What you should know before watching Wicked

So that you’re going to look at Depraved, the large film musical primarily based on the second highest-grossing Broadway musical of all time, primarily based on Gregory Maguire’s 2000 novel Depraved, primarily based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Fantastic Wizard of Oz. (And solely partly influenced by the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which, not like Baum’s books, isn’t within the public area.) That’s a reasonably sophisticated lineage for something hitting the display, and you will have some questions. Or possibly you suppose you don’t have questions, since you don’t fairly notice what you’re moving into right here — and also you aren’t alone, primarily based on a number of the responses individuals have had after watching the film. We may help.

How lengthy is Depraved, and does it have a post-credits scene?

Let’s get that out of the best way first: It’s two hours and 40 minutes lengthy. And nope, there’s no post-credits scene, mid-credits scene, dancing animated characters in the course of the credit — nothing enjoyable like that. As soon as the large halftime quantity performs, you’re free to go ponder the cliffhanger you simply skilled.

Wait, what do you imply, ‘halftime quantity’?

You don’t turn out to be the second highest-grossing Broadway musical in historical past with out showstopping song-and-dance routines. Depraved is stuffed with song-and-dance numbers penned by legendary Broadway lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz. Arguably, it isn’t a lot of a film with out the musical numbers, which convey many of the essential info and the entire essential feelings, and supply all of the spectacle.

However film studios don’t like to promote film musicals to the plenty. Working example: Once I noticed the 2024 Imply Ladies film, some attendees in my theater had been vocally stunned and irritated to be taught it was a musical, as a result of the trailers largely disguised the truth that it centered on singing and dancing. The identical factor occurred with 2023’s The Coloration Purple and Wonka — it’s turn out to be fairly customary for movie-musical advertising to cover the truth that the film has music. Most of Depraved’s trailers adopted go well with, disguising the truth that it was a musical proper up till a month earlier than launch.

Why are so many musical motion pictures being made if entrepreneurs don’t suppose film musicals are in style or stylish?

Needless to say the entrepreneurs aren’t the identical people who find themselves greenlighting or making these motion pictures — they’re simply coming alongside afterward and determining promote what another person made. However that stated, my finest guess is that studios stay endlessly beholden to identified, acquainted, and in style IP — and a present that’s made greater than $1.6 billion on Broadway is seen as having a built-in viewers. However anyway. All that explains “quantity,” however we haven’t gotten to “halftime” or “cliffhanger” but.

Is Depraved an entire film?

Nope! It’s the primary half of the Broadway present — the primary of two acts. The title within the preliminary promoting was Depraved. The on-screen title is Depraved — Half 1. In advertising, although, it’s now being billed as Depraved: Half I. Perhaps that is solely complicated to fact-checkers and copy-editors, however let me let you know, we don’t find it irresistible. Anyway, the film ends proper on the act break, with the track “Defying Gravity,” simply when issues are actually getting critical.

When does Depraved: Half II come out?

Nov. 21, 2025 — principally a 12 months from Depraved: Half I’s authentic launch. The official title was initially Depraved Half 2: For Good, however judging from present advertising supplies, it appears to be like like now it’s simply Depraved: Half II.

Ready till individuals are within the theater to spring the “Half I” title on them — doesn’t that really feel like one other deliberate fakeout?

So Half I is 160 minutes lengthy… How lengthy is Depraved the Broadway present?

It’s 165 minutes, together with each acts and a 15-minute intermission. Loopy, proper?

What’s padding these motion pictures out in order that they’re twice so long as the Broadway present?

Depraved: Half I is longer as a result of much more non-musical narrative scenes have been added, drawing from the Gregory Maguire e book the Broadway musical tailored. For one factor, “Defying Gravity” itself feels weirdly hyper-extended, as a result of motion scenes and dialogue that interrupt the track between verses. The film additionally spends extra time with its eventual depraved witch, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), in childhood, and extra time on scenes of her rivalry and friendship with classmate and roommate Galinda (Ariana Grande).

Depraved: Half II can be longer as a result of it’s going to add two new songs written by Schwartz, in keeping with the composer himself. Given the second act’s massive time-jumps via Elphaba’s profession as a witch, which the stage musical skips previous, it additionally wouldn’t be shocking if Half II follows Half I’s lead and fills in a number of the gaps with extra character work.

Lastly, it’s doable Half II will reprise a few of Half I’s songs (at the very least, greater than the unique Broadway musical already does) to increase its size and/or let it commerce a little bit extra closely on the enduring moments and songs from Act I of the present. That appears comparatively unlikely, since director John M. Chu considers himself a giant fan of the Broadway musical — however it might be a crucial practicality for 2 halves of a narrative being informed a 12 months aside.

Is the Depraved e book good? Ought to I learn it?

Maguire has made a complete profession out of retelling fairy tales as sophisticated literary novels, however he all the time comes again to the Depraved sequence, which isn’t simply Elphaba’s story: Later novels within the sequence middle on Elphaba’s son and granddaughter, with one aspect e book, A Lion Amongst Males, spending extra time with the Cowardly Lion. They’re effectively price studying when you take pleasure in dense, considerate literary fantasy — the primary e book within the sequence, totally titled as Depraved: The Life and Instances of the Depraved Witch of the West, is a very wealthy character examine that’s much more narratively sophisticated than the stage musical or the film.

What about Depraved’s authentic Broadway stars? Are Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in Depraved the film?

You’re certain you wish to know? That is the place we cross the road into “Some individuals wish to know getting in, and a few don’t.”

Yep, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth have a cute musical cameo in the midst of “One Quick Day,” when Elphaba and Galinda (by that time within the story, simply “Glinda”) are speed-touring the Emerald Metropolis, and cease to look at a stage present referred to as Wizomania, which presents some exposition in regards to the Wizard of Ozand the magical e book the Grimmerie, which is of course about to turn out to be essential. Menzel and Chenoweth come out on stage collectively in elaborate robes to sing in regards to the metropolis’s historical past — and elbow one another a bit in mock diva rivalry as they attempt to upstage one another.

Ariana Grande is a big star, however the place do I do know Cynthia Erivo from?

Isn’t she spectacular? You may see her starring within the 2019 Harriet Tubman film Harriet — and principally not singing, although she did write and carry out the soundtrack track “Stand Up,” which earned her an Oscar nomination.

She additionally starred in HBO’s Stephen King miniseries The Outsider as Holly Gibney, the neurodivergent sleuth who’s turn out to be one in every of King’s favourite returning characters over the previous twenty years. She sings because the Blue Fairy in Disney’s little-loved live-action Pinocchio, and stars as Aretha Franklin in season 3 of Genius, the anthology present the place every season profiles a unique creator.

However for our cash, one of the best place to see her on movie if Depraved gave you the Cynthia Erivo itch is in Dangerous Instances on the El Royale, the 2018 neo-noir directed by The Cabin within the Woods’ Drew Goddard. She does all of it in Dangerous Instances: sings, stars, sweats it out in a tense scenario, and hangs out with a shirtless Chris Hemsworth. If Depraved’s cliffhanger leaves you a little bit unhappy and also you don’t wish to simply go see the Broadway present or learn Maguire’s e book, Dangerous Instances is your finest subsequent step.