Review: WICKED THE MOVIE at Cinemas

It's the most anticipated movie of the year. We have been waiting for a long time to experience the transfer from the stage version to the silver screen. With all the social media buzz, it's hard to escape WICKED THE MOVIE (Part 1). Still, apart from the Cynthia  Erivo/Ariana Grande exhibit friendship, the movie has a lot to offer. Directed by Jon M. Chu (who from now on should direct musical movie versions firsthand), you will find dozens of familiar faces, former  WICKED cast members, as well as hidden easter eggs, both in motion and music (if you want to get spoilers, check youtube).

The German-speaking area offers three different versions: the original Version, the German Version with the songs kept in English, and the German Version.
While I usually prefer the Original Version, I have been curious about the German translation for several reasons. First, I want to know how they arrange the lyrics, what is similar to the stage show, and what the singers sound like.
Sabrina Weckerlin (once alternate Elphaba of the first  German production in Stuttgart), Sophia Riedl (Glinda), and Philipp  Büttner (Fyero) are familiar names to take on this huge responsibility. If you are going to watch a movie with artists like Erivo or Grande, you should listen to their creations, but if you liked the film in the first place, go and see it again, but this time in German. Sabrina  Weckerlin is a well-known Leading Lady who opened as Elsa in the German Version of Disney's FROZEN (and handed over the role to her former Elphaba, Villemijn Verkaik), giving Elphaba not only a German voice but also loads of heart.  As her Glinda, Sophia Riedl is somewhat different than Ariana  Grande but suits Weckerlin well. We are very curious about their duet  (For Good) in Part Two. Philipp Büttner sums up the Leading Musical actors as Fyero, representing his strongest asset, his voice, even as colorful as Jonathan Bailey. A not-so-much-hidden but charming gem, Original German Elphaba and Glinda,  Villemijn Verkaik, and Lucy Scherer lend their voices to Idina Menzel and  Kristin Chenoweth. It's good to hear them, isn't it?

The German lyrics floating smoothly to Stephen Schwartz's music are like a bonus—getting the movie in a different version. Of course, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande give a milestone performance, but the German musical actors are doing well, representing our much more complicated but beautiful language. Transforming a Musical for the Silver Screen needs a lot of instinct and respect for the genre and the original version. Otherwise, your movie went out to be a "Katzenjammer." Like Pink goes good with German, German goes good with WICKED.

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