let's talk about the WICKED trailer... | reaction and analysis by a theatre critic

I hope we see more of the relationship development of fyero and Elphaba. The musical really rushes their romance so I’m excited to see it expanded.

Glinda is not wearing yellow on defying gravity which makes me thing she will wear all pink on part 1 and blue on part 2

Yes, the shoes were changed from silver to ruby for the MGM film. Not simply because the red popped more, but also because color film was a brand new technology and they wanted to show it off. Silver wouldn't be exciting to anyone in the audience because they'd been seeing silver in literally every film ever, this is where the term 'silver screen' comes from. They wanted to show off the fancy new, and probably expensive, technology they were using on this movie. Ruby slippers not only pop more, but they are about as far away from black and white film as you can get.

RE: your questions about Wicked Part 2 elements in this trailer: I work in movie marketing, and can tell you that early trailers are often, by necessity, simply a pastiche of what's ready to be shown, what VFX scenes are at least partially baked, so that's what they choose to show, more than it being a strategic decision.

Stephen Schwartz also confirmed recently there will be 2 new songs in the second film. No new songs in the first.

I love that you pointed out that Dorothy is wearing the correct color of socks! Even official MGM merch often shows her in white socks, but they were blue to make the Ruby Slippers pop! They do the same with the Silver Shoes, too, as they might have looked too washed out with white socks.

The shot of the girls grabbing hands is right before they meet the Wizard, because they're nervous and comforting eachother.

Your silence on the riff at the end is…deliberate? Coz there’s no way you missed it with your razor sharp detail to each frame 😂

I feel like Defying Gravity will be a mix between song/action...rather then hearing the song from beginning to end, there will be an action sequence with the guards are chasing her and dialogue with Galinda. This would make sense if it's the end of Part 1. Make-up wise, they are keep Cynthia's brighter and rounder features when she's younger and darker contour face when she's older (as seen in the image released in Vanity Fair). I've seen some comments critiquing how she looks in the green but it needs to be reminded they are students at Shiz and they are meant to look older in the second Act.

As someone who saw the behind the scenes footage from CinemaCon I can confirm Johnathan Bailey’s Fiyero DOES have a British accent.

I really think the first hat shot is from after Elphaba has melted, because of the damp ground and smoke and Chistery then crashing out the window and flying off. I also have a feeling this maybe a trailer for both films, because it doesn’t specify this is for part 1, and that they did this primarily for the Super Bowl ad. A lot of the familiar images of the Wizard of Oz in Wicked come from the second act. I think they were wanting to set the stage for a lot of different people, people who know wicked, people who don’t, people who are interested, people who don’t care, they are trying to cater to all of them, trying to draw them in with familiar images from the Wizard of Oz, and not frighten them off with saying this is just part 1

I punched the air when I saw Michelle Yeoh in this trailer! As soon as her casting was announced I wanted her Morrible to be more severe like in the novel.

it's interesting that Elphaba shows up to school in black... I know we see her in school uniform later for few moments, but having her in normal colors I think would make more sense so the black is her transformation later on

Amazing dissection - I was waiting for this video all day. One thought about the sequence with Ariana in the bridal dress. Before popular she says something like "Fiyero and I are going to be married" and the way its been done on stage before is Glinda normally gets uber-excited to the degree where its quite funny and then she reveals that Fiyero doesn't know this so could it maybe be a little dream sequence to show what Glinda's wedding would look like only for it then to have the bubble burst because we get told it hasn't been told yet.

About the splitting of the movie into two, I think there is a really strong potential in Wicked to do things in 2 parts, unlike many other 2-part films. I just remarked to a friend today that in the musical, Act 1 is focused on the question of "How Elphaba became the Wicked Witch" while Act 2 is more "Why does Elphaba do these things to Dorothy". I like how there is strong potential to make them feel like a movie and a sequel rather than 2 parts of the same story. That could be why we see things that should be in Act 2 in the teaser/in the first movie, they could easily frame the first act as a satisfying story that gives us the backstory of how Elphaba started as the Wicked Witch, and give the audience flash-forwards/acknowledgements of the future to help the audience tie the story to the Wizard of Oz, for anyone who has not seen Wicked. Or, yes, it could be that the effects are done on these shots while others are not complete yet

Iconic behaviour by you at the after party

I love how The Silver Slippers still has some rubies scattered around it.

We still haven’t see anything about Dr dilamond 😱

I need universal studios to do a wicked land. Like a ride flying with elphaba. And a whole theme land with esmerad city And munchiking land

Great interpretation. I do like Cynthia’s delivery of, “It’s the Wizard who should be afraid of me.” She doesn’t put the traditional pause before, “of me.” I think it makes her stronger and doesn’t force the moment-just a statement of fact