‘Wicked’ Review: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Give Iconic Turns in the Year’s Must-See Musical

variety.com:

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In “The Wizard of Oz,” there can be no doubt which witch is the worst witch: That would be the one with the army of flying monkeys, who melts upon contact with water.

But in “Wicked,” the green-skinned spell-caster turns out to be far more sympathetic than Glinda, her ostensibly “good,” oppressively pink rival.

Loosely adapted from the Gregory Maguire novel of the same name, “Wicked” flips the script on one of the most beloved films of all time, offering a timeless critique of division, fascism and fear of the other that’s especially poignant in the wake of the presidential election.

When “Wicked” debuted on Broadway in 2003, Variety’s skeptical theater critic described composer Stephen Schwartz’s revisionist take on the iconic villain as “strenuous,” “lumbering” and “overstuffed.” Such withering put-downs may have felt justified in contrast with the more intimate musicals that had come before, but failed to recognize the level of ambition that could fuel such a pop-culture phenomenon, and later support a visionary big-screen upgrade every bit as rich — and Technicolor extravagant — as Dorothy’s 1939 pilgrimage over the rainbow.