How many times did you watch Wicked during its opening weekend? The musical blockbuster has blown the roof off the box office and wrapped both newcomers and long-time fans in its warmly emphatic story of identity and destiny.
From sensational stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to the grandiose nature of the production and the energy of the musical numbers (all of which were performed live), Wicked has asserted itself as a must-see movie event.
Given that the movie is so Popular, we wanted to Dance Through Life and walk hand in hand to the Emerald City. Scroll down to discover some of the Easter Eggs we spotted in Wicked.
If you haven't watched it yet, walk those ruby slippers down the Yellow Brick Road to Cineworld and come back here after you've absorbed the magic.
POTENTIAL WICKED SPOILERS AHEAD
1. The opening Universal logo and titles deliberately invoke those seen in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
2. We also see the five main characters from The Wizard of Oz walking along the Yellow Brick Road before the start of ‘No One Mourns The Wicked’.
3. Many musical riffs invoke The Wizard of Oz: the ‘Unlimited…’ refrain contains the same notes as ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and Galinda (Grande) sings the notes of ‘Follow The Yellow Brick Road’ in ‘Defying Gravity’.
4. ‘For Good’, a song in the second half of the Wicked musical, is used as the platonic love/friendship theme for Galinda and Elphaba (Erivo).
5. Elphaba’s name references the original Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum – L. F. B.
6. As Elphaba levitates benches in Shiz University, one hits a mural of the Wizard revealing a mural of animal professors behind it – foreshadowing the attitude of the Wizard himself (Jeff Goldblum).
7. During ‘Popular’, Galinda picks up ruby slippers and taps them together three times a la Dorothy (Judy Garland) in The Wizard of Oz.
8. Elphaba rescues a lion from Shiz University and puts him in a wicker basket on her bicycle – mirroring the behaviour of Elmira Gulch in The Wizard of Oz.
9. At the start, there are shots of rainbows and bluebirds flying over Elphaba in ‘The Wizard and I’, which directly references the lyrics of the classic song 'Over the Rainbow' from The Wizard of Oz.
10. There are cameos from original Wicked stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth, plus Wicked creator Stephen Schwartz, in ‘One Short Day’.
Defy gravity and watch Wicked at Cineworld. Book your tickets below.
Have you heard about our Wicked gifting range? Our gift cards start from £5, plus you can share in the joy of cinema with our Gift for Two, and our Unlimited gift box is the perfect pressie for the film fan in your life.
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