And that's what you really missed with Jenna.
And Kevin An iHeartRadio.
Podcast Welcome to You, and that's what you really miss podcast.
Whoa happy opening, Kevin. You are you are in your run, you have embarked on the journey.
Thanks.
How's it going?
I mean, so far, so.
Good, amazing, It looks amazing.
Have been great.
Oh, it's so good. Guest spellers are unbelievable. Wow.
The other day because so they post this thing on the board where like some people want to know who's like a celebrity guest speller if we have one and some people don't. So it's covered and it says celebrity guest speller. Oh I love that pull up for a reveal?
Do you do it or no?
Oh?
Yeah, yeah, you like to know.
The other day, our first like celebrity guest speller was Stephanie J. Block. Oh icon, which was appropriate. It's very appropriate for what we're doing today, correct, like the original original original alphaba.
Right right right in the workshop, pre Broadway Alphaba.
And I was I was fully fanning out because in my journey into musical theater, Block is my number one. From what I think, she's my number one. I saw Falsettos when it was when it was revived a number of years ago, and I was like, who is this woman? Because she comes out and does like her solo and is unreal.
Who is this woman?
I obviously had no idea, And then Austin has since fully educated me, which showed when I met her after the show the other day. I go I was showing some of the guys you singing memory from cats off of YouTube today, you stop right now, and she was like, well, I looked more like a goat in that.
But.
Oh my gosh, her whole family is so talented it's crazy, and she's done everything.
She's amazing. Oh that's so exciting.
I can't wait to see who your guest as spellers are.
This is like such a journey and how exciting.
You should like make a list of all of your favorite ones and such and just like so you can remember them.
Well, I freaked out, like Nick Offerman was our second unbelievable Yeah, I was like, oh that's huge.
Yeah, like where do you go from there?
Yeah? Like like he brought his wife, comedic icon magh Malali, and.
I just I cannot, Yeah, I cannot.
Really terrifying knowing like they're in the audience.
Well that's why people do the paper, so you don't know, I know, but but then you're gonna find out anyway, so he may.
I think it would be more disturbing to look into the audience and spot someone or I think.
You guys know there's like guest spellers coming, Like there's always somebody that could potentially have the potential to be very famous coming. Is like the thing like otherwise you could just kind of slight slightly avoid it if it was just audience totally, you know, but yeah, there's there's a whole element there that I would not. I am not, but that is how fun. Well, congratulations on the beginning of your runs.
It is very inciting, and I.
Would just you know, before I move on. This is my weekly shout out to Lily Cooper for being the funniest person on the planet.
I'm just glad that you're getting to experience her because it's one of my favorite people and has always been and wildly talented, good person.
She also has like she's so funny and also has an insanely hard vocal track.
This very hard, very hard.
I don't just makes it look easy.
Effortless that's that's a Tony Tony nominee. That's what they do.
See her.
Oh, I can't wait. What a joy. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. Well, speaking of Cooper, Wicked, Wicked, lots of Wicked people, yes, circling. I mean, Wicked is such a.
Monster of a musical and cultural moment and truly revolutionary for so many people that obviously we couldn't avoid doing the movie musical Wicked, which the part two was on its way here.
The press is here.
The press is here, speaking of which I just watched they had Arianna and Bowen back on the Vanity Fair like light detector test.
I love the moon thing.
And she's so funny. The whole thing is so fun Like she's just she's great.
She's great.
I really just I feel like she's just mashing it. Like however, she's been able to do this transition into like and.
Yeah, I also feel like I was thinking about this as well.
The secret sauce to this movie.
I mean, there's so many parts of it that are secret sauce and not so secret sauce.
But like a big part of this was like the hype and the press and the media surrounding it, like what a brilliant campaign, and then also like building it around these two women who clearly have a deep love and understanding and sense of like friendship surrounding the movie
like and coming out of the movie. It's kind of the way that like they position Leanne Groff sometimes where it's this like magical story of these two people that are so I don't know, it's it's the press of it all is also so brilliant, not that they needed it, right, not that the show needed it, but what a way to create the genius buzz around it. I mean, the holding space moment last year was just iconic.
Well. I think also what helps is secret sauce wise, is when you have people working on it in front of the camera and behind the camera who do care so deeply about what they're doing, have been like longtime fans.
Obviously you can't necessarily have that with something that has not been around for twenty years, right, right, Like these people grew up loving this show, right, and this has always meant something to write like you yeah, and so I think to be able to and I think this is also part of like Ariana's really great transition into doing more films is that she works really hard at this stuff because she really cares. Yes, you can, and you see people who opportunities just because they're famous and
they like phone it in. She's not doing that. And the respect she has for whether she's doing music or she's doing this, whatever it is, there's a great respect for it. Same with everybody and John Chu coming into this with a deep love of music, a deep love of musicals, and also making them accessible to a big audience.
The other part of this, I think is really challenging, beyond a musical being successful, which seems like the odds are stacked against you from the get go, is that you have this gigantic and wildly successful stage musical right all around the world. It's huge. People of it. People have their preconceived ideas of what a film should be.
They've been trying to make this movie. This was supposed to be a movie before it was ever a stage show, like that was that was supposed to Like when I went to the premiere last year, Mark Platt was saying, like this was like it was supposed to be a movie.
It wasn't even supposed to be a stage show. And so like the stage show was an attempt, like you know, an ip thing to get it to be a yeah, and so I think to be able to pull it off and have it be successful is ext is an extremely hard challenge, and all of these people met the challenge, and I was very excited to get to watch it again.
Okay, well let's start, let's talk about it. So we're doing Wicked and it premiered on November twenty second, twenty twenty four, which is wild. It was a year ago. I saw this in the movie theater with my newborn son with ear muffs and a bobby and he slept through the whole thing.
And I was able to enjoy this postpartum. It was what a dream. The number one.
Saw in the world at this time was a bar song Tipsy by Shaboozie.
The number one movie was Wicked.
Wicked forty six mil opening.
Day Jesus three, biggest opening day.
Ever for a film based on a Broadway musical.
Well, Yes, and Glee News.
It was our podcast and we were recapping season five episode four, a Katie or Agaga in season five episode five and of to work and we chatted with.
Jcse Okay, So Wicked look directed by John m two screenplay by Winnie Holtzman and Dana Fox, based on the two thousand and three Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holdsman, which was also based on Gregory Maguire's nine ninety five novel Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Did you read that book? No? Did you so? In preparation to see the movie last year, Austin encouraged me to read the book because he was
starting to read the book. Austin, in turn, gave up reading the book, and I finished it on my own. I went on a trip. I thought when i'd come back, he would be done and we could talk about it. He gave up. The book is obviously reimagining of the you know, L. Frank Baum's nineteen hundred classic Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I'm not saying you need to read the book.
I don't think anybody needs to read the book, and so many times, you know, in so many cases I would say that you don't need to read this one. The adaptatient the fact, first of all, the book and the stage show are so wildly different. They are so different, and I think the stage adapt patient is so much better than the story in the book, and the fact that they got that story out of that book is incredible.
The stage show just has so much, so much more of what you want and you see, like there's so much more magic and whimsy. And when you hear some of these demos, I don't know if you've heard like the early like Stephen Schort's demos and things.
Maybe I had, but it's been a while. If I have, it is incredible. Was it even short singing them? I think so, Oh it's like a man, not like idea. But it was like bad, like you know, like the song I mean.
These are yeah, oh the songs are bad.
Yeah, like everything was. Yeah, it was so strange and like earn the process. And that's why it's so amazing to me that, I mean, this is some of the most incredible music ever. Yeah, And that's the magic of it. That's why it's so successful. That's why the movie is so successful. Like it is, Yeah, it is so so good and complex and every line means something and anyway, it's just a great show. What is your experience with the show, Well, do.
You have all day?
Yeah?
In fact, I remember my dad getting a little program. I was in high school and he got a program like he does for discount of tickets for this new show that was in previews, and he saw a Dina and Kristin and he knew I, like, you know, I knew who a Diena.
Was, of course in Kristin, you know, from other musicals. And he said, do you want to see this? And I said yeah. So we went in previews and.
I remember sitting there not knowing anything about the show, not having any context of like what this was about, except for that, you know, there was a Wizard of Oz connect here. That's really all I knew. So I sit down start watching the show. I'm like, Wow, this is great. And then Defying Gravity hits and the lights go down at the intermission, and my life was changed,
you know. And I think I went back four or five times and that next year to see that show again with those with that cast, that original cast, my sweet friend Chris Fitzgerald, and it was truly life changing for us. I mean, anybody in musical theater pursuing musical theater at the time I was, I think I was in my junior year hub or senior of high school. Like every person was seeing spat suite spot Yeah, yeah, yeah,
life changing female strong women in the leading positions. Songs to sang for Good was at every high school graduation. Definitely sang it at mine, like listened to it in
the car every day on the way to school. Like truly groundbreaking, life changing, a part of musical theater history forever, kind of like what Hamilton, you know, the kids had for Hamilton, you know, more recently seeing it take on another life with the tour and people are friends going into the show, like Jackie Burns playing Alphaba and Stephanie j Block one of the you know, coming in after aDNA.
Left, and it's just.
It was a really important musical and clearly like then Glee's doing it on the show in so many ways, we do it a million times and so many numbers, and then Kristen comes on the show. So it's just, I don't know, it was just a really important musical
to me. And to see a movie that was done successfully not just successfully, like exceedingly excellent in every way and the masses really appreciating it as well in this new medium is like, so it's just everything you dream of as somebody who loved musical leader and loves the show.
It was that it's that magic of you know, to what you were talking about, how obviously people want these things to get funded and they want them to do well, so they hire really famous people, and like hiring Ariana Grande, who was arguably one of the most famous people on the planet. Yep, But that a lot of times doesn't
necessarily translate into like box office success, right. And so this was all of those things coming together in the exact right way and having quality of work matching the quality of a press tour right, right, stars aligning and making it like a cultural phenomenon, right.
And I remember John talking about how he was thinking about cast saying, you know, newcomers for these roles, obviously through all the different versions of people who were attached to it throughout the years, but like bringing in Ariana and Cynthia, who are well known and famous, and you know, but then them really taking on these roles inevitably, like them not being able to look away from these women, that these were the.
Ladies who took on the roles.
Was I think the right approach or I mean, who am I to say what approach? But like it was like the it seems very genuine that they were like, oh no, we're going to do newbies and newcomers, and then all of a sudden we decided we had to cast these already kind of established, you know, very famous actresses, right.
I mean, the best person wins. It's just like if the team making it feels the most inspired by these two people who also just happened to be really famous. Yes, and that's sort of like a dream, totally totally in terms of creativity, and I'm like the producer end of it.
Yes.
Yes, So this wasn't initially supposed to be a movie you hadn't like you had mentioned h And in the nineteen nineties, Demi Moore, producer Suzanne Todd, and Linda Woolverton from Being to These pitched a live action adaptation in Maguire's book with the mechis Is, at one point being considered to direct.
Isn't that crazy?
Susanne was the producer. Listen Suzanne's My Girl No Stop. Susan Todd. I played poker with her, Stop played poker with her for like a decade, all through the pandemic. We were on Zoom Poker. I can't even tell you the other people who were in there. It was I was the youngest and poorest by far. Wow.
But Suzanne is I love Susanne Wow, Like she's she's great. Clearly she's got, you know something, she knows what's up.
So over the years, names like Whoop Beee, Claire Danes, i'm ahayak, Laurie Metcalf were inked for the project, while Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson, uh, I know, Cale Kidman were rumored for Glinda and Alphabet.
That's really crazy, Like I get it, but I also a'm like, could you imagine.
Well, if they were doing a direct a direct adaptation of the book, different, I see that. And here's the thing I would like to see, like a series maybe based off the book, because the book is a lot darker, is.
Right.
And that's what they were saying, was like there was all these different inceptions like not being a musical until Stephen Schwartz came along.
Yeah, right.
Stephen Schwartz, who now is known for Wicked but has had an incredible career aside from Wicked. He read Maguire's novel in the nineties and envisioned it not as a film.
But as a musical. Thank Goodness.
Schwartz persuaded Universal then had a production Mark Platt to support the idea, along with David Stone, Winnie holtzman, Joe Mantello, choreographer Wayne Cliento, and they began shaping what would become one of the most finding musicals is twenty our Century Wicked.
Speaking of David Stone, who I think has the rights of spelling Bee, I've seen him a lot lately, and he reminded me how we saw him on the Wicked stage. I like first met him when we went to visit during Glee. Remember the day we met Bloomberg that picture, and then we went on the Wicked.
I don't think I was there.
Oh you weren't there for that.
I don't think I was there.
We went on the Wicked stage because I was either were filming it from the show and we met him, and I had no idea what I was, you know, I didn't know anything about Wicked.
Yeah, yeah, wow, wow, wow. How well the show was a It was an understandment. This show was a success. It won three Tony Award.
It's crazy it only won three.
I feel like it was in a weird year with Avenue Q, which took away a lot.
Avenue Q won Best Musical, didn't.
It, which we were like what and like, obviously I love Avenue Q. Great time for musical theater. Truly a golden era of musical theater in my opinion. Yeah, but it was a tough one because you know, you had Wicked. It just goes to show you never know.
Wicked, which twenty years later has grossed over six billion dollars around the world.
It's been seen by sixty five million people across sixteen countries and over one hundred cities.
Yeah, like money, money, Mon seventeen, it surpassed The Phantom of the Opera to become Broadway's second highest grossing musical, only behind The Lion King. Wow wow. Yeah.
Well, Universal obviously immediately began exploring a film adaptation of the show. The project went through years of development and rewrites, shifting creative teens before finally finding it's footing.
So it took a while, I mean yeah, like two thousand and nine. Even after Wicked the stage musical was big. Sama Jayek's production company Weird was going to adapt it for TV and non musical adaptation, but like that didn't happen then, Yeah, twenty eleven, they are all these other ones. Twenty twelve, Mark Platt announced there's going to be a film. Obviously didn't happen. Yeah, yeah, Stephen Daldry was set to direct it at some points. Steven Daldry's incredible. He did
the Hour actually Elliott and huge theater director as well. Yeah, yeah, but it didn't work out. Yeah.
And then John cheu Lands and Oz thank goodness.
So he obviously is coming off to the heels Crazy Rich Asians in the Heights. He's been a lifelong fan of the musical. Uh, and he just felt like the like when when they announced John, I was like, yeah, for sure.
It makes sense. And I think I think the biggest reason it makes sense is because John's movies are accessible. Crazy Rich Asians is a perfect rom com. Like I love that movie. It's my comfort movie. He makes like family friendly. And I say that in a good, in a positive way. Where Wicked the Stage musical is a gigantic blockbuster of a production, it is that musical can
be enjoyed by every single person. Yeah, and I think if you're looking at like the text, if you're looking at the book, like, oh yeah, it could be dark and gritty, and that's not what the stage musical is really, No, there are some very deep and dark themes in it. Yeah, I mean, like visually John's John's tone and style I think matched. I think matches it really really well.
Well, this reminds me a little bit.
I'm curious to see where part two goes, because everybody has been saying it's darker, it's grittier, it's different, which is a slight departure from what John is normally used to doing and what he does best, right, agreed, And the musical does have it, just because it is on stage, has this component that's a little bit darker, a little bit more minimal, a little.
Bit more you know. It's just it's different.
But I think the beginning had to be bright and vibrant and beautiful, like she's coming down in a bubble.
This is it has to be magical. This reminds me of.
Harry Potter a little bit, yes, in the way that it starts off kind of a little boppy and kid friendly, et cetera. Not that it won't be kid friendly, but like it gives off this like younger, brighter theme of like, you know, okay, and then it gets darker after three, three or four, right, you know, yeah, and it just keeps getting darker. So I'm so excited to see what that means to them.
I am too, and I'm excited to see like John's growth as a director, Like I think, yeah, Wicked was already a huge you know that, pushing the bounds of what anybody can do. You have a different budget, you have this story that is so important to people. You're building these massive, practical set pieces that they were using that were beautiful. Wow, you're dancing in all those spaces.
There's just so much material. And I'm excited to see the attention because I think in that way, like he is really good at Spectacle and the second half is a lot about story, a lot about like groundedness and seriousness, and I'm really I'm really looking forward to see that all those things combined to like what that movie feels like.
And I do think like from the musical to the movie, my overall like thought and feeling about it is like.
The goal the real goal to me of like doing a musical movie is bringing it from stage to cinema and elevating it and it becoming more intimate than just theater because theater is big.
Theater is you're playing to the back right exactly.
So what John did with this musical movie part one was bring us deeper into the intimacy of these characters, and I think he did it in the most successful way. And so I think if he just if, it's going to be great because it's he's just digging deeper into that part of it that he's already done so successfully in the first part.
So that's my hope.
How do you feel about splitting this into two movies?
When they said it, I was like, first, I was like, Oh, we're gonna have to wait a hear.
I think that was totally right. I think if you if.
You did do it in one film, you would have lost so much of the intimacy that they needed to create for this to be successful, to be an elevated version of this musical that's already so wildly successful and loved by so many people.
So I think it was the right choice. I'm super supportive of it.
I think it allows for the tone to shift in a much more dramatic way.
And I totally agree. I mean, I'm not gonna lie.
Last night, I was like, Wow, this is two hours and forty minutes, Like, this is a long ass pilm, and I'm grateful they didn't have to crunch a whole second act into this two hours and forty minutes they were able to fill.
I couldn't agree more. My favorite thing about this movie is the pacing of it. I think how they get in and out of these numbers, how much time they're taking. What you said, like in the world to have us like live in it and have a deeper understanding and connection with this world. Nothing felt rushed and nothing felt gratuitous.
That's right.
It was like, oh, this is just this is a perfect great standalone movie on tone. Yeah, like it fully works and it when I first heard they were spinning it up too, I was like, oh, it's cash grab you know that, that's what. It doesn't feel like that for one second. No, it feels like, oh no, creatively, we actually had to do this, and.
Yeah it she said.
He said it's impossible to wrestle the story of wi Get into a single film without doing real damage to it, and I totally agree.
I think it's very genuine and.
I think we've seen that before in musical movies. When they tried to do that you feel it, there's it is. It is a bummer And and that's what I kept
thinking the first time I saw it. I was like, I'm so happy we don't have to like move beyond the scene yet, because you can just like write like every We've all watched a lot of movies and move movie musicals, and you can just imagine where they would like be cutting and how like they would compact, you know, probably four scenes worth the material into.
One scene, I know, and that's gonna do.
That's gonna do a lot of heavy lifting, Like every every scene has to do a lot of heavy lifting, as opposed to like we can have nuance and this.
Believer, yes it's usually done like this huge spectacle.
Of a movie, there's still nuance in the story and so.
So much and like introducing little Alphaba into this like when she's falling before in like divine gravity, you're like, yes, there's a just a deeper understanding of the characters and also a chance to really fall in love with these women, like they both are so flawed and yet so lovable. And I think that's what's so powerful about this film and about this musical is that these women are flawed and they are you know, they're not perfect, but we
love them so deeply. And for the audience to get a chance to really fall in love with these girls before Ozo's Ballroom and then having them find each other and then love them together as a collective is so powerful and it's it just it makes everything even better. I also just like the attention to detail that John was able to with these easter eggs of like Wizard of Oz, of like at the end of Wizard and I and there's a rainbow at the end of the cliff.
You're like, yes, like give me all of this and they have the space in the time to do it. So so grateful, so so grateful, even like the like the ozdest Ballroom, Like oh, one of my favorite numbers is dancing through life in the answas far rooms, So like how nice to like.
Not rush any of that. I know, like those emotional beats right after that, like like you it does. I know we're comparing it to Harry Potter because it's you know, wizards, but being able to like have a peek into you know, the wizarding world or whatever that's not at school. Yes, Like those moments are so spad feel like like we
feel like we're getting led into this thing. And to see the growth between these characters, between this friendship all play out in this one scene, in this massive scene, it was just it was beautiful. And Chris Scott, who's a choreographer.
I could not imagine anybody else choreographing this well.
Chris Scott and John Chu have known each other for forever. I have known them for forever. Yeah, and it's there's not a lot of loyalty in the entertainment business, and I love that they just are always working together and they have such a good collaborative history together and to see, you know, this is different and obviously they did in the Heights, but I feel like the storytelling through movement and this in some of these scenes, you needed that as an additional piece of dialogue.
Yes, And some of his choreography went so viral, like you know, the walking and the it's so fun to see and he's I'm such a fan of his and you know, he's been a friend of ours forever and he's just so always sweet, bunted and sweet.
Also, I know this doesn't have to do anything with objectively like watching and liking or critiquing the movie. But John and Chris are two of the nicest people you'll ever find.
I think that's why.
Yes, and John has like continued to just go from movie to movie to movie, and they've gotten bigger and bigger, bigger each time. Everyone likes working with him. He is, Yeah, he's great at what he does, but he also is just so kind.
When you have a really big heart that you wear so uh so openly as a person, it bleeds through in all of his work. Liking crazy rich Asians like that could have been a simple wrong com based on this like very ornate novel that like, you know, people love and it's post but like the heart and the the emotion that he got his his start, you know, the actors to he brought out of those those guys, was like, I think it's what makes it so excellent
versus just good, you know. And this like you for somebody who loves Wicket so deeply and was such a part of my upbringing, to see it like come to life in a way where it's more than you could ever imagine emotionally, Like I watch it and every time I cry and like these same parts and it never ceases to hit me just the right way, and like that's effective storytelling.
Because you could easily in movie form script that out of this by accident.
That's what I'm saying, and like keep yeah.
I also think like they were filming both movies at the same time, there was there were breaks in there because of the writer's strike and the actors strike. They filmed it for like there was like one hundred and fifty five production days. I think all about starting and stopping and these huge, big, like practical set pieces, there's a lot to manage. There's a lot of planning. There's a lot in like I think, to put everything together and make it feel so cohesive and rich and like
everything is there for a reason. There's a purpose to every single piece. How grateful are you that they sang live on set? I'm always conflicted about this really obviously these two should be singing live on set. Wow, Like I don't know, obviously they're not saying everything.
You know, Well, it's touched afterwards for sure, Yes, and I want it. That's without without question, Yes, yeah, without question.
It has to be.
This has to match the rest of the production of the film.
And I think this was the most excellent version of that correct, right, Like I think lay Miz I had moments of it. This was the same sound mixer, but I think like this is now we know, and it's even better because there's always a sound quality, like you're recording your voice when you're in a movie on different microphones and you're recording and recording studio. But like you wanted to be recording studio quality.
You wanted to be the quality of but you want the performance element, the live performance element that matches what they're giving in every other scene, that characters are able to be in the moment. And I think that's what they were trying to achieve with lay Miss. There's a
lot of characters in the Miz. I don't know exactly how the production all went for Lamez, but I will say, like you said, if there's anybody that should be singing live, like Cynthia doing her own freaking stunts, flying through sixty and singing belting at full voice, like those are the people who should be doing it.
That's and they are. That's the excellence, Like the level is no question.
I think here's the difference between hiring them and hiring people who are new. Is that, Yes, Cynthia has been on stage, has been done eight shows a week for years, are runs marathons, Yes, has done world tours, a lot of them. That is a different type of vocal athleticism. Yes, yes, you can only have if you're put into those situations and you gain it over time. Is it? Because like why we didn't sing live on Glee almost you know, ninety nine point nine percent of the time your voice
will go out. There's no way you can maintain a healthy state of doing that. These two are Olympic athletes a vocalists, Yes, yes, and they are Olympic olympius. And if you tell them this is the schedule, this is what we're doing, they prepare they're going to be able to do it. Yeah, there's not many people in the world that could.
Tend to that.
Yes, I know there's also, uh, just not as technical.
But like I had a thought last night and it never occurred before that, Like I was watching to Find Gravity and beautifully done, beautifully performed, oh so good, never gets old.
That moment when this volume goes out and like everything like sucks back in like is one.
It is actually a share perfection.
I think it's one of the greatest moments in cinema history.
But rewind thirty seconds when she comes out from you know, doing that extra you know, unlimited up in the sky right, and she comes back down and then she's at the balcony with the guards and with Glinda and everybody, and she's saying, so if you care to find me, And for the first time in my life, I've seen this a thousand times, you know, I was like, that's what it's supposed.
To look like.
No, this is her in the air, is opposite them on the balcony, telling them she's unlimited in that way.
And I was like, that's what it's supposed to look like. I never I had a full revelation last night. Yeah, and John did that. He did that, Like that's what it was like. Oh, what I imagine in my mind is exactly. You just gave it to me and better and better, more than I coultive ever expected. Uh, there was a funny.
On stage, like.
I just wanted to point out this funny little tidbit. So Jackie Burns, who's a friend of ours and she's Broadway's longest running alphabet. She's one of the most perfect alphabets there ever was and she used to tell us about these no fly shows, and we just have to talk about them for a second. Do you know what a fly show is?
Is it when like the little outlift doesn't work.
Yeah, so Alpha bat, she says, it's me and the cherry pick.
It's a cherry picker, and then there's curtains and so it lifts up like a machine and they go straight up and it gives the illusion and the lights and the cake grows right, and so.
It gives the illusion she's flying.
It's so magical. It sounds so gross to hear that it's a cherry picker, but oh god, it's so effective.
And it really takes away the magic of it. But there it's Broadway. Sometimes a cherry picker didn't work, and that would be a no fly show. And a no fly show is all the guards are underneath with their big you know, tall fork pitchforks, and they're tall dancer men at six.
They know it's not going to work.
Beforehand, they don't, but as soon as they hear it, they know, right. They're like, no fly, no fly er. There's some magic word that they say where they know right or if it doesn't go, tell they can tell and they have to. So Elpha is then on the floor singing this song at the end of act one, and the men have to lay down on their sides and hold their forks up so that it looks like she's in the air. And it is the funniest thing. I was never there for a no fly show. I
dreamed of seeing a no fly show. I'm sure there's one online, you guys. But and a guest I was talking about it in an interview as well, and she was explaining it and she's like, everybody has to lay down, and it's one of my favorite Broadway stories ever, like these no fly shows and the idea that like Elpha but doesn't get.
To that climax because it is the best thing in the entire show. It's so funny. It's so so funny. Do you want to give us a little summary? I mean, everybody knows who what Wicked is, but for those few.
Right right, Sorry, we get carried away. We'll give you the summary forty minutes into this, the official universal summary is when Alphaba, a misunderstood young woman who has yet to discover her true power, meets Glinda, a popular young woman who has yet to discover her true heart. At university,
they forge an unlikely friendship. Their lives take different paths after an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ultimately fulfilling their destinies as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good m h. I mean, it's like the best fanfic possible, That's really what it is.
For sure. These girls come in really not you know, not friends.
Glinda's the elite and Alphaba is the assistant to her sister who she is the fault and the reason why her sister is in a chair.
Well, I mean there's a lot of a lot of socially relevant themes here. It's like, yes, yes, he's green, the color skin is different, she's treated, she's ostracized. Yes, but she has this power and then she's taken advantage of because of that power. Yes, and you know, quote unquote the man wants is to abuse up or use that power.
And she's hard to use that power.
And she's good, yes, and and but but everybody has been told or is convinced that she is not right. And it's the power of the influence of and.
Unfortunately it's just like very relevant. I mean, so and the very important plexities of her character. I also think this is Cynthia Rivo's best performance in anything ever.
I think, I mean, and we saw we didn't know about the beauty of Cynthia Arivo, and we we uncovered and discovered her live sitting next to each other and probably one of the only Broadway.
Shows you've seen together with Jackie Burns with.
Jackie Burns yea.
And saw her singing that song at the end of A one and said, who is that?
Yeah?
Who is this? But what I like about her portrayal of Alpha ba is I actually think so I really like Alphabet in the book. It's okay, She's okay, really complicated, and I like it. I love an imperfect character, and I think she's even more imperfect in the book. But yet this way all of her like horrible things she faces from child to it. And that's why I because when I said they were putting this and breaking in its two movies, I was hoping they were going to
use more stuff, certain things from the book. They didn't really in part one at least, And my favorite part of that is the backstory of like how she obviously we get a song about it. We get that whole little like montage of how Alphaba was created and born.
In the beginning, you see little Alphaba with her sister and all that, which is great, right, But there's so much good stuff there in the book, and Alphaba's life is really complicated and despite all of that, she's willing to be the bad guy because she has to be. And it's such a good allegory for I think people who are like othered where it's like, despite being treated like from all of society, like, she still gets up and does the right thing every single day and doesn't
let what other people say. You know, the fine gravity is finally about like I can't let these people affect me anymore. I'm free and I'm not going to be I'm not going to be taken away from my own power and made to feel bad about it or whatever it is. And I think Cynthia's portrayal of that and this was a little darker and more grounded like the book.
And I think with Cynthia's like acting style and how like she's pretty like serious and focused, and I just you know, sometimes when people get a roll and everything just matches up and aligns to who that person is this is yes, and it feels like for her that's exactly what this was happened.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean and I love that. I think that's why that it's so define. Gravity is obviously so important, but as is like I think Ozdes's ballroom to me and like dancing through life that in her heart and that line that Fierro says, Wow, she really doesn't give, you know, a crab about what people think, and Glinda says she does.
She just protects.
She does.
Whole thing is like that's her right and let's smell it out loud, you know. But it's really beautiful to see it and have somebody else see it and heavy be Glinda of course. But these two women, and Ariana too, I mean, what a what a for somebody for two roles that are so iconic, and for Kristin Chenwith who originated a role that is so quintessentially Kristin and what she does, putting her stamp on this role as Glinda and creating, you know, the future path for all these
future Glinda's. For Ariana to take this and to own it in a way that's so genuine and everything that comes out of her mouth I'm like, Wow, I never hurt it that way, And it's so true to her that it's not a character herse. It's so easy to create have Glinda be a caricature of somebody, somebody playing Glinda versus being Glen.
That's a hard thing setting up roles on Broadway in general, when people take over it.
Yes, you want to keep the integrity of what the character is and what they've created, but yet putting your own thing on it, but not too much, right, because then it airs away from the show that it's locked.
Right.
The show is locked in a lot of ways.
So Arianna to take this role from the thousand Glinda's before and Kristen specifically, and to make it her own and to make it so real and so authentic.
Is not easy to do.
Is this?
Is it huge feet?
And I really was like deeply impressed with her and the work she did and the character and the way she gets her and the way she sees her and the way that she played her. And I was thinking about that because like, it's so easy to get into the inflictions and the things that Kristen does and the way she says them, and if you don't understand why Kristen said them the way she said them, it's not going to read the way that you you say them,
you know what I mean. And so Ariana really you could tell the work she did, the understanding it took for her to get to that place. Yep, beautifully said exactly. So I was just really impressed by the both of them. You can tell how much they love this and how collaborative it was. And it sounds like I was watching last night, even like Michelle Yo being like, I don't sing this role as a singing role and I don't sing, so you're crazy John, and he was like, don't worry,
it's fine, You're You're gonna be fine. And then Arianna and Cynthia sending her a message, being like, you have to come to us, And it was this collaborative effort probably of them being like who best to bring into this world? Right, who do we want to play with us? Who can we bring in that's going to elevate this and them just it sounded like them deciding they were
going to sing live was a decision. They all meet together, right John bringing the women in And so you can see why in the press and all of these things that they're doing. It's not just press right like they are. They are willing to be there, they want to be there.
They're proud of this press.
It's sort of just like a peek into the community they had all built.
Yes, Yes, and and you can tell how collaborative it was, and how they felt, how proud they felt of this film For them to be.
Promoting it in this way, do you know what I mean?
Like you have to really feel good about this to be doing that to press all the time, you know, like showing up everywhere versus just like oh, I'll do this.
And this and this, and you know, we'll promote the film how we're supposed to.
I think it's no small feat that both of these women were able to come in make it their own, redefine who these characters are for the whole new generation with the same heart and essence of Adina and Kristin. How did you feel about their little cameo.
I mean it wouldn't be the same without them.
I think it was weird to be honest of like adding this piece in that I was like, what is this? But at the same time, like it didn't matter, right, You're like, great, bring these ladies in they must be acknowledged and honored, and they're so funny and it was fun to see them in their own you know, taking on something different and being so you know, it sounds like it looks like even Ari and Kristen are so tight and just like the mentorship and like the passing of the baton.
So I thought that was really fun.
When did you love? That could have been a little shorter, but yeah, like whatever.
But again, like you're reading the people who you know, just I was so happy about who cares?
Hope there's something And then and it's all in the same sections like them, Scott is in there, Stephen Schwartz is in there. Yeah, Whennie Holtzman is in there, she like screams, you know, when they have like the they're telling the story of the Wizard of Oz. Yeah, look at the man in the balloon. Like it's when she's like pointing up like, oh, he's reading the book or whatever it is. And then Stephen Schwartz is the one who says they could come in.
Yes, of course, let's talk about some of those music.
You know, when like no one warns the wig it starts and you're like ding, like you know that it's kind of like Halilton when you hear Hamilton start, you know, like bottom.
And you're like, Okay, I know what I'm in for now, and this is so it's so comforting. God, there's not a song.
Well maybe Doctor Dylan, but there's not a song in this show that I don't play when I listen to this album recording. Oh yeah, I what is your favorite song in this act one?
Oh?
An act one in the movie, in the movie, this movie, because I can't wait for No Good Dan, Yeah, no good deed for good like I, yeah, I'll give you mine. Dancing through Life is my favorite. Really yes, and define gravity, of course, I.
Mean probably define gravity. I do like The Wizard and I a lot.
This Wizard and I yeah, also was.
What I love Jenna so good, having just read the book before I saw this, Yeah, because they did, I do know what the world looks like. They do a really good job. He does a really good job describing like there's just like desert beyond and her running to like this cliff.
The field I cannot and to the cliff where the rainbow is.
And I was like, absolutely, it took me.
I was like when I first saw that for the first time, I almost burst into tears, like like this is what I want to say because in the show and great, like she's standing in front of the clocks in the school like that's it, That's all you got, and to see this world with the lights and the reflection pieces, and like I was like, yeah, take me there.
And I'm just so glad.
It was an extension of the book too, of like that that oh too, you know that the book the book?
So they did, you know, I'm class like me going back on what I said of how I I wanted. They didn't necessarily add in more narrative components, but they did enrich Yes, what was there? Yes, with the things from the book.
Oh was it the So let me ask you about the scene with the where Alphaba freezes everybody with the poppies, or Paul everybody with the poppies.
It's different in the musical, Oh it is? I don't remember.
Well, it's like no, no, no, and everything moves around and the lights go kind of like when her music happens and the chair, you know, like when the chair moves in there in the opening versus this like beautiful poppy scene with everybody falling asleep. And the poppies rising, and it's just like it was different.
I believe it's different in the book. Don't quote me on this, but the book the thing because that exact scene doesn't happen. M I don't. Oh god, people are gonna be mad.
I'm into it though I was into it.
It's like, I'm so I'm so glad there was so much of that with doctor Dolman because that is a huge part of the book and that's Alphabet's whole reason for her caring and I'm so glad Like that felt really substantial in the movie, and that was one of those parts where was like I'm glad, like this is something that would have gotten cut down. I'm so glad it is not.
Yeah, I cannot wait for as long as you're mine.
Like, I'm really excited now I forgot this whole.
Act Too is so fruitful and I'm not that girl the second time and a girl it is.
Oh man, I think a lot of people talk about Act Too like like, oh, it's sort of like the music's not as good.
No, you get out of here. It's my favorite.
No, I'm excited because it's it's darker. I'm and like the The word on the street is like, Ariana and Cynthia are incredible, like even better, and I too, of course.
Oh I can't wait, I can't wait. I'm so excited. Should we just rate some.
One? I mean these are all going to be A plus?
Yeah, okay, yeah, I mean maybe i'd give something bad an A instead of an A plus. I thought Popular was really Oh, Popular was perfect.
Yeah. I actually liked this version better.
I think I think this is probably the best like choreographed stage sequence in the entire thing. I think this was just like this, This is the power of like movie musicals. Yes, that define gravity to me.
Also, One Short Day is a bop?
Like, oh yeah, One Short Day is great.
The Broadway version, the cast recording, I love that. I love One Short Day did.
I didn't like it at first, and then as I've gotten alder matured.
Yeah, I found myself listening to the whole thing.
I mean, Wizard and I A plus plus love it?
What does this feel? A something bad? A Dancing your Life?
I mean, Dancing through Life is an incredible number.
God, It's so good and.
It goes on for so long. That library scene is just unreal. The Spring Things and Jonathan Bailey is just so charming, so hot, so hot, popular again. Alas, Okay, I'm Not That Girl is my least favorite number in this movie.
Interesting. You know, I don't think that people love I'm Not That Girl all that much. I do personally, But.
I like this song. I this was my only bone to pick. I don't like how this number was.
Interesting. Interesting.
It feels like a nineties music video. Okay, and like, because you've done so many incredible numbers, yes, everything's justified. And I'm Not That Girl. It feels like we ran out of time.
That's fair, that's fair, that's fair.
Thing you need to do a lot, like we recently watched We Devoted to You is perfection, And she's just taken a stroll.
Yeah, like what time?
Yeah?
What time did they shoot that?
Yeah?
Like I'm just like, I don't need her sitting on a bench.
I know, I get it. It's a tough one. Give them a pass, you know, I give them a pass?
Oh yeah, I mean sure, short day. We're looking for things. One short day great.
A plus sentimental, man, I.
Yeah, the song itself, I'm like, eh, however, the scene loved A plus for me. The miniature, very clever, him going behind that curtain with the yellow bic road. It's beautiful. I loved how like silly it was and like stupid and also like sinister knowing what was coming.
Yes, Yes, Define Gravity a million plus. Yeah, just life changing. Oh I had a question for you. Actually it is a question. Sam just our producer, just reminded me of it.
Yeah.
Was throughout this movie. Sometimes they're taking breaks, like getting in and out of songs and I's just dialogue in the middle of the song, whatever it may be. Define Gravity is broken up quite a bit a lot. There's a lot happening in Define Gravity. Like I think there's like don't you think there's like her flying, there's a lot of like extra things added of like that isn't just like if you on the cast recording just hit play.
Oh it's close to the show.
It is they they do Maybe I'm wrong, but they do it where it's like they knock on the door. They're in the attic, she puts the cape over her, the broom comes up. That all is like part of Define Gravity. Additionally, that extra unlimit and the flashark of the kid, like I actually that was new right, And then like the silence before the big off.
Okay, that's crazy.
Okay, yeah, So and like when she falls, but it.
Doesn't I think, because it's already so broken up as long as it's additive and not retractively, like you're not taking away, it's adding to. Like, it didn't bother me because it's already broken up so much, and I just knew, oh, it's coming.
So I was like, I also love the orchestration of those new pieces. Beautiful, like those arrangements, Oh my gosh, how beautiful. Right?
Yeah, yeah, really well done.
Uh No, I don't think I noticed it all that much, to be honest, like it didn't feel different to me.
Okay, good, yeah, I mean because I thought it all worked wildly successfully.
But yeah, yeah, I think so. I think.
So is this a lyric change when they say you're here and they're singing that's in the show, Yes, it is get her, it's get her, But in the movie they say kill her. And I loved that. I was like, yes, shy away from Yeah. And because when define gravity ends, it's like best shot after best shot, and then she's flying away on that broom into part two. It is just I'm so exy. I haven't seen the stage show in a few years, so I don't really remember what
happens in Act two. I remember the book, and so I'm very interested to see it's.
A little slower. There's a little bit more dialogue. There's a little bit.
More of like the you know, when she's in her in the castle, like she's you know, and chi history's there, and she's kind of devising this plan and she's evil, but we know, like she's still good and there's all that castle.
She's in an act too, is she brought herself in the castle.
With the monkeys and her history and all of her monkeys.
Okay, so yeah, yeah.
And then they do like the reflection of Dorothy with the water, do you remember that with the pail in the water. They pulled the curtain back and then she disappears into the bottom.
Mm hmm. I'm just a lout of.
The and the scarecrow and Fierro turning into scarecrow.
It's like it's a lot more of that, like planning of the seeds of like what's to come in mister Oz.
None of that's in the book.
Mmmmm. I love And then also the nessa rose and the.
Ruby slippers, well that nessa man. There's two songs in for good new songs, which I'm yes, I don't. I don't know how I find I know.
I feel scared too, because I feel like anytime a new song is written for a movie, it sticks out like a sore thumb, and it always feels like it was just a song written.
But it's even Schwartz's a part of it.
It feels like maybe something he had always thought about, and like, I'm okay with that, but.
They gotta win that Best Original Song, Oscar. I know, I get it.
I just am okay. We'll see.
We'll see no Place Like Home for Alphaba and the Girl on the Bubble.
For a new song called no Place Like Home and something will saying it is just I'm okay, all right, I'm here for it.
Those are two very good names and it's.
Just for the two women. So like I we give it to me, give it to me, let's do some charity takes.
Okay, I don't think there's any cringe moments. No, everything is a character driven and yeah, exactly.
Like Linda's rude, but like you know, all of it is, yes, her journey, best dance move, I mean dancing through life in the balls.
That was this ballroom. Yeah, totally, Chris Scott.
Yeah, best song define gravity.
Yeah yeah, performance by a prop I mean at the broom.
Oh no. Also the poppies that they grew, they actually planted and grew so good, insane, best line Omaha, what is it? I like it?
Glinda with the guy. The guy is silent.
It's so hilarious when he's reading like this bell book and he's just saying, omaha.
Oh my gosh.
Okay performance m VP.
I mean the ladies.
Yeah, simply just duh, duh okay, Jenna shop we've found on TikTok this this year. Wow, today, I see ladies, Big Time Cooper mon log included completely dance correctly shot for shot, Glee, Halo Walking on Sunshine Mashup. It is so brilliant. It is very very good.
Wow you guys.
Yeah, and that Alfred's Look where do they get these dresses from? I don't know, because these are our dresses. Someone says, the dress is being accurate.
No, That's what I'm saying. Wow, Okay, big Time Cooper, we see you.
They said, we see lots of researching on resale sites for the costumes. Oh yeah, this is incredible. Wow, like it feels like it's twenty twelve, No really, or twenty ten. Whenever this was into it, someone said, this feels like twenty twelve YouTube in the best way possible. Wow, this this is really incredible. Oh my god, they have blue in the hair for you. She did it.
No, it's all you need is some five hour energies and a red Bull.
Okay, we're going to do a spoiler filled review for Wicked for Good, So this is your warning. Y'all.
Goe before you listen or listen, but be prepared.
So there are really screenings happening all week and it's officially opening on the twenty first, so let us know.
Come back, we're gonna talk about Wicked for Good.
I'm so nervous.
Oh my god, I'm so excited.
And that's what you really missed. Thanks for listening and follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod. Make sure to write us a review and leave us five stars. See you next time.