According to late “The Wizard of Oz” icon Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft, “Wicked” is defying filmmaking gravity.
Luft, who is the daughter of Garland and Sidney Luft and half-sister of Liza Minnelli, took to social media to praise the musical prequel adaptation. Luft especially applauded director Jon M. Chu and lead stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for honoring the legacy of 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Wicked” is based on the 2003 Broadway musical. The musical takes place before Dorothy, the character whom Garland played in “The Wizard of Oz,” landed in the fantasyland of the title. “Wicked” premieres in theaters November 22 from Universal.
“This movie is astounding! It’s epic, brilliant, touching, and honest,” Luft wrote of the feature. “It is breathtaking to look at … the sets, costumes, makeup, performances, choreography, and the entire scope of the movie, is everything I wanted it to be.”
Luft continued, “I told the genius director Jon Chu that he had picked up the torch, the broom, and the wand, and carried it forward, and thanked him, for adding to the family.”
Luft cited Grande and Erivo’s respective performances as Glinda and Elphaba as standout turns.
“Cynthia and Ariana are nothing short of magnificent! They take you on an emotional rollercoaster, and you better hold on tight,” Luft added. “Vocally, they both are phenomenal and jaw dropping! Their performances are honest, subtle, funny, and absolutely perfect. The rest of the cast including Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and more, are also phenomenal!”
She continued, “I sat at the talkback after the movie, and listened to all of them talk about what it was like to make this epic movie, which was a lot of fun, and done with a great deal of love and respect for the original. So all I can tell you, is go see it and be taken on the journey of the witches! And buckle up, because it’s one joy filled ride!”
Director Chu previously said during a “Wicked” post-screening Q&A at the DGA theater in New York that “The Wizard of Oz” was an especially personal IP to join.
“‘Wizard of Oz’ is so personal to everybody; it’s personal to my family,” Chu said. “As immigrants in my family came over, that [the idea of] the yellow brick road, the wizard that would give you your heart’s desire. We all have our pieces in this. It’s the American fairy tale, about the American dream here.” Regarding the story’s timely themes, Chu said, “What’s happening now didn’t exist when they wrote it, but these scenarios always did. Everyone always rose above it. The resilience of the people always rose above it. And I love that, that we get to remind people that you have to just keep walking. So for me, it was: How do you get the big scope and use the tools of cinema to sweep people [up]? I really believe that movies — I saw with ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ — really can change things, really can make a difference.”
