defy gravity💚
Will you stay true or give in to the call of the Wicked?
It's no news that Wicked (not the Broadway show) has been one of the most successful movies of the past year. Something indeed changed within me after watching the movie in early January and I'm still holding space with every part of it.
Where are my manners? With my knees on the floor, I say Lamogun, dearest reader. I hope you've had a wonderful week. Me? Not so much but I'm not here to rain on your parade today.
If you are not a fan of musicals, I'm not sorry. You're missing out on a genre of art that's true and pure. I am a huge fan of musicals. I love music. Then there's the whole grandeur of costumes, dancing, acting and singing to tell a story?! That's one of the few ways to win my heart!
From being inundated with as many Barbie movies as I could get my hands on as a kid to the Disney classics, especially Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, musicals have always had a place in my heart.
Last year, Wicked reminded me of those times I used to sing my heart out to these musicals. The feeling has become stronger as I've grown much older and wiser. With Wicked, every lyric had a meaning. Every scene was immaculate. A story about friendship, marginalisation, bigotry, identity and staying true despite all the odds.
Prior to the movie’s digital release, I had already seen memes, clips and opinions about it all over IG and one thing was certain to me. The cast and crew truly outdid themselves. Everyone who played a lead role earned it and their performance was a testament to their hard work. There couldn't have been a better cast for the movie!
Elphaba played by the outstanding and talented Cynthia Erivo had me seated with every of her performance. My favourite scene was when she and Glinda were in some basement or storage room and Elphaba had realised the truth about the Wizard. Everything that happened up to that very moment made so much sense and contributed to the rush of emotions the scene evokes with the closing song, ‘Defying Gravity’.
"You can still be with the Wizard. What you've worked and waited for. You can have all you ever wanted"
"I know."
"But I don't want it. No. I can't want it anymore"
This very dialogue in song made me think so much about how self-aware and convicted Elphaba was. Even when she could have had it all, even when she had been castigated and was tagged with a demeaning sobriquet, ‘The Wicked Witch’, she still stayed true! I'm honestly looking forward to the twists and concluding parts of the story in ‘Wicked: For Good’ which will be in theatres November 21.
When the die is cast and you're burdened with compromising your values and the core of who you are at the expense of getting the pleasures of life, will you stay true or will you second-guess and give in to the call of the Wicked?
I leave this for you to ponder on, my friends💚
Also, what is your favourite musical and why? Think it through because there are wrong answers 🙂↕️
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