So I've Finally Seen Wicked...
After being bombarded by brand collaborations, multiple red carpets (or should that be green?) and a shit tonne of footage of Ariana Grande,and Cynthia Erivo being theatre kids in their interviews, it got to a point where my Wicked tolerance was reached and I didn’t even want to go and see the movie.
But then came the reviews, the TikToks, the podcasts and I knew I had to go and see it.
All of the times I could go over the weekend were sold out so on Tuesday night I settled in at my local Odeon for 2 hours 41 minutes and entered the world of Oz. I’ve seen the musical itself three times now (my first Elphaba experience being the magnificent Rachel Tucker) so I was skeptical about a movie adaptation, especially when I saw the running time.
After seeing the movie, I feel justified in my belief that the movie was too long but other than that, the movie is a true work of art.
The director Jon Chu did a magnificent job of bringing the world of Oz and the university of Shiz to life - As much as I love the stage production, they are obviously limited to what they can create and achieve with the quick scene changeovers that are required.
In fact, everyone involved in the artistic side - costumes, make up, set design, hair, props - all need a round of applause and a hefty raise. Honestly, the detail that has gone in to every single little thing is unparalleled and I love that the university uniforms for the main characters were slightly different to make them stand out.
The casting was obviously amazing (anyone else in love with Jonathan Bailey? Dancing Through Life has not left my brain all week) but it’s all about the two leads isn’t it? Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, OSCARS, OSCARS FOR BOTH OF YOU. I’m sure Ariana’s fans already know just how talented she is but I had no idea. I didn’t know she could sing like that and her comedy skills are on point. She truly is the perfect Glinda.
As for Cynthia Erivo, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know anything about her (It wasn’t until she was cast in Wicked that I realised I’d seen her in the Luther movie) but oh my god, I know her now. She is phenomenal as the caring, headstrong, outcast Elphaba and she conveys such strong emotion solely through her facial expressions. And her voice? Well I had chills every time she sang.
(Side note: I also love that there is not a veneer in sight with these two!).
It’s just an all round brilliant movie and I think they did such a good job of staying true to the musical adaptation, but still making it it’s own thing. Yes, it could have been half an hour shorter, but it was magic, pure magic.
Only a year to wait for Part 2!
Vlogmas over on TikTok. For some stupid reason I’ve decided to do vlogmas over on TikTok. I work full time so I’m not sure how long I’ll keep it up but I’m going to try and do the full 24 days. Influencer vlogmases are so unrealistic as they are self employed so I thought it would be nice for people to see what a normal life looks like in the run up to Christmas.
I’ve rejoined the gym. I’ve had a mysterious illness since the summer and it meant I had to put my HIIT classes on the back burner and slow things down. I haven’t set foot in a gym for years but this week I made the decision to re-join. I’m taking things slow, doing Couch to 5k on the treadmill with some weight workouts chucked in and I feel great. It’s nice to know that my fitness is still there even after everything.
Booking tickets for Six. For some reason my husband and I have gotten really into Strictly this year and we LOVED Tasha’s dance to a number from Six the musical…So obviously we hopped straight online to purchase tickets for when it tours. We decided to go see it on New Year’s Eve (we don’t partake) and I can’t wait.
Say Nothing on Disney+. Set during The Troubles, Say Nothing is a gripping bit of telly and Lola Pettigrew/Maxine Peake KILL IT as lead Delours Price. It’s embarrassing to admit but I don’t really know much about the IRA and The Troubles thanks to my English high school education so it’s wild to me that all of this happened, and not actually that long ago. It’s just brushed under the rug in school history classes when it shouldn’t be.
Our Little Secret. Lindsay Lohan is back on Netflix with another Christmas movie and I’m so happy to report that it’s much better than her previous offering ‘Falling for Christmas’. It’s your usual Christmas mush but Lohan is offered the opportunity to bring her natural charm and wit to the role that we seen in some of her earlier movies, making it a really fun 90 minute watch.