Review of Wicked

An instant classic!  
Having had an opportunity to follow the rise of the Broadway musical Wicked and then finally see it live when it came out here to Indianapolis, I was interested in seeing this take on the origin story of Elphaba and the development of her powers in the merry old land of Oz.
First off, this casting is inspired, with Cynthia Erivo taking the lead spot. If you haven't seen her in the underrated Bad Times at the El Royal, you might take a moment to find it at your local library. It's full of some fun twists and turns and an amazing soundtrack. Her exceptional voice is a character in and of itself in this first installment and she's taken the torch of all the previous witches with her particular "verdigris" and flown with it.
Then there's "Guh-linda" as portrayed by Ariana Grande in all of her pink finetudes ("witch" seems like an Ozian word, so take THAT Grammarly!). Grande's performance rises to the level of Erivo's and when they perform together, it's magic from here to Munchkinland. In this format, on the big screen, we can see so many additional layers of Oz and the set pieces of "What is this Feeling?," "Popular," and "Dancing Through Life." Then we jump on an outrageously whimsical train to the Emerald City and the multi-layered "One Short Day" wherein we catch a glimpse of two residents who are dear to Wicked history. Easily one of my favorite segments of the movie.
Wicked far exceeded every expectation I had and the expectations were, as they say, defying gravity!
Outstanding visuals matched by exceptional performances. Our family will certainly be counting down the days until part two!