Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” change has been explained by Elphaba star Cynthia Erivo. The new movie adapts the first act of the iconic 2003 Broadway musical telling the origin story ofThe Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West. TheWickedsoundtrackincluded many changes, including new orchestrations, some minor lyric alterations, and a shift in the notes included in the riff that closes out the iconic Act I finale song “Defying Gravity,” a vocal performance that was made famous by original onstage Elphaba Idina Menzel.
During a recent interview withEW, Erivo was asked how she came to change the iconic notes at the end of “Defying Gravity.” TheWickedstar revealed that she was recording rehearsal tracks with the musical’s songwriter Stephen Schwartz, who told her “I trust you with the story” andencouraged her to explore alternate options for Elphaba’s “war cry,“after she did a take where she performed it “by the book.” After some experimentation, they settled on the riff that ended up in the final cut of the movie. Read Erivo’s full quote discussing the topic below:
Stephen Schwartz was in there… whilst we were doing the comps for the rehearsal tracks. He said he trusted me with the story. I did it by the book at first and he was like “And…? I trust you with the story, so what’s your war cry?” I tried a couple things and then I did the one that stuck cuz it felt… right. And that’s the one that stuck.
What This Means For Wicked
The Movie’s Changes Were Deliberate
Quite a few of the new movie’s changes to the popular original source material have stirred controversyon social media. In addition to the change in the “Defying Gravity” riff, this includes the fact that the adaptation was split in half, which involved a major expansion of the story, which is adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name. This is the case because the originalWickedstage showran for less time than the runtime of the first movie.
Wicked Part Twois expected to debut in theaters on June 27, 2025.
However, Erivo’s comments showcase the fact thatthe artists who brought the original musical to the stage were involved in much of the decision-makingbehind the scenes. In fact, in addition to Schwartz’s involvement, the musical’s original book-writer Winnie Holzman co-wrote the screenplay for the movie. TheWickedstarrevealing that Schwartz himself encouraged the change seems to show that the intention has always been for the movie to put its own stamp on the material, much in the same way that the stage show altered the original book considerably.
Our Take On Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked Comments
Wicked’s Changes Have Not Harmed It
Ultimately, though the creators were likely aware that some of the changes inWickedmay have rankled with longtime fans of the original show,their gamble seems to have paid off. The movie has already become a smash critical and commercial success. In addition to earning the best-ever opening weekend for a Broadway adaptation at the worldwide box office, it has earned a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 90% with a Verified Hot 96% audience score, so it has clearly won over a wide swath of its audience.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
