With the upcoming arrival of “Wicked” to the big screen, I want to comment on a pattern I’ve noticed in the last few years of movie releases: The phenomenon of movie musicals hiding the fact that they are musicals in their promotions.
Some of the most acclaimed movie musicals of recent years have made their nature explicitly clear: The trailer for “La La Land” features dance num-bers and reviews for the music and “Mamma Mia” made its role as a film adaptation of the musical obvious. Most musicals have held their heads up high as they awaited their release to theaters. However, films like “Wonka” and “Mean Girls” left many viewers surprised when Timothée Chalamet started singing and shocked when Angourie Rice burst into a huge dance number. I find this marketing decision odd. What are the filmmakers trying to accomplish by covering up this integral part of their film?
The first thing that comes to mind is the argument of accessibility. Not everyone likes musicals, as unfortunate as that may be. Therefore, framing a film like “Wonka” as a family-friendly comedy makes it seem much more universal and adaptable to audiences’ respective tastes. Not to mention, Chalamet’s singing voice is not one that I’d personally want to advertise.
Along these same lines, the movie version of the Broadway musical “Mean Girls” was released in January of this year. Audiences were surprised to find
out that the film was not a remake of the original 2004 comedy. I think this ploy could have been for a few reasons. First, the original film has amassed
such a huge and loyal following that a remake of that version, rather than a less universally appealing musical, could seem a lot more enticing.
While the community that culturally classic films bring out is unparalleled, the theater community is, depending on your perspective, arguably closer than that of filmgoers. Their closeness encourages an exclusivity that then translates to a possession of knowledge or insider information that the larger mainstream audience doesn’t have. This can come in the form of deep knowledge of different versions or productions of a show or awareness of a composer’s lesser-known shows. Theater kids can gatekeep with the best of them. Getting a group of friends together who love the original soundtrack that wider audiences aren’t expecting or who love Renée Rapp’s performance as Regina George in the Broadway version of “Mean Girls” invites participation and could perhaps then lead to the high viewership that the film experienced. However, the “Wicked” film seems to have somehow found a way to hold its status as a beloved musical without letting on too much. It’s impossible to have missed the fact that the upcoming film is an adaptation of the musical, but I think the trailer avoids the music just enough, save for Cynthia Erivo’s mind-boggling “Defying Gravity” riff, to not be overbearingly “Broadway.” The film’s image is maintained as star-studded and fantastical, something I feel like everyone can get
behind.
Personally, as a proud member of the theater community, I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the release of “Wicked.” Whether this is because I want to be part of a tight circle of people, enjoy a huge production of a movie musical or just really love Ariana Grande, I’m not sure it matters as long as I’m going to the theater along with the rest of the world. I predict this movie will be a bigger success than any of these shyly musical films that have
come before in these last few years. Its unabashed confidence will carry it to triumph, and no wizard that there is or was will ever bring it down.
