WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

Tracklist: No One Mourns the Wicked; Dear Old Shiz; The Wizard And I; What Is This Feeling?; Something Bad; Dancing Through Life; Popular; I’m Not That Girl; One Short Day; A Sentimental Man; Defying Gravity

Splitting the theatrical musical of Wicked into 2 movies was a controversial but genius decision.

• Read on for reasons including how this soundtrack album surpasses expectations

We last saw the West End version at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2022 and remember thinking how much plot there was but also, if you’re a fan of the original 1939 film of The Wizard Of Oz starring Judy Garland, how much there is to get your head around particularly in the show’s 2nd half.

Film Wicked (Part 1) has recently beaten Grease by taking more money than any other celluloid Broadway adaptation and you can vote for it to win our Best Film and Best TV/Film Actress monstas in 2024.

But does the decision to split the film into 2 work for this film soundtrack album?

At 57 minutes including bonus tracks this is a short listen but arguably includes the songs the musical is best known for – Cynthia Erivo/Ariana Grande blockbuster Defying Gravity, Grande’s Popular and Jonathan Bailey‘s Dancing Through Life.

What this soundtrack album does is build to the big Act 1 showstopper – Defying Gravity – and it’s a decision that’s paid off financially in box office receipts but also with critical plaudits because there really is a sense of wanting to know more about this story, its characters and where the plot will take them.

As such it serves as a brilliant tee-up for sequel Wicked: For Good expected to be released in November 2025 and perhaps also to include some additional songs that weren’t in the theatrical version.

Wicked (Part 1) is a film that surpasses expectations and boasts a soundtrack album that performs the same trick. Vote for it to win Best Film and Erivo to win Best TV/Film Actress in our 2024 monstas.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Wicked (Part 1) Tickets
• Have you seen a Wicked show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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