Speaker 1: And that's what you really missed with Jenna.
Speaker 2: And Kevin An iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3: Podcast Welcome to You, and that's what you really miss podcast.
Speaker 1: Whoa happy opening, Kevin. You are you are in your run,
Speaker 1: you have embarked on the journey.
Speaker 2: Thanks.
Speaker 1: How's it going?
Speaker 2: I mean, so far, so.
Speaker 3: Good, amazing, It looks amazing.
Speaker 2: Have been great.
Speaker 1: Oh, it's so good. Guest spellers are unbelievable. Wow.
Speaker 2: The other day because so they post this thing on
Speaker 2: the board where like some people want to know who's
Speaker 2: like a celebrity guest speller if we have one and
Speaker 2: some people don't. So it's covered and it says celebrity
Speaker 2: guest speller. Oh I love that pull up for a reveal?
Speaker 1: Do you do it or no?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you like to know.
Speaker 2: The other day, our first like celebrity guest speller was
Speaker 2: Stephanie J. Block. Oh icon, which was appropriate. It's very
Speaker 2: appropriate for what we're doing today, correct, like the original
Speaker 2: original original alphaba.
Speaker 3: Right right right in the workshop, pre Broadway Alphaba.
Speaker 2: And I was I was fully fanning out because in
Speaker 2: my journey into musical theater, Block is my number one.
Speaker 2: From what I think, she's my number one. I saw
Speaker 2: Falsettos when it was when it was revived a number
Speaker 2: of years ago, and I was like, who is this woman?
Speaker 2: Because she comes out and does like her solo and
Speaker 2: is unreal.
Speaker 1: Who is this woman?
Speaker 2: I obviously had no idea, And then Austin has since
Speaker 2: fully educated me, which showed when I met her after
Speaker 2: the show the other day. I go I was showing
Speaker 2: some of the guys you singing memory from cats off
Speaker 2: of YouTube today, you stop right now, and she was like, well,
Speaker 2: I looked more like a goat in that.
Speaker 1: But.
Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, her whole family is so talented it's crazy,
Speaker 3: and she's done everything.
Speaker 1: She's amazing. Oh that's so exciting.
Speaker 3: I can't wait to see who your guest as spellers are.
Speaker 1: This is like such a journey and how exciting.
Speaker 3: You should like make a list of all of your
Speaker 3: favorite ones and such and just like so you can
Speaker 3: remember them.
Speaker 2: Well, I freaked out, like Nick Offerman was our second
Speaker 2: unbelievable Yeah, I was like, oh that's huge.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like where do you go from there?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Like like he brought his wife, comedic icon magh Malali, and.
Speaker 1: I just I cannot, Yeah, I cannot.
Speaker 2: Really terrifying knowing like they're in the audience.
Speaker 3: Well that's why people do the paper, so you don't know,
Speaker 3: I know, but but then you're gonna find out anyway,
Speaker 3: so he may.
Speaker 2: I think it would be more disturbing to look into
Speaker 2: the audience and spot someone or I think.
Speaker 3: You guys know there's like guest spellers coming, Like there's
Speaker 3: always somebody that could potentially have the potential to be
Speaker 3: very famous coming. Is like the thing like otherwise you
Speaker 3: could just kind of slight slightly avoid it if it
Speaker 3: was just audience totally, you know, but yeah, there's there's
Speaker 3: a whole element there that I would not. I am not,
Speaker 3: but that is how fun. Well, congratulations on the beginning
Speaker 3: of your runs.
Speaker 1: It is very inciting, and I.
Speaker 2: Would just you know, before I move on. This is
Speaker 2: my weekly shout out to Lily Cooper for being the
Speaker 2: funniest person on the planet.
Speaker 5: I'm just glad that you're getting to experience her because
Speaker 5: it's one of my favorite people and has always been
Speaker 5: and wildly talented, good person.
Speaker 2: She also has like she's so funny and also has
Speaker 2: an insanely hard vocal track.
Speaker 1: This very hard, very hard.
Speaker 2: I don't just makes it look easy.
Speaker 1: Effortless that's that's a Tony Tony nominee. That's what they do.
Speaker 2: See her.
Speaker 1: Oh, I can't wait. What a joy. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1: I'm so excited. Well, speaking of Cooper, Wicked, Wicked, lots
Speaker 1: of Wicked people, yes, circling. I mean, Wicked is such a.
Speaker 3: Monster of a musical and cultural moment and truly revolutionary
Speaker 3: for so many people that obviously we couldn't avoid doing
Speaker 3: the movie musical Wicked, which the part two was on
Speaker 3: its way here.
Speaker 1: The press is here.
Speaker 2: The press is here, speaking of which I just watched
Speaker 2: they had Arianna and Bowen back on the Vanity Fair
Speaker 2: like light detector test.
Speaker 1: I love the moon thing.
Speaker 2: And she's so funny. The whole thing is so fun
Speaker 2: Like she's just she's great.
Speaker 1: She's great.
Speaker 2: I really just I feel like she's just mashing it.
Speaker 2: Like however, she's been able to do this transition into
Speaker 2: like and.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I also feel like I was thinking about this
Speaker 3: as well.
Speaker 1: The secret sauce to this movie.
Speaker 3: I mean, there's so many parts of it that are
Speaker 3: secret sauce and not so secret sauce.
Speaker 1: But like a big part of this was like the
Speaker 1: hype and the press and the media surrounding it, like
Speaker 1: what a brilliant campaign, and then also like building it
Speaker 1: around these two women who clearly have a deep love
Speaker 1: and understanding and sense of like friendship surrounding the movie
Speaker 1: like and coming out of the movie. It's kind of
Speaker 1: the way that like they position Leanne Groff sometimes where
Speaker 1: it's this like magical story of these two people that
Speaker 1: are so I don't know, it's it's the press of
Speaker 1: it all is also so brilliant, not that they needed it, right,
Speaker 1: not that the show needed it, but what a way
Speaker 1: to create the genius buzz around it. I mean, the
Speaker 1: holding space moment last year was just iconic.
Speaker 2: Well. I think also what helps is secret sauce wise,
Speaker 2: is when you have people working on it in front
Speaker 2: of the camera and behind the camera who do care
Speaker 2: so deeply about what they're doing, have been like longtime fans.
Speaker 2: Obviously you can't necessarily have that with something that has
Speaker 2: not been around for twenty years, right, right, Like these
Speaker 2: people grew up loving this show, right, and this has
Speaker 2: always meant something to write like you yeah, and so
Speaker 2: I think to be able to and I think this
Speaker 2: is also part of like Ariana's really great transition into
Speaker 2: doing more films is that she works really hard at
Speaker 2: this stuff because she really cares. Yes, you can, and
Speaker 2: you see people who opportunities just because they're famous and
Speaker 2: they like phone it in. She's not doing that. And
Speaker 2: the respect she has for whether she's doing music or
Speaker 2: she's doing this, whatever it is, there's a great respect
Speaker 2: for it. Same with everybody and John Chu coming into
Speaker 2: this with a deep love of music, a deep love
Speaker 2: of musicals, and also making them accessible to a big audience.
Speaker 2: The other part of this, I think is really challenging,
Speaker 2: beyond a musical being successful, which seems like the odds
Speaker 2: are stacked against you from the get go, is that
Speaker 2: you have this gigantic and wildly successful stage musical right
Speaker 2: all around the world. It's huge. People of it. People
Speaker 2: have their preconceived ideas of what a film should be.
Speaker 2: They've been trying to make this movie. This was supposed
Speaker 2: to be a movie before it was ever a stage show,
Speaker 2: like that was that was supposed to Like when I
Speaker 2: went to the premiere last year, Mark Platt was saying,
Speaker 2: like this was like it was supposed to be a movie.
Speaker 2: It wasn't even supposed to be a stage show. And
Speaker 2: so like the stage show was an attempt, like you know,
Speaker 2: an ip thing to get it to be a yeah,
Speaker 2: and so I think to be able to pull it
Speaker 2: off and have it be successful is ext is an
Speaker 2: extremely hard challenge, and all of these people met the challenge,
Speaker 2: and I was very excited to get to watch it again.
Speaker 3: Okay, well let's start, let's talk about it. So we're
Speaker 3: doing Wicked and it premiered on November twenty second, twenty
Speaker 3: twenty four, which is wild. It was a year ago.
Speaker 3: I saw this in the movie theater with my newborn
Speaker 3: son with ear muffs and a bobby and he slept
Speaker 3: through the whole thing.
Speaker 1: And I was able to enjoy this postpartum. It was
Speaker 1: what a dream. The number one.
Speaker 3: Saw in the world at this time was a bar
Speaker 3: song Tipsy by Shaboozie.
Speaker 1: The number one movie was Wicked.
Speaker 2: Wicked forty six mil opening.
Speaker 1: Day Jesus three, biggest opening day.
Speaker 2: Ever for a film based on a Broadway musical.
Speaker 1: Well, Yes, and Glee News.
Speaker 3: It was our podcast and we were recapping season five
Speaker 3: episode four, a Katie or Agaga in season five episode
Speaker 3: five and of to work and we chatted with.
Speaker 2: Jcse Okay, So Wicked look directed by John m two
Speaker 2: screenplay by Winnie Holtzman and Dana Fox, based on the
Speaker 2: two thousand and three Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and
Speaker 2: Winnie Holdsman, which was also based on Gregory Maguire's nine
Speaker 2: ninety five novel Wicked, The Life and Times of the
Speaker 2: Wicked Witch of the West. Did you read that book? No?
Speaker 2: Did you so? In preparation to see the movie last year,
Speaker 2: Austin encouraged me to read the book because he was
Speaker 2: starting to read the book. Austin, in turn, gave up
Speaker 2: reading the book, and I finished it on my own.
Speaker 2: I went on a trip. I thought when i'd come back,
Speaker 2: he would be done and we could talk about it.
Speaker 2: He gave up. The book is obviously reimagining of the
Speaker 2: you know, L. Frank Baum's nineteen hundred classic Wonderful Wizard
Speaker 2: of Oz. I'm not saying you need to read the book.
Speaker 2: I don't think anybody needs to read the book, and
Speaker 2: so many times, you know, in so many cases I
Speaker 2: would say that you don't need to read this one.
Speaker 2: The adaptatient the fact, first of all, the book and
Speaker 2: the stage show are so wildly different. They are so different,
Speaker 2: and I think the stage adapt patient is so much
Speaker 2: better than the story in the book, and the fact
Speaker 2: that they got that story out of that book is incredible.
Speaker 2: The stage show just has so much, so much more
Speaker 2: of what you want and you see, like there's so
Speaker 2: much more magic and whimsy. And when you hear some
Speaker 2: of these demos, I don't know if you've heard like
Speaker 2: the early like Stephen Schort's demos and things.
Speaker 3: Maybe I had, but it's been a while. If I have,
Speaker 3: it is incredible. Was it even short singing them? I
Speaker 3: think so, Oh it's like a man, not like idea.
Speaker 3: But it was like bad, like you know, like the
Speaker 3: song I mean.
Speaker 1: These are yeah, oh the songs are bad.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like everything was. Yeah, it was so strange and
Speaker 2: like earn the process. And that's why it's so amazing
Speaker 2: to me that, I mean, this is some of the
Speaker 2: most incredible music ever. Yeah, And that's the magic of it.
Speaker 2: That's why it's so successful. That's why the movie is
Speaker 2: so successful. Like it is, Yeah, it is so so
Speaker 2: good and complex and every line means something and anyway,
Speaker 2: it's just a great show. What is your experience with
Speaker 2: the show, Well, do.
Speaker 1: You have all day?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: In fact, I remember my dad getting a little program.
Speaker 3: I was in high school and he got a program
Speaker 3: like he does for discount of tickets for this new
Speaker 3: show that was in previews, and he saw a Dina
Speaker 3: and Kristin and he knew I, like, you know, I
Speaker 3: knew who a Diena.
Speaker 1: Was, of course in Kristin, you know, from other musicals.
Speaker 1: And he said, do you want to see this? And
Speaker 1: I said yeah. So we went in previews and.
Speaker 3: I remember sitting there not knowing anything about the show,
Speaker 3: not having any context of like what this was about,
Speaker 3: except for that, you know, there was a Wizard of
Speaker 3: Oz connect here. That's really all I knew. So I
Speaker 3: sit down start watching the show. I'm like, Wow, this
Speaker 3: is great. And then Defying Gravity hits and the lights
Speaker 3: go down at the intermission, and my life was changed,
Speaker 3: you know. And I think I went back four or
Speaker 3: five times and that next year to see that show
Speaker 3: again with those with that cast, that original cast, my
Speaker 3: sweet friend Chris Fitzgerald, and it was truly life changing
Speaker 3: for us. I mean, anybody in musical theater pursuing musical
Speaker 3: theater at the time I was, I think I was
Speaker 3: in my junior year hub or senior of high school.
Speaker 3: Like every person was seeing spat suite spot Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: life changing female strong women in the leading positions. Songs
Speaker 3: to sang for Good was at every high school graduation.
Speaker 3: Definitely sang it at mine, like listened to it in
Speaker 3: the car every day on the way to school. Like
Speaker 3: truly groundbreaking, life changing, a part of musical theater history forever,
Speaker 3: kind of like what Hamilton, you know, the kids had
Speaker 3: for Hamilton, you know, more recently seeing it take on
Speaker 3: another life with the tour and people are friends going
Speaker 3: into the show, like Jackie Burns playing Alphaba and Stephanie
Speaker 3: j Block one of the you know, coming in after aDNA.
Speaker 1: Left, and it's just.
Speaker 3: It was a really important musical and clearly like then
Speaker 3: Glee's doing it on the show in so many ways,
Speaker 3: we do it a million times and so many numbers,
Speaker 3: and then Kristen comes on the show. So it's just,
Speaker 3: I don't know, it was just a really important musical
Speaker 3: to me. And to see a movie that was done
Speaker 3: successfully not just successfully, like exceedingly excellent in every way
Speaker 3: and the masses really appreciating it as well in this
Speaker 3: new medium is like, so it's just everything you dream
Speaker 3: of as somebody who loved musical leader and loves the show.
Speaker 2: It was that it's that magic of you know, to
Speaker 2: what you were talking about, how obviously people want these
Speaker 2: things to get funded and they want them to do well,
Speaker 2: so they hire really famous people, and like hiring Ariana Grande,
Speaker 2: who was arguably one of the most famous people on
Speaker 2: the planet. Yep, But that a lot of times doesn't
Speaker 2: necessarily translate into like box office success, right. And so
Speaker 2: this was all of those things coming together in the
Speaker 2: exact right way and having quality of work matching the
Speaker 2: quality of a press tour right, right, stars aligning and
Speaker 2: making it like a cultural phenomenon, right.
Speaker 3: And I remember John talking about how he was thinking
Speaker 3: about cast saying, you know, newcomers for these roles, obviously
Speaker 3: through all the different versions of people who were attached
Speaker 3: to it throughout the years, but like bringing in Ariana
Speaker 3: and Cynthia, who are well known and famous, and you know,
Speaker 3: but then them really taking on these roles inevitably, like
Speaker 3: them not being able to look away from these women,
Speaker 3: that these were the.
Speaker 1: Ladies who took on the roles.
Speaker 3: Was I think the right approach or I mean, who
Speaker 3: am I to say what approach? But like it was
Speaker 3: like the it seems very genuine that they were like,
Speaker 3: oh no, we're going to do newbies and newcomers, and
Speaker 3: then all of a sudden we decided we had to
Speaker 3: cast these already kind of established, you know, very famous actresses, right.
Speaker 2: I mean, the best person wins. It's just like if
Speaker 2: the team making it feels the most inspired by these
Speaker 2: two people who also just happened to be really famous. Yes,
Speaker 2: and that's sort of like a dream, totally totally in
Speaker 2: terms of creativity, and I'm like the producer end of it.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 3: Yes, So this wasn't initially supposed to be a movie
Speaker 3: you hadn't like you had mentioned h And in the
Speaker 3: nineteen nineties, Demi Moore, producer Suzanne Todd, and Linda Woolverton
Speaker 3: from Being to These pitched a live action adaptation in
Speaker 3: Maguire's book with the mechis Is, at one point being
Speaker 3: considered to direct.
Speaker 1: Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 2: Susanne was the producer. Listen Suzanne's My Girl No Stop.
Speaker 2: Susan Todd. I played poker with her, Stop played poker
Speaker 2: with her for like a decade, all through the pandemic.
Speaker 2: We were on Zoom Poker. I can't even tell you
Speaker 2: the other people who were in there. It was I
Speaker 2: was the youngest and poorest by far. Wow.
Speaker 3: But Suzanne is I love Susanne Wow, Like she's she's great.
Speaker 3: Clearly she's got, you know something, she knows what's up.
Speaker 2: So over the years, names like Whoop Beee, Claire Danes,
Speaker 2: i'm ahayak, Laurie Metcalf were inked for the project, while
Speaker 2: Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson, uh, I know, Cale Kidman were
Speaker 2: rumored for Glinda and Alphabet.
Speaker 3: That's really crazy, Like I get it, but I also
Speaker 3: a'm like, could you imagine.
Speaker 2: Well, if they were doing a direct a direct adaptation
Speaker 2: of the book, different, I see that. And here's the
Speaker 2: thing I would like to see, like a series maybe
Speaker 2: based off the book, because the book is a lot darker, is.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 3: And that's what they were saying, was like there was
Speaker 3: all these different inceptions like not being a musical until
Speaker 3: Stephen Schwartz came along.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right.
Speaker 3: Stephen Schwartz, who now is known for Wicked but has
Speaker 3: had an incredible career aside from Wicked. He read Maguire's
Speaker 3: novel in the nineties and envisioned it not as a film.
Speaker 1: But as a musical. Thank Goodness.
Speaker 3: Schwartz persuaded Universal then had a production Mark Platt to
Speaker 3: support the idea, along with David Stone, Winnie holtzman, Joe Mantello,
Speaker 3: choreographer Wayne Cliento, and they began shaping what would become
Speaker 3: one of the most finding musicals is twenty our Century Wicked.
Speaker 2: Speaking of David Stone, who I think has the rights
Speaker 2: of spelling Bee, I've seen him a lot lately, and
Speaker 2: he reminded me how we saw him on the Wicked stage.
Speaker 2: I like first met him when we went to visit
Speaker 2: during Glee. Remember the day we met Bloomberg that picture,
Speaker 2: and then we went on the Wicked.
Speaker 1: I don't think I was there.
Speaker 2: Oh you weren't there for that.
Speaker 1: I don't think I was there.
Speaker 2: We went on the Wicked stage because I was either
Speaker 2: were filming it from the show and we met him,
Speaker 2: and I had no idea what I was, you know,
Speaker 2: I didn't know anything about Wicked.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, wow, wow, wow. How well the show was
Speaker 3: a It was an understandment. This show was a success.
Speaker 3: It won three Tony Award.
Speaker 2: It's crazy it only won three.
Speaker 1: I feel like it was in a weird year with
Speaker 1: Avenue Q, which took away a lot.
Speaker 2: Avenue Q won Best Musical, didn't.
Speaker 3: It, which we were like what and like, obviously I
Speaker 3: love Avenue Q. Great time for musical theater. Truly a
Speaker 3: golden era of musical theater in my opinion. Yeah, but
Speaker 3: it was a tough one because you know, you had Wicked.
Speaker 3: It just goes to show you never know.
Speaker 2: Wicked, which twenty years later has grossed over six billion
Speaker 2: dollars around the world.
Speaker 3: It's been seen by sixty five million people across sixteen
Speaker 3: countries and over one hundred cities.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like money, money, Mon seventeen, it surpassed The Phantom
Speaker 2: of the Opera to become Broadway's second highest grossing musical,
Speaker 2: only behind The Lion King. Wow wow. Yeah.
Speaker 3: Well, Universal obviously immediately began exploring a film adaptation of
Speaker 3: the show. The project went through years of development and rewrites,
Speaker 3: shifting creative teens before finally finding it's footing.
Speaker 2: So it took a while, I mean yeah, like two
Speaker 2: thousand and nine. Even after Wicked the stage musical was big.
Speaker 2: Sama Jayek's production company Weird was going to adapt it
Speaker 2: for TV and non musical adaptation, but like that didn't
Speaker 2: happen then, Yeah, twenty eleven, they are all these other ones.
Speaker 2: Twenty twelve, Mark Platt announced there's going to be a film.
Speaker 2: Obviously didn't happen. Yeah, yeah, Stephen Daldry was set to
Speaker 2: direct it at some points. Steven Daldry's incredible. He did
Speaker 2: the Hour actually Elliott and huge theater director as well. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: but it didn't work out. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And then John cheu Lands and Oz thank goodness.
Speaker 3: So he obviously is coming off to the heels Crazy
Speaker 3: Rich Asians in the Heights. He's been a lifelong fan
Speaker 3: of the musical. Uh, and he just felt like the
Speaker 3: like when when they announced John, I was like, yeah,
Speaker 3: for sure.
Speaker 2: It makes sense. And I think I think the biggest
Speaker 2: reason it makes sense is because John's movies are accessible.
Speaker 2: Crazy Rich Asians is a perfect rom com. Like I
Speaker 2: love that movie. It's my comfort movie. He makes like
Speaker 2: family friendly. And I say that in a good, in
Speaker 2: a positive way. Where Wicked the Stage musical is a
Speaker 2: gigantic blockbuster of a production, it is that musical can
Speaker 2: be enjoyed by every single person. Yeah, and I think
Speaker 2: if you're looking at like the text, if you're looking
Speaker 2: at the book, like, oh yeah, it could be dark
Speaker 2: and gritty, and that's not what the stage musical is really, No,
Speaker 2: there are some very deep and dark themes in it. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean, like visually John's John's tone and style I
Speaker 2: think matched. I think matches it really really well.
Speaker 1: Well, this reminds me a little bit.
Speaker 3: I'm curious to see where part two goes, because everybody
Speaker 3: has been saying it's darker, it's grittier, it's different, which
Speaker 3: is a slight departure from what John is normally used
Speaker 3: to doing and what he does best, right, agreed, And
Speaker 3: the musical does have it, just because it is on stage,
Speaker 3: has this component that's a little bit darker, a little
Speaker 3: bit more minimal, a little.
Speaker 1: Bit more you know. It's just it's different.
Speaker 3: But I think the beginning had to be bright and
Speaker 3: vibrant and beautiful, like she's coming down in a bubble.
Speaker 1: This is it has to be magical. This reminds me of.
Speaker 3: Harry Potter a little bit, yes, in the way that
Speaker 3: it starts off kind of a little boppy and kid friendly,
Speaker 3: et cetera. Not that it won't be kid friendly, but
Speaker 3: like it gives off this like younger, brighter theme of like,
Speaker 3: you know, okay, and then it gets darker after three,
Speaker 3: three or four, right, you know, yeah, and it just
Speaker 3: keeps getting darker. So I'm so excited to see what
Speaker 3: that means to them.
Speaker 2: I am too, and I'm excited to see like John's
Speaker 2: growth as a director, Like I think, yeah, Wicked was
Speaker 2: already a huge you know that, pushing the bounds of
Speaker 2: what anybody can do. You have a different budget, you
Speaker 2: have this story that is so important to people. You're
Speaker 2: building these massive, practical set pieces that they were using
Speaker 2: that were beautiful. Wow, you're dancing in all those spaces.
Speaker 2: There's just so much material. And I'm excited to see
Speaker 2: the attention because I think in that way, like he
Speaker 2: is really good at Spectacle and the second half is
Speaker 2: a lot about story, a lot about like groundedness and seriousness,
Speaker 2: and I'm really I'm really looking forward to see that
Speaker 2: all those things combined to like what that movie feels like.
Speaker 1: And I do think like from the musical to the movie,
Speaker 1: my overall like thought and feeling about it is like.
Speaker 3: The goal the real goal to me of like doing
Speaker 3: a musical movie is bringing it from stage to cinema
Speaker 3: and elevating it and it becoming more intimate than just
Speaker 3: theater because theater is big.
Speaker 1: Theater is you're playing to the back right exactly.
Speaker 3: So what John did with this musical movie part one
Speaker 3: was bring us deeper into the intimacy of these characters,
Speaker 3: and I think he did it in the most successful way.
Speaker 3: And so I think if he just if, it's going
Speaker 3: to be great because it's he's just digging deeper into
Speaker 3: that part of it that he's already done so successfully
Speaker 3: in the first part.
Speaker 1: So that's my hope.
Speaker 2: How do you feel about splitting this into two movies?
Speaker 3: When they said it, I was like, first, I was like, Oh,
Speaker 3: we're gonna have to wait a hear.
Speaker 1: I think that was totally right. I think if you if.
Speaker 3: You did do it in one film, you would have
Speaker 3: lost so much of the intimacy that they needed to
Speaker 3: create for this to be successful, to be an elevated
Speaker 3: version of this musical that's already so wildly successful and
Speaker 3: loved by so many people.
Speaker 1: So I think it was the right choice. I'm super
Speaker 1: supportive of it.
Speaker 3: I think it allows for the tone to shift in
Speaker 3: a much more dramatic way.
Speaker 1: And I totally agree. I mean, I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 3: Last night, I was like, Wow, this is two hours
Speaker 3: and forty minutes, Like, this is a long ass pilm,
Speaker 3: and I'm grateful they didn't have to crunch a whole
Speaker 3: second act into this two hours and forty minutes they
Speaker 3: were able to fill.
Speaker 2: I couldn't agree more. My favorite thing about this movie
Speaker 2: is the pacing of it. I think how they get
Speaker 2: in and out of these numbers, how much time they're taking.
Speaker 2: What you said, like in the world to have us
Speaker 2: like live in it and have a deeper understanding and
Speaker 2: connection with this world. Nothing felt rushed and nothing felt gratuitous.
Speaker 1: That's right.
Speaker 2: It was like, oh, this is just this is a
Speaker 2: perfect great standalone movie on tone. Yeah, like it fully
Speaker 2: works and it when I first heard they were spinning
Speaker 2: it up too, I was like, oh, it's cash grab
Speaker 2: you know that, that's what. It doesn't feel like that
Speaker 2: for one second. No, it feels like, oh no, creatively,
Speaker 2: we actually had to do this, and.
Speaker 1: Yeah it she said.
Speaker 3: He said it's impossible to wrestle the story of wi
Speaker 3: Get into a single film without doing real damage to it,
Speaker 3: and I totally agree.
Speaker 1: I think it's very genuine and.
Speaker 2: I think we've seen that before in musical movies. When
Speaker 2: they tried to do that you feel it, there's it is.
Speaker 2: It is a bummer And and that's what I kept
Speaker 2: thinking the first time I saw it. I was like,
Speaker 2: I'm so happy we don't have to like move beyond
Speaker 2: the scene yet, because you can just like write like
Speaker 2: every We've all watched a lot of movies and move
Speaker 2: movie musicals, and you can just imagine where they would
Speaker 2: like be cutting and how like they would compact, you know,
Speaker 2: probably four scenes worth the material into.
Speaker 1: One scene, I know, and that's gonna do.
Speaker 2: That's gonna do a lot of heavy lifting, Like every
Speaker 2: every scene has to do a lot of heavy lifting,
Speaker 2: as opposed to like we can have nuance and this.
Speaker 1: Believer, yes it's usually done like this huge spectacle.
Speaker 2: Of a movie, there's still nuance in the story and so.
Speaker 3: So much and like introducing little Alphaba into this like
Speaker 3: when she's falling before in like divine gravity, you're like, yes,
Speaker 3: there's a just a deeper understanding of the characters and
Speaker 3: also a chance to really fall in love with these women,
Speaker 3: like they both are so flawed and yet so lovable.
Speaker 3: And I think that's what's so powerful about this film
Speaker 3: and about this musical is that these women are flawed
Speaker 3: and they are you know, they're not perfect, but we
Speaker 3: love them so deeply. And for the audience to get
Speaker 3: a chance to really fall in love with these girls
Speaker 3: before Ozo's Ballroom and then having them find each other
Speaker 3: and then love them together as a collective is so
Speaker 3: powerful and it's it just it makes everything even better.
Speaker 3: I also just like the attention to detail that John
Speaker 3: was able to with these easter eggs of like Wizard
Speaker 3: of Oz, of like at the end of Wizard and
Speaker 3: I and there's a rainbow at the end of the cliff.
Speaker 3: You're like, yes, like give me all of this and
Speaker 3: they have the space in the time to do it.
Speaker 3: So so grateful, so so grateful, even like the like
Speaker 3: the ozdest Ballroom, Like oh, one of my favorite numbers
Speaker 3: is dancing through life in the answas far rooms, So
Speaker 3: like how nice to like.
Speaker 2: Not rush any of that. I know, like those emotional
Speaker 2: beats right after that, like like you it does. I
Speaker 2: know we're comparing it to Harry Potter because it's you know, wizards,
Speaker 2: but being able to like have a peek into you know,
Speaker 2: the wizarding world or whatever that's not at school. Yes,
Speaker 2: Like those moments are so spad feel like like we
Speaker 2: feel like we're getting led into this thing. And to
Speaker 2: see the growth between these characters, between this friendship all
Speaker 2: play out in this one scene, in this massive scene,
Speaker 2: it was just it was beautiful. And Chris Scott, who's
Speaker 2: a choreographer.
Speaker 1: I could not imagine anybody else choreographing this well.
Speaker 2: Chris Scott and John Chu have known each other for forever.
Speaker 2: I have known them for forever. Yeah, and it's there's
Speaker 2: not a lot of loyalty in the entertainment business, and
Speaker 2: I love that they just are always working together and
Speaker 2: they have such a good collaborative history together and to see,
Speaker 2: you know, this is different and obviously they did in
Speaker 2: the Heights, but I feel like the storytelling through movement
Speaker 2: and this in some of these scenes, you needed that
Speaker 2: as an additional piece of dialogue.
Speaker 3: Yes, And some of his choreography went so viral, like
Speaker 3: you know, the walking and the it's so fun to
Speaker 3: see and he's I'm such a fan of his and
Speaker 3: you know, he's been a friend of ours forever and
Speaker 3: he's just so always sweet, bunted and sweet.
Speaker 2: Also, I know this doesn't have to do anything with
Speaker 2: objectively like watching and liking or critiquing the movie. But
Speaker 2: John and Chris are two of the nicest people you'll
Speaker 2: ever find.
Speaker 1: I think that's why.
Speaker 2: Yes, and John has like continued to just go from
Speaker 2: movie to movie to movie, and they've gotten bigger and bigger,
Speaker 2: bigger each time. Everyone likes working with him. He is, Yeah,
Speaker 2: he's great at what he does, but he also is
Speaker 2: just so kind.
Speaker 3: When you have a really big heart that you wear
Speaker 3: so uh so openly as a person, it bleeds through
Speaker 3: in all of his work. Liking crazy rich Asians like
Speaker 3: that could have been a simple wrong com based on
Speaker 3: this like very ornate novel that like, you know, people
Speaker 3: love and it's post but like the heart and the
Speaker 3: the emotion that he got his his start, you know,
Speaker 3: the actors to he brought out of those those guys,
Speaker 3: was like, I think it's what makes it so excellent
Speaker 3: versus just good, you know. And this like you for
Speaker 3: somebody who loves Wicket so deeply and was such a
Speaker 3: part of my upbringing, to see it like come to
Speaker 3: life in a way where it's more than you could
Speaker 3: ever imagine emotionally, Like I watch it and every time
Speaker 3: I cry and like these same parts and it never
Speaker 3: ceases to hit me just the right way, and like
Speaker 3: that's effective storytelling.
Speaker 2: Because you could easily in movie form script that out
Speaker 2: of this by accident.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying, and like keep yeah.
Speaker 2: I also think like they were filming both movies at
Speaker 2: the same time, there was there were breaks in there
Speaker 2: because of the writer's strike and the actors strike. They
Speaker 2: filmed it for like there was like one hundred and
Speaker 2: fifty five production days. I think all about starting and
Speaker 2: stopping and these huge, big, like practical set pieces, there's
Speaker 2: a lot to manage. There's a lot of planning. There's
Speaker 2: a lot in like I think, to put everything together
Speaker 2: and make it feel so cohesive and rich and like
Speaker 2: everything is there for a reason. There's a purpose to
Speaker 2: every single piece. How grateful are you that they sang
Speaker 2: live on set? I'm always conflicted about this really obviously
Speaker 2: these two should be singing live on set. Wow, Like
Speaker 2: I don't know, obviously they're not saying everything.
Speaker 3: You know, Well, it's touched afterwards for sure, Yes, and
Speaker 3: I want it. That's without without question, Yes, yeah, without question.
Speaker 1: It has to be.
Speaker 3: This has to match the rest of the production of
Speaker 3: the film.
Speaker 2: And I think this was the most excellent version of
Speaker 2: that correct, right, Like I think lay Miz I had
Speaker 2: moments of it. This was the same sound mixer, but
Speaker 2: I think like this is now we know, and it's
Speaker 2: even better because there's always a sound quality, like you're
Speaker 2: recording your voice when you're in a movie on different
Speaker 2: microphones and you're recording and recording studio. But like you
Speaker 2: wanted to be recording studio quality.
Speaker 3: You wanted to be the quality of but you want
Speaker 3: the performance element, the live performance element that matches what
Speaker 3: they're giving in every other scene, that characters are able
Speaker 3: to be in the moment. And I think that's what
Speaker 3: they were trying to achieve with lay Miss. There's a
Speaker 3: lot of characters in the Miz. I don't know exactly
Speaker 3: how the production all went for Lamez, but I will say,
Speaker 3: like you said, if there's anybody that should be singing live,
Speaker 3: like Cynthia doing her own freaking stunts, flying through sixty
Speaker 3: and singing belting at full voice, like those are the
Speaker 3: people who should be doing it.
Speaker 1: That's and they are. That's the excellence, Like the level
Speaker 1: is no question.
Speaker 2: I think here's the difference between hiring them and hiring
Speaker 2: people who are new. Is that, Yes, Cynthia has been
Speaker 2: on stage, has been done eight shows a week for years,
Speaker 2: are runs marathons, Yes, has done world tours, a lot
Speaker 2: of them. That is a different type of vocal athleticism. Yes, yes,
Speaker 2: you can only have if you're put into those situations
Speaker 2: and you gain it over time. Is it? Because like
Speaker 2: why we didn't sing live on Glee almost you know,
Speaker 2: ninety nine point nine percent of the time your voice
Speaker 2: will go out. There's no way you can maintain a
Speaker 2: healthy state of doing that. These two are Olympic athletes
Speaker 2: a vocalists, Yes, yes, and they are Olympic olympius. And
Speaker 2: if you tell them this is the schedule, this is
Speaker 2: what we're doing, they prepare they're going to be able
Speaker 2: to do it. Yeah, there's not many people in the
Speaker 2: world that could.
Speaker 3: Tend to that.
Speaker 1: Yes, I know there's also, uh, just not as technical.
Speaker 3: But like I had a thought last night and it
Speaker 3: never occurred before that, Like I was watching to Find
Speaker 3: Gravity and beautifully done, beautifully performed, oh so good, never
Speaker 3: gets old.
Speaker 2: That moment when this volume goes out and like everything
Speaker 2: like sucks back in like is one.
Speaker 1: It is actually a share perfection.
Speaker 2: I think it's one of the greatest moments in cinema history.
Speaker 3: But rewind thirty seconds when she comes out from you know,
Speaker 3: doing that extra you know, unlimited up in the sky right,
Speaker 3: and she comes back down and then she's at the
Speaker 3: balcony with the guards and with Glinda and everybody, and
Speaker 3: she's saying, so if you care to find me, And
Speaker 3: for the first time in my life, I've seen this
Speaker 3: a thousand times, you know, I was like, that's what
Speaker 3: it's supposed.
Speaker 1: To look like.
Speaker 3: No, this is her in the air, is opposite them
Speaker 3: on the balcony, telling them she's unlimited in that way.
Speaker 6: And I was like, that's what it's supposed to look like.
Speaker 6: I never I had a full revelation last night. Yeah,
Speaker 6: and John did that. He did that, Like that's what
Speaker 6: it was like. Oh, what I imagine in my mind is exactly.
Speaker 6: You just gave it to me and better and better,
Speaker 6: more than I coultive ever expected. Uh, there was a funny.
Speaker 2: On stage, like.
Speaker 3: I just wanted to point out this funny little tidbit.
Speaker 3: So Jackie Burns, who's a friend of ours and she's
Speaker 3: Broadway's longest running alphabet. She's one of the most perfect
Speaker 3: alphabets there ever was and she used to tell us
Speaker 3: about these no fly shows, and we just have to
Speaker 3: talk about them for a second. Do you know what
Speaker 3: a fly show is?
Speaker 2: Is it when like the little outlift doesn't work.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so Alpha bat, she says, it's me and the
Speaker 1: cherry pick.
Speaker 3: It's a cherry picker, and then there's curtains and so
Speaker 3: it lifts up like a machine and they go straight
Speaker 3: up and it gives the illusion and the lights and
Speaker 3: the cake grows right, and so.
Speaker 1: It gives the illusion she's flying.
Speaker 2: It's so magical. It sounds so gross to hear that
Speaker 2: it's a cherry picker, but oh god, it's so effective.
Speaker 3: And it really takes away the magic of it. But
Speaker 3: there it's Broadway. Sometimes a cherry picker didn't work, and
Speaker 3: that would be a no fly show. And a no
Speaker 3: fly show is all the guards are underneath with their
Speaker 3: big you know, tall fork pitchforks, and they're tall dancer
Speaker 3: men at six.
Speaker 2: They know it's not going to work.
Speaker 3: Beforehand, they don't, but as soon as they hear it,
Speaker 3: they know, right. They're like, no fly, no fly er.
Speaker 3: There's some magic word that they say where they know
Speaker 3: right or if it doesn't go, tell they can tell
Speaker 3: and they have to. So Elpha is then on the
Speaker 3: floor singing this song at the end of act one,
Speaker 3: and the men have to lay down on their sides
Speaker 3: and hold their forks up so that it looks like
Speaker 3: she's in the air. And it is the funniest thing.
Speaker 3: I was never there for a no fly show. I
Speaker 3: dreamed of seeing a no fly show. I'm sure there's
Speaker 3: one online, you guys. But and a guest I was
Speaker 3: talking about it in an interview as well, and she
Speaker 3: was explaining it and she's like, everybody has to lay down,
Speaker 3: and it's one of my favorite Broadway stories ever, like
Speaker 3: these no fly shows and the idea that like Elpha
Speaker 3: but doesn't get.
Speaker 4: To that climax because it is the best thing in
Speaker 4: the entire show. It's so funny. It's so so funny.
Speaker 4: Do you want to give us a little summary? I mean,
Speaker 4: everybody knows who what Wicked is, but for those few.
Speaker 2: Right right, Sorry, we get carried away. We'll give you
Speaker 2: the summary forty minutes into this, the official universal summary
Speaker 2: is when Alphaba, a misunderstood young woman who has yet
Speaker 2: to discover her true power, meets Glinda, a popular young
Speaker 2: woman who has yet to discover her true heart. At university,
Speaker 2: they forge an unlikely friendship. Their lives take different paths
Speaker 2: after an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ultimately
Speaker 2: fulfilling their destinies as the Wicked Witch of the West
Speaker 2: and Glinda the Good m h. I mean, it's like
Speaker 2: the best fanfic possible, That's really what it is.
Speaker 1: For sure. These girls come in really not you know,
Speaker 1: not friends.
Speaker 3: Glinda's the elite and Alphaba is the assistant to her
Speaker 3: sister who she is the fault and the reason why
Speaker 3: her sister is in a chair.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean there's a lot of a lot of
Speaker 2: socially relevant themes here. It's like, yes, yes, he's green,
Speaker 2: the color skin is different, she's treated, she's ostracized. Yes,
Speaker 2: but she has this power and then she's taken advantage
Speaker 2: of because of that power. Yes, and you know, quote
Speaker 2: unquote the man wants is to abuse up or use
Speaker 2: that power.
Speaker 1: And she's hard to use that power.
Speaker 3: And she's good, yes, and and but but everybody has
Speaker 3: been told or is convinced that she is not right.
Speaker 3: And it's the power of the influence of and.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately it's just like very relevant. I mean, so and
Speaker 2: the very important plexities of her character. I also think
Speaker 2: this is Cynthia Rivo's best performance in anything ever.
Speaker 3: I think, I mean, and we saw we didn't know
Speaker 3: about the beauty of Cynthia Arivo, and we we uncovered
Speaker 3: and discovered her live sitting next to each other and
Speaker 3: probably one of the only Broadway.
Speaker 2: Shows you've seen together with Jackie Burns with.
Speaker 3: Jackie Burns yea.
Speaker 1: And saw her singing that song at the end of
Speaker 1: A one and said, who is that?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Who is this? But what I like about her portrayal
Speaker 2: of Alpha ba is I actually think so I really
Speaker 2: like Alphabet in the book. It's okay, She's okay, really complicated,
Speaker 2: and I like it. I love an imperfect character, and
Speaker 2: I think she's even more imperfect in the book. But
Speaker 2: yet this way all of her like horrible things she
Speaker 2: faces from child to it. And that's why I because
Speaker 2: when I said they were putting this and breaking in
Speaker 2: its two movies, I was hoping they were going to
Speaker 2: use more stuff, certain things from the book. They didn't
Speaker 2: really in part one at least, And my favorite part
Speaker 2: of that is the backstory of like how she obviously
Speaker 2: we get a song about it. We get that whole
Speaker 2: little like montage of how Alphaba was created and born.
Speaker 2: In the beginning, you see little Alphaba with her sister
Speaker 2: and all that, which is great, right, But there's so
Speaker 2: much good stuff there in the book, and Alphaba's life
Speaker 2: is really complicated and despite all of that, she's willing
Speaker 2: to be the bad guy because she has to be.
Speaker 2: And it's such a good allegory for I think people
Speaker 2: who are like othered where it's like, despite being treated
Speaker 2: like from all of society, like, she still gets up
Speaker 2: and does the right thing every single day and doesn't
Speaker 2: let what other people say. You know, the fine gravity
Speaker 2: is finally about like I can't let these people affect
Speaker 2: me anymore. I'm free and I'm not going to be
Speaker 2: I'm not going to be taken away from my own
Speaker 2: power and made to feel bad about it or whatever
Speaker 2: it is. And I think Cynthia's portrayal of that and
Speaker 2: this was a little darker and more grounded like the book.
Speaker 2: And I think with Cynthia's like acting style and how
Speaker 2: like she's pretty like serious and focused, and I just
Speaker 2: you know, sometimes when people get a roll and everything
Speaker 2: just matches up and aligns to who that person is
Speaker 2: this is yes, and it feels like for her that's
Speaker 2: exactly what this was happened.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean and I love that.
Speaker 3: I think that's why that it's so define. Gravity is
Speaker 3: obviously so important, but as is like I think Ozdes's
Speaker 3: ballroom to me and like dancing through life that in
Speaker 3: her heart and that line that Fierro says, Wow, she
Speaker 3: really doesn't give, you know, a crab about what people think,
Speaker 3: and Glinda says she does.
Speaker 1: She just protects.
Speaker 2: She does.
Speaker 3: Whole thing is like that's her right and let's smell
Speaker 3: it out loud, you know. But it's really beautiful to
Speaker 3: see it and have somebody else see it and heavy
Speaker 3: be Glinda of course. But these two women, and Ariana too,
Speaker 3: I mean, what a what a for somebody for two
Speaker 3: roles that are so iconic, and for Kristin Chenwith who
Speaker 3: originated a role that is so quintessentially Kristin and what
Speaker 3: she does, putting her stamp on this role as Glinda
Speaker 3: and creating, you know, the future path for all these
Speaker 3: future Glinda's. For Ariana to take this and to own
Speaker 3: it in a way that's so genuine and everything that
Speaker 3: comes out of her mouth I'm like, Wow, I never
Speaker 3: hurt it that way, And it's so true to her
Speaker 3: that it's not a character herse. It's so easy to
Speaker 3: create have Glinda be a caricature of somebody, somebody playing
Speaker 3: Glinda versus being Glen.
Speaker 2: That's a hard thing setting up roles on Broadway in general,
Speaker 2: when people take over it.
Speaker 3: Yes, you want to keep the integrity of what the
Speaker 3: character is and what they've created, but yet putting your
Speaker 3: own thing on it, but not too much, right, because
Speaker 3: then it airs away from the show that it's locked.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: The show is locked in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3: So Arianna to take this role from the thousand Glinda's
Speaker 3: before and Kristen specifically, and to make it her own
Speaker 3: and to make it so real and so authentic.
Speaker 1: Is not easy to do.
Speaker 2: Is this?
Speaker 1: Is it huge feet?
Speaker 3: And I really was like deeply impressed with her and
Speaker 3: the work she did and the character and the way
Speaker 3: she gets her and the way she sees her and
Speaker 3: the way that she played her. And I was thinking
Speaker 3: about that because like, it's so easy to get into
Speaker 3: the inflictions and the things that Kristen does and the
Speaker 3: way she says them, and if you don't understand why
Speaker 3: Kristen said them the way she said them, it's not
Speaker 3: going to read the way that you you say them,
Speaker 3: you know what I mean. And so Ariana really you
Speaker 3: could tell the work she did, the understanding it took
Speaker 3: for her to get to that place. Yep, beautifully said exactly.
Speaker 3: So I was just really impressed by the both of them.
Speaker 3: You can tell how much they love this and how
Speaker 3: collaborative it was. And it sounds like I was watching
Speaker 3: last night, even like Michelle Yo being like, I don't
Speaker 3: sing this role as a singing role and I don't sing,
Speaker 3: so you're crazy John, and he was like, don't worry,
Speaker 3: it's fine, You're You're gonna be fine. And then Arianna
Speaker 3: and Cynthia sending her a message, being like, you have
Speaker 3: to come to us, And it was this collaborative effort
Speaker 3: probably of them being like who best to bring into
Speaker 3: this world? Right, who do we want to play with us?
Speaker 3: Who can we bring in that's going to elevate this
Speaker 3: and them just it sounded like them deciding they were
Speaker 3: going to sing live was a decision. They all meet together,
Speaker 3: right John bringing the women in And so you can
Speaker 3: see why in the press and all of these things
Speaker 3: that they're doing. It's not just press right like they are.
Speaker 3: They are willing to be there, they want to be there.
Speaker 1: They're proud of this press.
Speaker 2: It's sort of just like a peek into the community
Speaker 2: they had all built.
Speaker 3: Yes, Yes, and and you can tell how collaborative it was,
Speaker 3: and how they felt, how proud they felt of this
Speaker 3: film For them to be.
Speaker 1: Promoting it in this way, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 3: Like you have to really feel good about this to
Speaker 3: be doing that to press all the time, you know,
Speaker 3: like showing up everywhere versus just like oh, I'll do this.
Speaker 1: And this and this, and you know, we'll promote the
Speaker 1: film how we're supposed to.
Speaker 2: I think it's no small feat that both of these
Speaker 2: women were able to come in make it their own,
Speaker 2: redefine who these characters are for the whole new generation
Speaker 2: with the same heart and essence of Adina and Kristin.
Speaker 2: How did you feel about their little cameo.
Speaker 1: I mean it wouldn't be the same without them.
Speaker 3: I think it was weird to be honest of like
Speaker 3: adding this piece in that I was like, what is this?
Speaker 3: But at the same time, like it didn't matter, right,
Speaker 3: You're like, great, bring these ladies in they must be
Speaker 3: acknowledged and honored, and they're so funny and it was
Speaker 3: fun to see them in their own you know, taking
Speaker 3: on something different and being so you know, it sounds
Speaker 3: like it looks like even Ari and Kristen are so
Speaker 3: tight and just like the mentorship and like the passing
Speaker 3: of the baton.
Speaker 1: So I thought that was really fun.
Speaker 2: When did you love? That could have been a little shorter,
Speaker 2: but yeah, like whatever.
Speaker 3: But again, like you're reading the people who you know,
Speaker 3: just I was so happy about who cares?
Speaker 2: Hope there's something And then and it's all in the
Speaker 2: same sections like them, Scott is in there, Stephen Schwartz
Speaker 2: is in there. Yeah, Whennie Holtzman is in there, she
Speaker 2: like screams, you know, when they have like the they're
Speaker 2: telling the story of the Wizard of Oz. Yeah, look
Speaker 2: at the man in the balloon. Like it's when she's
Speaker 2: like pointing up like, oh, he's reading the book or
Speaker 2: whatever it is. And then Stephen Schwartz is the one
Speaker 2: who says they could come in.
Speaker 1: Yes, of course, let's talk about some of those music.
Speaker 3: You know, when like no one warns the wig it
Speaker 3: starts and you're like ding, like you know that it's
Speaker 3: kind of like Halilton when you hear Hamilton start, you know,
Speaker 3: like bottom.
Speaker 1: And you're like, Okay, I know what I'm in for now,
Speaker 1: and this is so it's so comforting. God, there's not
Speaker 1: a song.
Speaker 3: Well maybe Doctor Dylan, but there's not a song in
Speaker 3: this show that I don't play when I listen to
Speaker 3: this album recording. Oh yeah, I what is your favorite
Speaker 3: song in this act one?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: An act one in the movie, in the movie, this movie,
Speaker 3: because I can't wait for No Good Dan, Yeah, no
Speaker 3: good deed for good like I, yeah, I'll give you mine.
Speaker 3: Dancing through Life is my favorite. Really yes, and define gravity,
Speaker 3: of course, I.
Speaker 2: Mean probably define gravity. I do like The Wizard and
Speaker 2: I a lot.
Speaker 1: This Wizard and I yeah, also was.
Speaker 2: What I love Jenna so good, having just read the
Speaker 2: book before I saw this, Yeah, because they did, I
Speaker 2: do know what the world looks like. They do a
Speaker 2: really good job. He does a really good job describing
Speaker 2: like there's just like desert beyond and her running to
Speaker 2: like this cliff.
Speaker 3: The field I cannot and to the cliff where the
Speaker 3: rainbow is.
Speaker 2: And I was like, absolutely, it took me.
Speaker 3: I was like when I first saw that for the
Speaker 3: first time, I almost burst into tears, like like this
Speaker 3: is what I want to say because in the show
Speaker 3: and great, like she's standing in front of the clocks
Speaker 3: in the school like that's it, That's all you got,
Speaker 3: and to see this world with the lights and the
Speaker 3: reflection pieces, and like I was like, yeah, take me there.
Speaker 1: And I'm just so glad.
Speaker 3: It was an extension of the book too, of like
Speaker 3: that that oh too, you know that the book the book?
Speaker 2: So they did, you know, I'm class like me going
Speaker 2: back on what I said of how I I wanted.
Speaker 2: They didn't necessarily add in more narrative components, but they
Speaker 2: did enrich Yes, what was there? Yes, with the things
Speaker 2: from the book.
Speaker 3: Oh was it the So let me ask you about
Speaker 3: the scene with the where Alphaba freezes everybody with the poppies,
Speaker 3: or Paul everybody with the poppies.
Speaker 1: It's different in the musical, Oh it is? I don't remember.
Speaker 3: Well, it's like no, no, no, and everything moves around
Speaker 3: and the lights go kind of like when her music
Speaker 3: happens and the chair, you know, like when the chair
Speaker 3: moves in there in the opening versus this like beautiful
Speaker 3: poppy scene with everybody falling asleep. And the poppies rising,
Speaker 3: and it's just like it was different.
Speaker 2: I believe it's different in the book. Don't quote me
Speaker 2: on this, but the book the thing because that exact
Speaker 2: scene doesn't happen. M I don't. Oh god, people are
Speaker 2: gonna be mad.
Speaker 1: I'm into it though I was into it.
Speaker 2: It's like, I'm so I'm so glad there was so
Speaker 2: much of that with doctor Dolman because that is a
Speaker 2: huge part of the book and that's Alphabet's whole reason
Speaker 2: for her caring and I'm so glad Like that felt
Speaker 2: really substantial in the movie, and that was one of
Speaker 2: those parts where was like I'm glad, like this is
Speaker 2: something that would have gotten cut down. I'm so glad
Speaker 2: it is not.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I cannot wait for as long as you're mine.
Speaker 1: Like, I'm really excited now I forgot this whole.
Speaker 3: Act Too is so fruitful and I'm not that girl
Speaker 3: the second time and a girl it is.
Speaker 2: Oh man, I think a lot of people talk about
Speaker 2: Act Too like like, oh, it's sort of like the
Speaker 2: music's not as good.
Speaker 1: No, you get out of here. It's my favorite.
Speaker 2: No, I'm excited because it's it's darker. I'm and like
Speaker 2: the The word on the street is like, Ariana and
Speaker 2: Cynthia are incredible, like even better, and I too, of course.
Speaker 1: Oh I can't wait, I can't wait. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1: Should we just rate some.
Speaker 2: One? I mean these are all going to be A plus?
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, yeah, I mean maybe i'd give something bad
Speaker 3: an A instead of an A plus. I thought Popular
Speaker 3: was really Oh, Popular was perfect.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I actually liked this version better.
Speaker 2: I think I think this is probably the best like
Speaker 2: choreographed stage sequence in the entire thing. I think this
Speaker 2: was just like this, This is the power of like
Speaker 2: movie musicals. Yes, that define gravity to me.
Speaker 1: Also, One Short Day is a bop?
Speaker 2: Like, oh yeah, One Short Day is great.
Speaker 1: The Broadway version, the cast recording, I love that. I
Speaker 1: love One Short Day did.
Speaker 3: I didn't like it at first, and then as I've
Speaker 3: gotten alder matured.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I found myself listening to the whole thing.
Speaker 2: I mean, Wizard and I A plus plus love it?
Speaker 3: What does this feel? A something bad? A Dancing your Life?
Speaker 2: I mean, Dancing through Life is an incredible number.
Speaker 1: God, It's so good and.
Speaker 2: It goes on for so long. That library scene is
Speaker 2: just unreal. The Spring Things and Jonathan Bailey is just
Speaker 2: so charming, so hot, so hot, popular again. Alas, Okay,
Speaker 2: I'm Not That Girl is my least favorite number in
Speaker 2: this movie.
Speaker 1: Interesting. You know, I don't think that people love I'm
Speaker 1: Not That Girl all that much. I do personally, But.
Speaker 2: I like this song. I this was my only bone
Speaker 2: to pick. I don't like how this number was.
Speaker 1: Interesting. Interesting.
Speaker 2: It feels like a nineties music video. Okay, and like,
Speaker 2: because you've done so many incredible numbers, yes, everything's justified.
Speaker 2: And I'm Not That Girl. It feels like we ran
Speaker 2: out of time.
Speaker 1: That's fair, that's fair, that's fair.
Speaker 2: Thing you need to do a lot, like we recently
Speaker 2: watched We Devoted to You is perfection, And she's just
Speaker 2: taken a stroll.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like what time?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: What time did they shoot that?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Like I'm just like, I don't need her sitting on
Speaker 2: a bench.
Speaker 3: I know, I get it. It's a tough one. Give
Speaker 3: them a pass, you know, I give them a pass?
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I mean sure, short day. We're looking for things.
Speaker 2: One short day great.
Speaker 1: A plus sentimental, man, I.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the song itself, I'm like, eh, however, the scene
Speaker 2: loved A plus for me. The miniature, very clever, him
Speaker 2: going behind that curtain with the yellow bic road. It's beautiful.
Speaker 2: I loved how like silly it was and like stupid
Speaker 2: and also like sinister knowing what was coming.
Speaker 3: Yes, Yes, Define Gravity a million plus. Yeah, just life changing.
Speaker 3: Oh I had a question for you. Actually it is
Speaker 3: a question. Sam just our producer, just reminded me of it.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Was throughout this movie. Sometimes they're taking breaks, like getting
Speaker 2: in and out of songs and I's just dialogue in
Speaker 2: the middle of the song, whatever it may be. Define
Speaker 2: Gravity is broken up quite a bit a lot. There's
Speaker 2: a lot happening in Define Gravity. Like I think there's
Speaker 2: like don't you think there's like her flying, there's a
Speaker 2: lot of like extra things added of like that isn't
Speaker 2: just like if you on the cast recording just hit play.
Speaker 1: Oh it's close to the show.
Speaker 3: It is they they do Maybe I'm wrong, but they
Speaker 3: do it where it's like they knock on the door.
Speaker 3: They're in the attic, she puts the cape over her,
Speaker 3: the broom comes up. That all is like part of
Speaker 3: Define Gravity. Additionally, that extra unlimit and the flashark of
Speaker 3: the kid, like I actually that was new right, And
Speaker 3: then like the silence before the big off.
Speaker 2: Okay, that's crazy.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, So and like when she falls, but it.
Speaker 3: Doesn't I think, because it's already so broken up as
Speaker 3: long as it's additive and not retractively, like you're not
Speaker 3: taking away, it's adding to. Like, it didn't bother me
Speaker 3: because it's already broken up so much, and I just knew, oh,
Speaker 3: it's coming.
Speaker 2: So I was like, I also love the orchestration of
Speaker 2: those new pieces. Beautiful, like those arrangements, Oh my gosh,
Speaker 2: how beautiful. Right?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, really well done.
Speaker 3: Uh No, I don't think I noticed it all that much,
Speaker 3: to be honest, like it didn't feel different to me.
Speaker 2: Okay, good, yeah, I mean because I thought it all
Speaker 2: worked wildly successfully.
Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, I think so. I think.
Speaker 2: So is this a lyric change when they say you're
Speaker 2: here and they're singing that's in the show, Yes, it
Speaker 2: is get her, it's get her, But in the movie
Speaker 2: they say kill her. And I loved that. I was like, yes,
Speaker 2: shy away from Yeah. And because when define gravity ends,
Speaker 2: it's like best shot after best shot, and then she's
Speaker 2: flying away on that broom into part two. It is
Speaker 2: just I'm so exy. I haven't seen the stage show
Speaker 2: in a few years, so I don't really remember what
Speaker 2: happens in Act two. I remember the book, and so
Speaker 2: I'm very interested to see it's.
Speaker 1: A little slower. There's a little bit more dialogue. There's
Speaker 1: a little bit.
Speaker 3: More of like the you know, when she's in her
Speaker 3: in the castle, like she's you know, and chi history's there,
Speaker 3: and she's kind of devising this plan and she's evil,
Speaker 3: but we know, like she's still good and there's all
Speaker 3: that castle.
Speaker 2: She's in an act too, is she brought herself in
Speaker 2: the castle.
Speaker 1: With the monkeys and her history and all of her monkeys.
Speaker 2: Okay, so yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3: And then they do like the reflection of Dorothy with
Speaker 3: the water, do you remember that with the pail in
Speaker 3: the water. They pulled the curtain back and then she
Speaker 3: disappears into the bottom.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm. I'm just a lout of.
Speaker 1: The and the scarecrow and Fierro turning into scarecrow.
Speaker 3: It's like it's a lot more of that, like planning
Speaker 3: of the seeds of like what's to come in mister Oz.
Speaker 2: None of that's in the book.
Speaker 1: Mmmmm. I love And then also the nessa rose and the.
Speaker 3: Ruby slippers, well that nessa man. There's two songs in
Speaker 3: for good new songs, which I'm yes, I don't. I
Speaker 3: don't know how I find I know.
Speaker 2: I feel scared too, because I feel like anytime a
Speaker 2: new song is written for a movie, it sticks out
Speaker 2: like a sore thumb, and it always feels like it
Speaker 2: was just a song written.
Speaker 1: But it's even Schwartz's a part of it.
Speaker 3: It feels like maybe something he had always thought about,
Speaker 3: and like, I'm okay with that, but.
Speaker 2: They gotta win that Best Original Song, Oscar. I know,
Speaker 2: I get it.
Speaker 1: I just am okay. We'll see.
Speaker 2: We'll see no Place Like Home for Alphaba and the
Speaker 2: Girl on the Bubble.
Speaker 3: For a new song called no Place Like Home and
Speaker 3: something will saying it is just I'm okay, all right,
Speaker 3: I'm here for it.
Speaker 2: Those are two very good names and it's.
Speaker 3: Just for the two women. So like I we give
Speaker 3: it to me, give it to me, let's do some
Speaker 3: charity takes.
Speaker 2: Okay, I don't think there's any cringe moments. No, everything
Speaker 2: is a character driven and yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3: Like Linda's rude, but like you know, all of it is, yes,
Speaker 3: her journey, best dance move, I mean dancing through life
Speaker 3: in the balls.
Speaker 1: That was this ballroom. Yeah, totally, Chris Scott.
Speaker 2: Yeah, best song define gravity.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, performance by a prop I mean at the broom.
Speaker 2: Oh no. Also the poppies that they grew, they actually
Speaker 2: planted and grew so good, insane, best line Omaha, what
Speaker 2: is it? I like it?
Speaker 1: Glinda with the guy. The guy is silent.
Speaker 2: It's so hilarious when he's reading like this bell book
Speaker 2: and he's just saying, omaha.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2: Okay performance m VP.
Speaker 1: I mean the ladies.
Speaker 2: Yeah, simply just duh, duh okay, Jenna shop we've found
Speaker 2: on TikTok this this year. Wow, today, I see ladies,
Speaker 2: Big Time Cooper mon log included completely dance correctly shot
Speaker 2: for shot, Glee, Halo Walking on Sunshine Mashup. It is
Speaker 2: so brilliant. It is very very good.
Speaker 1: Wow you guys.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that Alfred's Look where do they get these
Speaker 3: dresses from? I don't know, because these are our dresses.
Speaker 3: Someone says, the dress is being accurate.
Speaker 1: No, That's what I'm saying. Wow, Okay, big Time Cooper,
Speaker 1: we see you.
Speaker 2: They said, we see lots of researching on resale sites
Speaker 2: for the costumes. Oh yeah, this is incredible. Wow, like
Speaker 2: it feels like it's twenty twelve, No really, or twenty ten.
Speaker 2: Whenever this was into it, someone said, this feels like
Speaker 2: twenty twelve YouTube in the best way possible. Wow, this
Speaker 2: this is really incredible. Oh my god, they have blue
Speaker 2: in the hair for you. She did it.
Speaker 1: No, it's all you need is some five hour energies
Speaker 1: and a red Bull.
Speaker 3: Okay, we're going to do a spoiler filled review for
Speaker 3: Wicked for Good, So this is your warning. Y'all.
Speaker 1: Goe before you listen or listen, but be prepared.
Speaker 3: So there are really screenings happening all week and it's
Speaker 3: officially opening on the twenty first, so let us know.
Speaker 1: Come back, we're gonna talk about Wicked for Good.
Speaker 2: I'm so nervous.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, I'm so excited.
Speaker 2: And that's what you really missed. Thanks for listening and
Speaker 2: follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really
Speaker 2: miss pod. Make sure to write us a review and
Speaker 2: leave us five stars. See you next time.