Theater gays, rejoice! During this year’s Super Bowl, Universal Pictures dropped the trailer for Wicked, the highly anticipated witchy musical adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
If you’ve somehow remained oblivious to the Broadway staple for the last couple of decades, a quick rundown: Wicked is loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, which casts classic Wizard of Oz main characters, Glinda (Grande) and Elphaba (Erivo), as unlikely college friends. (To quote a famous Vine, “Oh, my God. They were roommates!”)
When the story starts, neither of our leading ladies has yet rubbed shoulders with Judy Garland, but they’re certainly on that path. Glinda is a wealthy popular girl, and Elphaba is ostracized for her green skin and mysterious, potentially dangerous magical powers.
“The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy,” the titular wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) says ominously at the beginning of the teaser.
Nevertheless, Glinda and Elphaba’s initial dislike for each other soon gives way to a close friendship that has inspired many queer theater kid fantasies. (You can’t throw in a song about being consumed with intense feelings for your classmate and expect me to believe that these women are 100% straight, sorry!)
In addition to Wicked’s ample gay subtext, the movie adaptation is truly stacked with queer talent. Out queer actress Erivo plays Elphaba, a character who has long been an icon to young fans who don’t fit into societal norms (see: several musical numbers from Glee). Fellow Travelers’ Jonathan Bailey plays hunky love interest Fiyero, while Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang plays one of Glinda’s friends, a new character named Pfannee. A special shoutout is also in order for Grande’s current boyfriend Ethan Slater (of Spongebob fame), who plays Boq. He’s not gay, but their highly publicized romance is the reason Grande’s recent single “yes, and?” will be a staple of gay clubs for the foreseeable future. Love wins, I guess!
You can join the mass queer theater kid pilgrimage to movie theaters when Wicked comes out on November 27, 2024, with a second entry already slated for sometime next year.
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