Did the long-awaited big screen version of the iconic musical WICKED need to be a two-part epic? Possibly not, but this first part does make you intrigued about how everything will be wrapped up at the end of 2025. Years before Dorothy lands in Oz, witches-to-be the green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and the vain Galinda (Ariana Grande) meet at Shiz University and get swept up in a mystery leading back to the Emerald City’s Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). John M Chu is surely now your go-to old-fashioned Hollywood musical director, someone who’s not afraid to completely go for it with elaborate choreography, showmanship and scale. Erivo is a magnetic star and Grande proves unexpectedly well-suited to broad comedy, the pair’s frenemy chemistry being the main reason to see this. This has several in-built audiences and fan bases so it’s no wonder that it has done well, though it’s unlikely to convert anyone who isn’t already a fan of the musical or Oz in general. SSP