After more than two decades, the “thrillifying” hit Wicked is the fourth longest-running Broadway show, and now, it has won over a dozen box office records as the newly adapted movie musical sensation.
Professional Broadway actor Michael Thatcher is currently an ensemble member and understudy in the New York City stage production of Wicked, a role that he has been working toward for almost his entire life.
“When I was 10… I just was absolutely bit by the theater bug… and then once I was in high school, I did as many shows as I could and… that just solidified it for me that I was going to end up being an actor one day,” Thatcher said.
Thatcher auditioned for Wicked in May of 2022, a long process that culminated in a tape sent to Stephen Schwartz, the writer of the play. Now, on the average night, he plays six different background roles, Dr. Dillamond, or the Wizard of Oz, in front of an audience of almost 2,000 people.
“I love the collaboration of theater in particular more than… TV film,” Thatcher said. “I feel like it’s all about collaboration. It’s about the ensemble, and in the rehearsal process, it’s a whole group of people building this art form together… I like being on stage with other actors, looking them in the eye, giving them something. They give it back. I react off of that. That’s what I thrive off of.”
Despite preferring entertainment on stage over entertainment on screen, even Thatcher was spellbound by the movie adaptation of his nightly performance.
“The movie of Wicked is fantastic. I got to see it a couple weeks ago. We were invited to a special screening with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jon Chu the director, Kristin Chenoweth was there… and then the current Broadway company,” Thatcher said. “We got to see it, and it was so good… audiences are gonna love it… It’s exactly what people wanted it to be.”
Several hundred miles south of Thatcher, junior Kay Lowe is a part of the far more local community of Wando Theatre. She sees her personal slice of Broadway a
s simply a small subsection of the overlying connection of the theater arts.
“Musical theater is always about community, whether you were coming from a musical movie that you’ve seen, or from a local play or musical or… listening to a Broadway recording,” Lowe said. “It’s about bringing people together, about being a community,”
Lowe saw Wicked on stage for her 13th birthday, an experience that gave her valuable insight into the new movie adaptation.
“Understand that this isn’t the original,” Lowe said. “You don’t have to see the original, but you have to understand that there is an original and that this is because… there’s such a big community around… [Wicked], and around musical theater and musical theater movies, that’s why it became what it is now into a movie.”
This spectacular community surrounding the stage show began in the early 2000s when the already well-known Idina Menzel showed up to an audition in green makeup. Menzel played the lead role of the wicked witch, Elphaba, at 32 years old, opposite of her co-star Kristin Chenoweth, 35, playing the good witch, Glinda.
The two Broadway legends ushered in Wicked’s phenomenal success, and now, they are passing the baton to two new stars on the big screen: Cynthia Erivo, 37, and Ariana Grande, 31.
Sophomore Bailey Sisk is another student fan of Wicked, and after seeing the show on Broadway, she is very excited for the new adaptation, as well as its stars.
“I think [Grande] was a good choice… I think she… has that bubbly personality, which is definitely… a great representation of Glinda,” Sisk said. “[Erivo] is, like, my favorite. She’s definitely a perfect choice for Elphaba. I think she definitely has that vocal range and the perfect voice.”
Along with a 90 percent Rotten Tomatoes score is an impressive list of records including the Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for a Movie Based on a Broadway Show, Biggest Domestic Opening for a Pop Star, and Biggest Global Opening for a non-sequel film in 2024.
Even before all these records, Wicked’s audience has been increasingly enticed ever since the trailer came out in mid-May.
“Wicked is… more known, I feel like, especially with it coming from… Wizard of Oz, and then being written into a book, and then the book getting turned into the musical, and then now being turned into a movie. And I feel like it’s been taken such care of,” Lowe said.
The primary criticism of the new movie has been the choice to split it into two separate films, set before and after the stage show’s intermission.
“[I am] kind of doubtful about that, because they’re making us wait a whole year for the second half… which is kind of disappointing,” Sisk said.
However, Thatcher, who had already seen the movie, found this issue to be easily understood.
“What audiences will get to see with the movie is a much deeper dive into the wonderful friendship that Glinda and Elphaba establish with each other. So it really goes into deeper depth with how much they truly love each other as best friends,” Thatcher said.
With an influx of fans seeing it in movie theaters, Wicked has the opportunity to reach even more people and gain even more superlatives, rightfully complimenting its place in theater history with its new foothold in cinema.
“At the heart of [Wicked], it’s a story of friendship and how true friendship can overcome all obstacles,” Thatcher said. “This powerful musical about female friendship is enduring and everlasting, and I think that’s what… makes it so… impactful for audiences.”