Wicked has traveled the world, from the West End to Broadway and is perhaps one of the most successful musicals of all time. The prequel to The Wizard Of Oz managed to tell a new tale about the Wicked Witch that audiences had feared for so long.
With Hamilton demonstrating that a stage adaptation can absolutely work in a cinematic way, there could be the option for Wicked to get the same treatment. But with fans longing for a proper film version of the classic, there's also an argument to be made that the story of Oz should get a full cinema release framed in a fictional world, rather than on a Broadway stage.
10 Stage Adaptation: Bringing Broadway Home
Many people might not be able to experience Wicked live on the stage. By bringing it onto streaming services in the same way as Hamilton, it allows for many people to witness it from their own homes.
This allows the arts to become available to a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, who may never have been given the chance to watch one of the world's greatest shows.
9 Film Adaptation: Already In The Works
There's actually a film adaptation in the works based on the Broadway hit. It's in the very earliest stages of production without even casting announcements to speak of.
With some work having already been done on this version of the story though, perhaps it would be best to run with the plans in place before moving onto a new iteration of the project. Stephen Daldry is attached to direct though.
8 Stage Adaptation: New Audiences
The stage version of the musical could also bring the concept to new audiences. While a film can achieve the same thing, many of the core elements of the musical are sometimes lost in translation.
Wicked has certainly changed and touched a lot of lives. This kind of adaptation might create new fans out of audiences that never would have considered watching it before.
7 Film Adaptation: An Alternate Take
Much like Hamilton will be receiving a film adaptation that will see a different take on these real-life characters, Wicked would also benefit from a bit of a reinvention.
The stage show is almost so perfect that it's difficult to create anything that compares. An adaption that is inspired by but also develops upon the original would mean that there are other variations of the story for fans to enjoy.
6 Stage Adaptation: A Formula That Works
This kind of stage show has already been proven to work. Wicked definitely succeeds in that kind of format and it's clear from Disney+ that fans are ready to see stage adaptations on screen.
In some ways, it would be silly not to take advantage of that and achieve a similar level of success with another one of the world's most well-known productions.
5 Film Adaptation: Fully Realised
There are a few concepts in the stage show that don't quite become fully realized because of the constraints of working within the theatre. A film production wouldn't have these same restrictions.
With larger budgets, the opportunity to re-shoot, and the use of visual effects, the film can even improve upon some of the original visual designs. Perhaps it could even utilize archive footage from the original film.
4 Stage Adaptation: The Original Cast
The original cast of the show has become incredibly famous, with the leads of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth working together fantastically.
Both have gone on to other things but there would be something magical about bringing together that original cast and putting on one more performance of the production that made them big stars.
3 Film Adaptation: A Full Follow Up
There has not been a truly great follow up to the original Wizard Of Oz film. There have been a few sequels and even Disney had a crack at producing a prequel, but none of these captured the same magic.
Having Wicked on Broadway often felt like the real prequel to the story and a continuation of the narrative on stage. There should be a version of that on film to live up to the original movie.
2 Stage Adaptation: Amazing Designs
The set design, visual effects, and costuming of the production is one of the best pieces of artwork in any show. They've rarely changed over the years because they are so perfect for the production.
These elements have to be celebrated in a proper stage adaptation. If Hollywood went the route of having a full film then these elements would inspire the movie-making process but wouldn't be appreciated in the same way.
1 Film Adaptation: A Different Experience
It's a truly different experience to witness these characters and events in a cinematic way, as opposed to in a theatre. For those wanting to see Wicked on stage, they will still be able to do so.
But there will also be a new way of experiencing this story, one that doesn't have to compromise on anything and in many ways complements the stage show as opposed to competing against it.
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July 22, 2020 at 05:30AM
