
in the dark, all the way upstage, and I'm crying
for them. I'm just so happy for.

Speaker 3 (41:35):
Them, so happy. Yes, it's and it's just it's just
I bet this was thrilling. And then they go to
then you have to go out and have a drink
or something, you have to wait fifteen minutes and then
come back and see the rest of the show. It
must have been such a buzz. I bet it was
fun so exciting.

Speaker 4 (41:49):
Everybody always says that that is just the peak of
the show. That number de fine gravity is just the
peak of the show. Some people even are like, why
come back after you know? But you know, it didn't
occur to me until just now, because I'm now I've
seen this number multiple times by multiple performers, and of

(42:10):
course in the movie, and I just well, we'll talk
about that in a minute. But to me, the staging
and the arrangement of that number is very much Oh gosh,

(42:34):
hold on, give me a second.

Speaker 11 (42:36):
What is your name?

Speaker 4 (42:41):
Yeah, I'm gonna find a clip and I'm going to
put it in our Facebook group and tell me if
you do not think that this staging of excuse me
of defying gravity is not borrowing very heavily Fromner and

(43:01):
Brunhilda's battle cry and that in the uh de Valkyrie,
I think is you know the part of the it's
that I'm not even gonna attempt to sing Wagner, sorry y'all,
but where she's got the helmet and the with the
wings and the shield and she's up on this cliff

(43:24):
and she's singing about you know how they're gonna, they're
gonna anyway. I won't get an a lot of the
ring cycle, but the staging is so similar with the Brood,
Like she's got this spear in in Brunhilda does in
the Wagner piece, and that she's she's you know, she's

(43:46):
brandishing almost exactly the same way that Alphabet has the
broom in her number. To really really struck me this time,
especially in the movie.

Speaker 3 (43:58):
Yeah, it's so funny.

Speaker 4 (43:59):
I was much time and that famous that that note
that she sings at the other, that whole thing. There's
there's so many super cuts, by the way on YouTube
of all the different Alphaba's doing that. Do you really
you really want to get it stuck in your head?

Speaker 3 (44:17):
Then maybe think I saw yesterday for f this movie fest.
They did all these movies from ninety eight, and they
had the Big Lebowski and Julianne Moore wearing like that outfit.
Did you ever see The Big Lebowski. Yes, there's that
whole sequence where it's like a Buzzby Berkeley musical because
Jeff Bridges's character is super high the dude and he's
like going through the legs of all those girls like that.

(44:39):
And then there's Julianne Moore and it's like two bowling
balls around her breasts and she's like like that. That's
like that just popped into my head. So anyway, yes, it's.

Speaker 4 (44:50):
Amazing, gorgeous. Yeah, it's just beautiful. It's but you have
to have the skill that you have to have to
these roles. You gotta have some real chops and you
have to be funny.

Speaker 3 (45:07):
And do physical things like stunt work because you're gonna
be like in the wires and you have to do
you have to project your voice. But you also have
to have people like there's gonna be quiet moments and
people need to I mean, there's so much. That's why
like I cry when I'm with when I watch these
shows because I'm so like impressed with everybody, Like it's

(45:27):
it's spectacular.

Speaker 4 (45:29):
I just yeah, I'm very very impressed and I've never
even seen the show on.

Speaker 3 (45:34):
Steve No, I've only seen clips and I read the script.

Speaker 4 (45:37):
But and I've seen some clips.

Speaker 3 (45:39):
Yeah, but I like what I saw, and I enjoyed this.
I enjoyed reading about it. But should we play the
trailer for this movie?

Speaker 4 (45:48):
Okay, let's just talk about this movie. Okay, here we go.

Speaker 12 (45:58):
Fellow Aussie and which of the West is dead?

Speaker 11 (46:15):
Don't?

Speaker 4 (46:16):
Let's not get away.

Speaker 2 (46:19):
Let me tell you the whole story.

Speaker 6 (46:26):
Our past did cross.

Speaker 11 (46:28):
That's cool, unlived.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Well, your greed.

Speaker 10 (46:37):
I am together to work, unlted, she.

Speaker 2 (46:43):
Had her secrets.

Speaker 6 (46:48):
Soon you're a malcom.

Speaker 1 (46:49):
There is no fight we can on, Chesty.

Speaker 6 (47:00):
Why is it you're always causing some sort of commotions.

Speaker 3 (47:03):
I don't cause commotions.

Speaker 5 (47:05):
I am one.

Speaker 3 (47:06):
Some of us are just different.

Speaker 4 (47:10):
Listen to me.

Speaker 11 (47:12):
You can do anything anything.

Speaker 6 (47:24):
I just father out. It's gonna meet you right to me.

Speaker 10 (47:52):
The best way to bring folks together, you said, get
out a real good.

Speaker 6 (48:03):
This wicked witch, don't be all right. It's the wizard
who should be afraid of me.

Speaker 10 (48:12):
The wizard that's there is or is ever go lovy.

Speaker 3 (48:33):
I'm I'm already for Club perfect. I'm already a little
land I'm already a little like I might cry in
the middle of hollness.

Speaker 4 (48:42):
I forgot to mention I should tell how exciting if
you're just a diehard fan of this show, how exciting
is this trailer?

Speaker 3 (48:51):
I forgot to mention. Stephen Schwartz does the music and
the lyrics for this show. You should definitely get a
mention here because these songs are are fantastic. Stick It's
it's John M two is our director. And I'll just
like read off some of the cast.

Speaker 4 (49:04):
You know.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
That's why my glasses on, so I make sure I
get this correct. Cynthia Rivo is Alphaba Wow, I mean
I think and Ariana Grande you and I were just
talking off the air, how talented.

Speaker 4 (49:19):
Lab, what lab developed? These two women? Tell the people
how old? So they are?

Speaker 3 (49:26):
Cynthia is thirty eight and what Ariana's thirty one? They
will ten or fifteen years younger. And but they're amos slaying.

Speaker 4 (49:35):
They're playing college yeah, students, teenagers, and I am totally blying.
I'm all in. I don't doubt it for a moment.

Speaker 3 (49:42):
They have also like in their performance, like their energy
is always there, like they're always kind of like, what's
gonna happen. Let's get like they're so And that's trying
to do that on a film set when you're filming
like ten fourteen hours a day, you know.

Speaker 4 (49:56):
In the complication of all the effects and everything.

Speaker 3 (49:58):
The green screens, the choreography and everything. And I was saying,
like Ariana Grande, like she can do anything. She's so
funny in all kinds of ways. She does physical comedy
like Lucy, like Lucille Ball, but she can also just
do a look on her face and you're cracking up.
I mean, just anyway, I'll keep going. Jonathan Bailey as Fierro,

(50:20):
who's wonderful. I mean, I'm gonna cry. Ethan Slater as
the Bach Woodsman. They call him the Woodsman here, so
that's I'm sorry. They look cute together. I know they're
they're cute. Bowen Yang as fen Fee or Fanny.

Speaker 4 (50:36):
Uh Nanny, and which is a female role.

Speaker 3 (50:39):
Right, they changed it and put Bowen Yang in everything.
By the way, as far as I'm concerning everything, yes,
that's listen.

Speaker 4 (50:46):
You need to hop his face reacting in everything I
ever see.

Speaker 5 (50:49):
I need that.

Speaker 4 (50:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (50:50):
Peter Dinklage as mister Dilliman, who says the voice.

Speaker 4 (50:53):
Oh it's so moving. It's a boys performance, and I'm
just like again, I mean, Scoose fumps the entire and
I remember, people, I am watching this on my phone.

Speaker 3 (51:02):
She's on her phone.

Speaker 4 (51:03):
I'm in the airport, y'all, and I'm.

Speaker 3 (51:07):
Like, it's so good, Like that's gonna happen to you.
Michelle Yao as Madame Morrible, I mean like, come on,
like what do we even talk about Jeff Goldbloom as
the Wizard? I mean, come on, Like that's Marissa Bode
as a Nessa Rose.

Speaker 4 (51:26):
She's wonderful because we know if you know, what's going
to happen with this character, because she's the wicked wist
of Which of the East that's right house klopped on
her right. And then bron we have the whole story
arc that we haven't even seen yet, not really. And
then we have the mister mister Bach the right.

Speaker 3 (51:46):
Where they give him and they have like also Bronwyn
James is Shen Shen, so she and uh Bow and
Yang are like the two like there's sort of like
the audience surrogate, like they're kind of taking things in
and then and but they're they're so funny and it's
a god, where do we even begin. It's just it's
so well done. It's they have a lot of nods

(52:08):
they could, but they got the permission for finally, was
to take some ideas from the nineteen thirty nine film
which Warner Brothers have and this is universal that has
this movie now. So there's a lot of legal stuff
to politics, a lot of politics and making people happy
and making sure everyone gets what they want. And they
do just a brilliant, beautiful job.

Speaker 4 (52:28):
And I think that's really and we again we talked
about this last week with the piano lesson that when
you do an adaptation, ideally you are taking your source
material and you're bringing it to another level that is exploiting,

(52:50):
you know, the medium that you're working in, whether it's
the stage or the screen, and then you know in
a way that is that is yeah, that is kind
of building out from your source material, maintaining if not
increasing the quality of it, you know, and the themes

(53:11):
and all of that. In this case, again, we have
our original book, which I would say the stage play.
Although there's a lot of departure to me because it
can the book. It's fine, it's fine. It's a good book,
it's just not my thing. The stage play really kind
of takes the main themes of the book and packages

(53:33):
them in a way that is amazing for a Broadway musical. Clearly,
now we're going to screen and where do you go
from this stage? But you've got to bring more? Just
what are you bringing in? That's more? And I think

(53:54):
you couldn't have brought it to the screen without a
nod to that, without a nod to nineteen thirty nine
Wizard of Oz, it just would We would have been like,
what are we even doing here? Why am I in
a movie theater watching this? So? So okay, so we're
gonna weave that in, how you know, how there's there's

(54:19):
For instance, we didn't even talk about the Book of
the Wizard of Oz that much in the Book of
the Wizard of Oz, the original book that we talked about, however,
many years ago we did because we've been at this
for over ten years, y'all. Yes, the silver slippers. There's
silver slippers in the original book. Another thing about the
book that is not in the nineteen thirty nine movie

(54:43):
is that the quote unquote, Emerald City, remember is white.
It's actually white.

Speaker 3 (54:50):
Right, and they wear green glasses to see. Yeah, Emerald
right right right.

Speaker 4 (54:53):
The wizard. The wizard proclaims and he and it's not
always green. I think it the points it was different colors.
At this particular point in time, it's being called the
Elmerald City, and everybody is You cannot enter the Emerald
City without wearing these green spectacles, so that everything looks green.
Everyone is wearing the green spectacles, and it's weird looking,

(55:15):
you know, if you look at the illustrations, it's really
strange looking. So they did away with that, which I
totally agree with for the nineteen thirty nine movie because
it's technic color, and why not just make everything green
because that's so much fun. Yeah, it's great, and we
kept that. We kept that whole thing about the green.
And also there's the green, the green, and then the

(55:38):
fact that alpha buta is green, so that is also
very important and significant. She does not put it together
right away, but anyway, you have to have some some
threads from the nineteen thirty nine movie in order for

(55:59):
this to be an elevation or or an evolution, I
should say, from the from the Broadway show. And I
think I just I'm so impressed by what they how
they chose. It's just it's very subtle, and it's not
like here it is, here's your Easter egg. It's it's
very well done in a way that is serving our

(56:21):
narrative of this story and also incorporating some of those
elements from the book that aren't in the musical, Like
we said, some of those scenes of Alphaba's childhood in particular,
and this stuff with her parents.

Speaker 3 (56:36):
I loved that stuff, by the way, the first.

Speaker 4 (56:39):
Little Alphaba, how adorable is that child.

Speaker 3 (56:44):
And that poor thing? And and it's because her mother
had an affair with which turns out to beat the wizard,
But she was, she had a fling, and that's how
she and so the fathers always knows this, of course,
and so treats her like she's not on her takes
it out on her, which is like a to her anger,
which I yeah, girl, I get it, Like you're you're.

Speaker 4 (57:03):
Probably just talk about what a bad father.

Speaker 3 (57:05):
He is terrible.

Speaker 4 (57:07):
He takes out his resentment towards his dead wife on
his child and also spoils his other child absolutely rotten failure.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
Yes, which is why in the play she in the
musical on stage she comes in and she's actually just
escorting her sister and just going to help her get settled.
Then she's supposed to leave, but in the movie they
wisely just had them both enter at the same time.

Speaker 4 (57:36):
Yeah, it's it makes much more sense. Yeah the Dad. Yeah,
it's a movie about bad dads, about bad dads. Poor
Alphabet has two bad dads, and yet she manages to
overcome it. Yay, Alphaba, it's so good. I they really

(58:05):
took their time to make sure that I haven't heard anybody.
I haven't heard any anybody who says that they're a
big fan of the Broadway Show have anything bad to
say about this movie.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
No. And it's also you don't need to see Honest
to god, you don't need to see the show to
enjoy this movie.

Speaker 5 (58:25):
It knew.

Speaker 3 (58:27):
If you think that's going to be a barrier, it's not.
You're going to totally understand what's happening. They totally they'd
make that nice trick of like making it accessible for
people who haven't but it also makes you curious about, well,
what really did happen? And that would I need to
see that?

Speaker 4 (58:40):
Yeah? Yeah, they did a super good job about that.
I felt like if I were, I could totally see
how if I were a super super super fan of
this musical and I've gone and I've seen it on stage,
you know, zillion times, and then travel all over the
country to see it all the different productions, I would
still super enjoy all of the thought and detail that

(59:03):
goes into just the university, let alone Emerald City, Alphaba's
the Governor's mansion of munchkin Land. The costume.

Speaker 3 (59:13):
I think costumes are incredible as Alphaba, those those black
that coat that she has.

Speaker 4 (59:20):
Boots when she's the when the little girl, little Alphaba
in her little boots, I'm dying. Yeah, I can't stand it.
I cannot stand Like when I saw those little boots,
I was a mess. So yeah, just really considered every
frame the composition, like you can. You can pause this

(59:43):
movie anywhere and you have like a perfect cell, a perfect,
perfectly framed composed scene that you're looking at at the
beginning with the effigy that's being burned. You can't have
flames on a Broadway stage, not in that degree.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:00:03):
You can have like a little bit of a little flash,
but not a giant burning effigy three stories high of
one of your main characters. You can't do that, but
you can do it in this movie. And it's spectacular.
It's very impressive. And again it's foreshadowing of what we're
going to see at the very end of this movie.

(01:00:25):
And Glinda, who was present at the effigy burning and
it was also present at the other moment, she's the
only one who gets it. And also the fans super good,
so thoughtful, everything is so far smart, oh the whole

(01:00:47):
and there's a lot of extra stuff. So again a
lot of speculation about why is it so long? It's long?
It is, y'all, it's long, and if you need to
take a break and you're just it's fine, it's fine.
But I do really want to see this on the
big screen. I really do want to go. I have
a friend who already is like, we're going, We're going
to go see this. I there were some choices that

(01:01:16):
when they came up, I was like, oh, you know,
fun Easter like the whole thing with of course, how
can you not have Christian Channa with an Adina Menzel, right, Well, yeah,
of course you're going to have them somewhere. Of course
you have to have them singing. Of course, you have
to have Adina do her groundbreaking original as of course

(01:01:39):
she's going to do that. How are you going to
make that happen? So certain numbers and like this number
with Fierro, Fierro's number where they're in the library, that
amazing library in the musical. It's not like that.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
It's all the book house.

Speaker 4 (01:01:53):
It's the book house. Oh my gosh, it's so amazing,
so cute. But adding all of this ex extra stuff,
it goes right up to the line of being a
little too much, right, It goes right up to that line.
If it had been a little bit more, I would

(01:02:13):
have been a little bit over it. But as they
just pulled back enough that it's like even Jeff Goldbloom, Yeah,
Jeff Goldbloomy gets to be very Jeff gold blooming, very
very all the Jeff gold Bloom tropes. He's just bringing
all of them out. He's having fun, Malcolm, he's the fly,

(01:02:34):
he's and just enough. It's just enough. If it were
a little bit more, I would have been over it.
But it was just enough gold Bloom for me. I
love it. I absolutely love it. It's perfect. It's so
I cannot wait to see part two.

Speaker 3 (01:02:55):
Do you want to play another clip?

Speaker 4 (01:02:57):
Yes, let's see. What do we have next? Number five live,
which doesn't mean anything to y'all.

Speaker 1 (01:03:05):
But what is this feeling so sudden and now at
the moment I laid ass on you, my pulse is rushing,
my head is really well, my face is flushing.

Speaker 2 (01:03:24):
What is this feeling?

Speaker 11 (01:03:26):
Servan? Does it.

Speaker 3 (01:03:38):
Loathing?

Speaker 7 (01:03:39):
An adulterated loathing.

Speaker 2 (01:03:42):
For your face clothing? Let's just say I love it all.

Speaker 7 (01:03:49):
Every little stream, how small, makes my very luss.

Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
Begin to crawl. The blood loathing.

Speaker 7 (01:03:57):
There's a streams larry in such testation. It's of yours
so strong, came on fast, cass and.

Speaker 11 (01:04:15):
Hello, you.

Speaker 3 (01:04:22):
Are to say that I don't think she's a tartar
wheel show.

Speaker 6 (01:04:29):
Look, guys, got Linda.

Speaker 11 (01:04:30):
You're a man. These ns listens.

Speaker 4 (01:04:45):
You know what else? As we're discussing and gushing over
this film, this, this number in particular, was where I
suddenly became very aware of them masterful lighting of this film.
They somehow they've created this whole. It's not like Hogwarts,

(01:05:11):
where everything is candle lit and torch lit. Right, It's
it is a fantasy, you know, it's again, But it
is also like Hogwarts. It's let's face it, it's it's Hogwarts.
But in yeah, but in the of Oz Yeah, it's
like remember in Harry Potter, which I know we're mad
at her, but in Harry Potter the one is it

(01:05:32):
Goblet of It's Goblet of Fire where there's like the
French school with the girls, like remember those and then
the Russians and it's like if there was an American school,
it's university.

Speaker 3 (01:05:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:05:43):
Right, so we built this whole artificial thing, and yet
the lighting is so realistic the way that that I
love that scene because they're in a they're in a
suite that was supposed to be Glinda's you know, private suite,
but the lighting is as if and there are different

(01:06:05):
times of day, so we get the different times. It's
so realistically done. Also, like when they're in the classroom
with professor is it Dilamore? Is that how his name
is pronounced and he he's about to explain to them
about how it used to be with the animals teaching

(01:06:25):
in the university and he dims the lights, he shuts
the shutters, and that whole thing, the scene where the
animals are singing. I love the way that's very different
than it's done on the stage version that Alphaba is
kind of peeking in and there. I love that number.
The light again, the lighting it's in this they're in

(01:06:45):
this private little enclave, the os dust Ballroom, not in
the show at all. I don't think gorgeous, this spectacular
lighting the show again, that part where they get to
Emerald City and it's Anita Minzel and Christian Chennwick and
that whole show with the footlights and everything.

Speaker 3 (01:07:06):
The art direction is incredible at like the steampunk kind
of atmosphere for some of it, especially for the Wizard,
because he doesn't really have magic powers. He's just trying
to make everything look like it's you know, he just
has little tricks and he tries to make them look memory.

Speaker 4 (01:07:21):
And it is like genuinely I can imagine, like I'm
sure when I go and see it on the big screen,
it's gonna be big and huge and scary. It's massive,
It's filling up the whole screen, just like in the
nineteen thirty nine movie. I love. There's just so many details. Again,
you could pause this film at any point. When Alphabet

(01:07:42):
first shows her powers at university and the face of
the clock where it has the wizard on it breaks
off and underneath is the clock filled with animal teachers.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
Yeah. Yeah, the animals I really loved and also we
talked about it, and they bear the bear, the bear,
and also the winged monkeys, which is what comes from
the original book scene where they sprout their wings. I
was so upset.

Speaker 4 (01:08:15):
It's very upset.

Speaker 3 (01:08:16):
It it's upsetting, but it's supposed to be, like you're
supposed to understand, like he's enslaving these animals by putting
them through these physical manifestations that they're not natural and
it's not what they want, you know. They're being like,
we'll let you live, but we won't you talk, but
we'll give you wings so you'll be my spy. Like
it's it's the things that they do to use the
animals for their own nefarious purposes, which is just it's

(01:08:41):
so well done. It's just so it's so griovy. But
they do have a scene and we'll play this next,
which is the song that everybody knows, and it's like
why nobody made a song about this sooner? Just this
topic of being popular should have been a top I mean,
that's a song that should have been you know, But
it's not.

Speaker 4 (01:09:01):
Corking this way. You're right, there's there hasn't been one
not addressing it in quite this way.

Speaker 3 (01:09:05):
Right, it's just very blatant, like I'll gona teach you
how to be popular. It's it's important you need to
know this.

Speaker 2 (01:09:15):
Popular. You're gonna be popular.

Speaker 1 (01:09:19):
I'll teach you the proper boys when you talk to boys.

Speaker 8 (01:09:22):
The ways your boy I'll show you what shoes to wear,
how to fix your hair, everything that really comes to
be popular.

Speaker 2 (01:09:32):
I'll help you be popular. Or you'll hang with her
right cord, you'll be good as sport.

Speaker 1 (01:09:38):
They deciding you've gotten some expert because you've got.

Speaker 11 (01:09:43):
In lovey long.

Speaker 1 (01:09:47):
Don't be offended by my friend analysis the batest personality dollisten.

Speaker 3 (01:09:52):
Now that I'm chosen to.

Speaker 7 (01:09:54):
Be come of plaster Hanna time, there's nobody want not
when it comes to popu.

Speaker 3 (01:10:01):
I know about poppy.

Speaker 1 (01:10:03):
Work and with an assist for me to be who
is that a very who you work well armed is
something that can stop doing wrong, becoming poppy.

Speaker 3 (01:10:14):
Far This was the one.

Speaker 4 (01:10:22):
Okay, it's super good. They did it as well as
they could possibly do it. I still like Christian Chenna
with better yea's the thing in this number. I just
mean this number.

Speaker 8 (01:10:34):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:10:36):
I think she's so funny. She's very chirpy, very chirpy, yes,
in a way that that I think she's just good
at doing that chirpiness. She's she's very good at it.
And when I saw when I've seen the different clips
of Christian Chenna with doing this numbers, it cracks me

(01:10:58):
up every single time. And this is this close still
kind of like Christian Jedda is a little better, I
have to say. And I've never seen the show on stage.

Speaker 3 (01:11:09):
But but you've seen that, We've seen that performance of
that song like many many times. But it yeah, it's
it's it's it's so like everybody wants to be accepted.
No one wants to be an outcast, no one. I
mean it's it's something like anybody can understand like and
also wanting to help someone who feels that way. It's
it's yeah, it's it's very universal. I just I love

(01:11:31):
this movie. I especially at the very end, and we'll
play the clip at the end, but when she manifests
into this point where she gets this broom. By the
time she gets that broom and she's now got the power.
It's the the art, direction, the special effects, the CGI,
everything is so well done that it's just so gorgeous.

Speaker 8 (01:11:54):
I just I can't recommend enough. It's just beautiful. I
really buy the development of their friendship. They really have
amazing chemistry. Their voices sound so beautiful together.

Speaker 4 (01:12:12):
That's another thing about you know, because again Chenawthan and Menzel,
those two voices together so beautiful, and of course we
get to enjoy that in this movie, which is again goosebumps,
and that first I forget exactly the first time where
we hear their two voices harmonizing with each other in

(01:12:37):
this movie, Alphaba and Glinda. It is just magical. There
are two voices and they're speaking voices as well, are
so interesting together in these scenes. I love it.

Speaker 3 (01:12:52):
They If either one of them tonight is the Oscars
for twenty twenty five, the day that we're recording us,
if either one of them wins, I'll be thrown because yeah,
they're that good.

Speaker 4 (01:13:04):
Seriously, and this is only part one.

Speaker 3 (01:13:06):
This is just part one.

Speaker 4 (01:13:07):
It's only part one.

Speaker 3 (01:13:09):
Yeah, I mean, if they leave you like and honestly,
I was like, oh well I could keep going. Let's
just keep the movie going. I was kind of like still, like, okay,
it could be four hours.

Speaker 4 (01:13:19):
I mean I had taken a break in between because
I had to get on the plane.

Speaker 3 (01:13:22):
Yeah, but.

Speaker 4 (01:13:24):
Yeah, I was ready for like, let's go. I want
to know where are we going with this? Even though
I know where we're going with this? Yeah, I just
I'm gonna see this in theater when it comes out though,
Oh for sure, Yeah, absolutely absolutely cannot wait. So many
there's so many just don't watch this on your phone.

(01:13:47):
Please don't watch not for your first time anyway that
you won't enjoy it. You will that oh, now that
you mentioned. So what I did was and I'll tell
you why I bought. I bought the film on YouTube
because I wanted to read the comments. I wanted to read.

(01:14:10):
I wanted to read what people had to say about
the movie because obviously the super fans are going to
be are going to be I thought, if they're gonna
be outforce, they're gonna be un force. On the comments
on the YouTube, on the YouTube version, and they were
so touching, so many people. Somebody said, my dad just died,

(01:14:35):
and this movie is what's getting my mom and my
and my mom and me through this week, you know,
all kinds of people like I was bullied so many
comments that like people just like opening up their hearts
because they love and relate to this movie so much. Yeah,

(01:15:00):
I recommend go go check out the comments on the YouTube.

Speaker 3 (01:15:03):
I will actually when we're done with this.

Speaker 4 (01:15:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:15:05):
Also, it's it's Alphabe who's the outsider. But also the animals,
which is why she's so attached to them, which is
now I get why the Wicked when she becomes the
Wicked Witch of the West, why she has the monkeys
with her because she feels responsible for them. I'm sure
she's I mean, it's the goat. I just love that.
I mean everything, it's they're rare. I mean, I believe

(01:15:26):
well they did the animals really well done. The lion
that's in the cage, the little cub lion broke my
heart when I saw. Seriously, I'm a cat lady, so
it's that was rough. But it's just it's incredibly well done.
It's whatever you've been hearing about it, just watch it.

(01:15:48):
It's it's spectacular.

Speaker 4 (01:15:52):
I didn't even know what else to say.

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):
It's just well, book versus movie? What book versus movie?

Speaker 4 (01:16:00):
Well?

Speaker 3 (01:16:03):
Use me, I'm having the same tickle if we are.

Speaker 4 (01:16:08):
If we're talking about the Broadway show, it's not fair
because I haven't seen it. I've only read the script
and seen clips, which are excellent as we've seen. If
we're talking about the book, the original book Wicked versus
the movie movie, of course, of course movie. I just
think it's I love the way that they the movie

(01:16:33):
versus the original. I'm just talk about the movie versus
the original book. The movie and the show are so
much more about the relationship between these two women and
how through the choices they make Glinda the quote unquote
popular one who ends up basically becoming a puppet of

(01:16:59):
the regime of Madame Morrible and the Wizard, both of
She also, just like Alphabet, she ends up just as
alone as Alphaba does. She's literally in a bubble right right.
By the time, yeah, by the time we get to

(01:17:20):
the end of this, the end of the next part,
you will see like who, Okay, you made your choices,
and in both choices kind of ended up to you,
to you going solo, But which one came out on top?
Which one is the happier person we know? And of
course the whole thing just makes you watch The Wizard

(01:17:41):
of Oz and a Completely New Life, which is always
super fun.

Speaker 3 (01:17:45):
Yeah, yeah, I feel the same way.

Speaker 4 (01:17:49):
Yeah, there's bubble with gorgeous.

Speaker 3 (01:17:50):
Also, by the way, it's the art direction of the
costumes that the effects are incredible. It's just the performances,
the choreography, he's great. The stunt work is interesting. It's all.
It's just an A plus, like a plus whatever they spent,
it was well money, well spent.

Speaker 4 (01:18:10):
The selection and I know they have, but they had
to put a ton of thought into this. They had
the exact right color pink and the exact right color green,
and the use of the pink and the green throughout
this thing.

Speaker 5 (01:18:27):
No notes, just which is very funny. It's very preppy
pink and green, isn't it. Yeah yeah, yeah, it's great.
It's just wonderful.

Speaker 4 (01:18:38):
I just see this plant wait on the largest Yes. So,
so if we're going to talk about the original book,
if we're pitting the movie against the original book, no question,
no questions. Down, Absolutely the movie. I am not a

(01:18:59):
fair judge of what we're talking about the musical or not.
Never seen it, never seen it. So I'm not even
gonna begin to step into that debate.

Speaker 3 (01:19:07):
But just.

Speaker 4 (01:19:10):
I know again, if you're listening or watching, you've seen this,
you've probably seen the movie already. You've probably seen it
several times already. You just want to hear somebody else
talk about it. And I get that. That's why I
wanted to read all the comments and the reddits and
all of that. Yeah, let's let's just keep We'll just
keep talking about it.

Speaker 3 (01:19:28):
I never want to stop. It's wonderful.

Speaker 4 (01:19:33):
So let's talk about what we're doing next.

Speaker 3 (01:19:37):
Something we've wanted to do is started doing musicals in
March a few years ago. It's a very popular run
of shows for us, and one of them we talked
about originally and we just it wasn't available in print.
But now it is is Gypsy. So we're gonna cover Gypsy,
and I guess we'll do the Natalie Wood version. I

(01:19:58):
mean there's a there's also a bet. I've seen Gipsy
many times. By the way, it's my favorite.

Speaker 4 (01:20:04):
If you're new. We love us some Roslin Russell, We
sure do. I people, okay, we'll talk about it, but
people want to poop on Roslin Russell in this film
because of ethel Mermont, who talk about goosebumps. Have you
ever seen ethel Mermon sing Everything's coming up roses in Airplane,

(01:20:29):
which which she would do with at the drop of
a hat. Yeah, Airplane, that's right. But she's Oh, I
mean I've only seen again, just like with this Wicked,
I've only seen the little snippets of performances of her
singing that role. It's pretty it's pretty moving.

Speaker 3 (01:20:50):
Audrey McDonald is starring in the version right now that's on. Oh,
and it's like sold out beyond like it's yeah, it's
the toast of the town to look for that.

Speaker 4 (01:21:00):
You didn't know that.

Speaker 3 (01:21:02):
Yeah, she was sick for like a week or two
with COVID and it was like a big deal because
people are flying in to see her in this role. Yeah,
which it's Yeah, I would. It's a great good Yeah,
absolutely if I could. Yeah, it's a it's a fantastic story.
And I love Natalie Wood too. I think she's and wurgeous.

Speaker 4 (01:21:22):
Yeah, get it's Gypsy Rosalie. Well, we'll get into it
next week, but you will not be sorry to own
that book. Just get that book. Yeah, so that's what's
coming up next you. I just want to say, if
you enjoyed Auntie Mame. If you're like a fan of
Antie Mame, you just get Gypsy Rosie's books. Just get it.

(01:21:46):
You will love it. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:21:48):
So we're always looking for suggestions for you know, the
book and the movie. So all those places I mentioned
at the top of the show, reach out to us
on social media. Our email once again is book versus
Movie podcas asked at gmail dot com. If you'd like
some stickers, send us your address, will drop them in
the mail for you and Margo. Where can I find you?

Speaker 4 (01:22:07):
You can find me online at coloniabook dot com and
all my social media call outs are at Cheese not
your Mama. Anywhere can they find you?

Speaker 3 (01:22:14):
You can find me at Brooklynfitchick dot com. I'm at
Brooklynfitchick for threads and Instagram, and I'm at Brooklyn Margo
for TikTok and Blue Sky and also book for some
movies on Blue Sky as well. And my YouTube is
at my name Margot Donahue. So I have some of
these clips there if they take them out of the show,
at least I have some of those clips on their
own in my feed.

Speaker 4 (01:22:35):
Yeah, who does that? You know?

Speaker 3 (01:22:37):
Sometimes?

Speaker 4 (01:22:38):
Apologies? Yeah, it's very watching on YouTube. I'm sure. Yeah,
it's gonna all get cut out. They do it. They
automatically take it out. We don't. Yeah, sorry about that, Yeah,
because you are missing out.

Speaker 3 (01:22:54):
Yeah all right, well everyone, thank you so much for
listening to the show, for watching the show if on
your YouTube's right now. We'll be back soon with Gypsy.
In the meantime, I'm going to be popular.

Speaker 6 (01:23:11):
Come with me.

Speaker 4 (01:23:13):
Think of what we could do together, unlmated.

Speaker 7 (01:23:23):
Together, where unlmated together will be the greatest team there
has ever been.

Speaker 6 (01:23:33):
God h dreams the way we planned.

Speaker 2 (01:23:38):
If we were in Tondo, there's no fight we can unwin.
Justy Grady will land.

Speaker 11 (01:23:56):
Again.

Speaker 10 (01:23:58):
Grady, We love bringing us down.

Speaker 3 (01:24:06):
Thank you so much for listening to the Book Versus
Movie podcast. We're a part of the Speaker podcast network.
Go to spreaker dot com to check out all of
the shows they offer. We asked that you make sure
to subscribe to our podcast Book vs. Movie in your
podcast app, so that way you'll never miss an episode.
If you want to interact with the Margos, the best

(01:24:27):
place to do that is in our private Facebook group.
Go to Facebook and type in Book vs. Movie Podcast
group and ask to join. On social media, you can
find us on Instagram and threads. You spell out book
versus and movie. Our email is book Versus MOVI

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