"I'm Gob Smacked": Wicked's Practical Effects & Cynthia Erivo's "Defying Gravity" Filming Gets Emotional Reflection From Original Author

Wicked author Gregory Maguire opens up about his experience on-set seeing the expansive sets and filming of the movie’s epic climax. The author penned the 1995 reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, which inspired the 2003 Broadway show that explores the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West in a far more sympathetic light. The Wicked cast features Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande-Butera as Galinda Upland, who would become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.




As Wicked dominates theatres, Maguire spoke to Broadway World about a visit he took to the set during the filming of the movie. The author praised director John M. Chu and the movie’s detailed and expansive sets in the face of online skepticism and criticism, alongside the detailed VFX to create Oz’s animal residents.

I did go to London about 18 months ago to watch filming for about three and a half days, and to meet the cast, and take a tour of the sets that had been built, and see some of the behind the scenes work that was being done to make it all come to life.

I saw how much loving attention the set designers, the art directors, and also the director Jon M. Chu has put into shaping the world of Oz so that it’s just as three dimensional and real as it could possibly seem on film. Now, there’s been a lot of commentary on social media that they’re going to regret how much of the film is done on CGI, and as I live and breathe- and I’m an honorable and honest person- most of the film sets were built, and are there, and I toured them. I was in the Wizard’s throne room, I was in Madame Morrible’s study, I was in the forest, I was in the underground Ozdust Ballroom, and I saw several other sets beside that weren’t being used in the time that I was there. This stuff is largely built. Now, of course, the talking animals are going to be CGI, Peter Dinklage’s Dr. Dillamond is the miracle of what computer technology can do now.


Furthermore, Maguire praised the expansive equipment used to create Elphaba’s flight in the musical’s grand finale number, highlighting the complicated mechanisms used to make sure that Erivo’s movements create a grounded sense of flight.

But I saw the apparatus for getting Elphaba up in the air to fly, and that’s not a cartoon drawing with computers, that’s the witch flying through the air on wires that had, what looked to me, twenty different attachments so that her body could twist, and shape, and move, and soar, and not just be dragged like the plug of a toaster across the floor in a single line. They make her move, and she gets up there and moves, and she flies. It was done against a green screen, but it’s not CGI acting or drawing in special effects, it’s people actually doing what is required of them. It’s just amazing. I’m gob smacked by the whole apparatus of it.



How Have Audiences Responded To “Defying Gravity”?

Wicked‘s Climax Has Been Divisive

Despite Maguire’s praise, Elphaba’s flight in “Defying Gravity” has been the source of division among some audiences. In the big climax of Wicked, Elphaba’s flight is an epic moment where her experiences and current struggles collide, as she looks back on everything in the past and decides to take a stand against the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) plot.

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The Wicked movie brought all the songs from the Broadway musical’s first act to the screen, and though each is great, they weren’t created equal.


However, some viewers have critiqued the moment for being too drawn out compared to its stage counterpart, specifically for how it led to the pacing changing and the placement of the lyrics. For others, however, it served as a powerful climax that perfectly established this stage of Elphaba’s life. In particular, Erivo has been earning immense praise for her final number due to the power of her performance in the song.

Our Thoughts On The Visuals Of Wicked

The First Chapter Has Set Up High Expectations

While some elements of Wicked’s visuals have seen criticism, there is no doubt that a good amount of effort has been dedicated to capturing as much of the land of Oz as practically as possible. Chu has spoken about this extensively, even to the point of ordering nine million flowers to build the set. With Maguire praising the work, other viewers may be willing to acknowledge the practical elements more.


Dorothy With Elphaba and Glinda Custom Wicked Image

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Dorothy’s Cameo In Wicked Explained

The Wizard of Oz’ Dorothy Gale has a brief cameo in 2024’s Wicked, speaking to future events and likely the character’s bigger role in the sequel.

​​​​​​With Wicked Part 2 set to release in 2025 and dive into Elphaba’s story throughout the events of The Wizard of Oz, many may now be eager to see how Chu reimagines the events of Dorothy’s tale from the perspective of Elphaba. With a positive response and an incredible dominance over the box office, it is clear that a good impression has been left on viewers by the first chapter of Wicked.

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Source: Broadway World


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