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Watch Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo (plus Jeff Goldblum?!) Bust Out a Wicked-Catchy Wicked Rap
Wicked will begin to defy gravity in theaters everywhere Friday, November 22.
Still a little hazy on the plot of Wicked? Not to worry! Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba Thropp), Ariana Grande (Glinda), and Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard) have you covered with a nifty, 44-second rap recapping the basic premise of the Wizard of Oz prequel — hitting theaters nationwide this Friday. Click here to pick up tickets via Fandango!
In a nutshell, though, the two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed, multi-award-winning Broadway musical serves as a subversive origin story for the Wicked Witch of the West, who attended the prestigious Shiz University with Glinda the Good before becoming the most notorious villain throughout the land. As most fans are aware, however, Elphaba had the ignominious unwillingly thrust upon her by the Wizard himself.
RELATED: The Cast & Characters of Wicked Explained: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum & More
The aforementioned Wicked song, which premiered on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, is quite catchy, recalling the staccato, earwig-y flow of the rap section in Blondie's 1981 hit, "Rapture." Check it out below!
Watch Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande & Jeff Goldblum set up the plot of the Wicked movie in less than a minute
What is Wicked about?
Based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the Broadway musical and its two-part film adaptation imagines a Wizard of Oz prequel centered around the green-skinned Elphaba, the eventual Wicked Witch of the West. Before that though, she's a talented student at Shiz University, where she rooms with the popular Glinda. Things start to go downhill once Elphaba travels to the Emerald City and meets the so-called Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), who may not be as "wonderful" as we once thought.
“Making films allows us to elaborate on the themes of the stage production,” producer Marc Platt, who had a hand in making the original stage production a reality, says in the official production notes provided by Universal Pictures. “Film allows us to investigate the different worlds — Munchkinland, Shiz University, the dormitories and classrooms. The dwellings where the Animals live, the wondrous Emerald City and Wizard’s throne room. When we decided to make Wicked as a film, we wanted to be able to dramatize many of the elements that on stage you can’t — from flying with monkeys to sweeping across Oz. These are places that only a camera can go. The films take advantage of this, opening the door to create a singular experience.”
RELATED: Wicked's Cynthia Erivo Whistles Gorgeous, Haunting Version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (WATCH)
How can you watch Wicked in theaters?
Helmed by director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights), Wicked will begin to defy gravity in theaters everywhere this Friday — November 22. Click here to pick up tickets for yourself and the whole family!
The sequel — the aptly-titled Wicked Part Two — is set to follow on November 21, 2025.
