Evil Inevitability pits Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda against each other, asking the audience which they prefer and who they consider the story's MVP. Evil is truly a narrative with two main characters, as the way Elphaba and Glinda compare and contrast the themes of maintaining public appearances and how these young women take different approaches to navigating the tense sociopolitical landscape of Oz. This premise is made even more captivating by their mutual dedication; As best friends, they admire and respect each other's differences (but occasionally drive each other crazy).
Put Evilfinal, the stage is set for Wicked Part Twoand Both Erivo and Grande have cemented themselves in Hollywood history for their emotional, charismatic and suitably dramatic performances as the two most famous Witches of Oz. While Evil makes many changes from the original book, the second half will likely closely follow the Broadway musical's version of events, meaning circumstances will drive a wedge between Elphaba and Glinda. However, if one thing is certain, it is that Erivo and Grande will continue to be the invaluable driving forces behind this new era of Evil.
Cynthia Erivo vs Ariana Grande: Who Delivers the Best Wicked Performance
Ariana Grande *Barely* Gives Best Performance in Wicked Part One
Grande seems to have drawn more attention for her performance in Evil for being the most surprising casting choice (Erivo is an experienced theater and film singer-actress) and for having the most complicated character. Erivo leaves Elphaba with many layers; Elphaba actually acts very stiff and reserved for most of the film, leaving it to Erivo to convey tones of affection, amusement, disgust, and anger (which she does). However, her loudest moments are also organic and completely believable for the character. There are substantial rumors about his chances of making it to the Oscars and of winning an Oscar for Evil I would give Erivo an EGOT.
However, Grande surprisingly makes Glinda cheerful, hilarious, yet deeply caring.
Glinda, on the other hand, is a more contradictory character. The script sets her up to be a Regina George-esque queen bee (perhaps less overtly cruel), and then reverses everything with her befriending Elphaba. Glinda's reconciliation with Elphaba may also seem selfish, only happening because Elphaba put Glinda in witchcraft class. However, Grande surprisingly makes Glinda cheerful, hilarious, yet deeply caring. Although Elphaba is a whirlwind of repressed emotions and growing convictions that is fascinating to watch, There's a duality to Glinda's character that's very tricky to play – but Grande nails it.
Cynthia Erivo x Ariana Grande: whose songs are better in Wicked
Elphaba's songs have always been Wicked's most epic moments
Yet Elphaba's power ballads are undeniably her most stunning moments. Evil. Shortly after her first appearance as an adult, Elphaba performs The Wizard and I”, a song with a dreamy but still surprisingly strong effect. Glinda, of course, has her famous “Popular” number halfway through the film, which is epic in a perfectly way Glinda Grande refused to change. Evil'Popular' of his musical version and performs it perfectly; it's the ultimate demonstration of everything that makes Glinda who she is, with glamour, perfectly timed comedy, but with an underlying manic sheen to the way she goes through life.
However, “Defying Gravity” is then the real stumbling block of Eviland arguably the most epic moment ever seen on a Broadway stage. Erivo extracts the notes that Idina Menzel once performed, which transcend all words. The lyrics to “Defying Gravity” are some of Stephen Schwartz's most skillful work, conveying Elphaba's realization that she is better than the game she has been playing. Plus, even though “Defying Gravity” is Elphaba’s song, it’s taken even further by the fact that Glinda sings a verse of it – and for a moment, there’s really nothing these two can’t do.
Ariana Grande's Glinda is funnier than Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba
Grande's comedic talents mixed with her ability to make Glinda likable are crucial to Wicked
Glinda is evidently the backbone of the comedy Evil; Elphaba has some humorous moments that are gently inspired by Margaret Hamilton's 1939 performance. The Wizard of Ozlike scaring Glinda and then laughing. Her first scene with Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero is also fun, but mostly because of the way he deflects her. However, Glinda is hilarious all the time Evil being unapologetically herself. Glinda says a lot of things that are supposed to make her strangely self-centered – from “They will miss me“to”I didn't get it my way“- but Grande knows how the theatricality of Glinda's character works.
Every exaggerated comment Glinda makes balances an inherently dark story, which allows the “wonderful” in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz still pass. Grande puts her own spin on iconic quotes and interactions that have gone through many iterations, performing a delicate balancing act of Glinda always being the funniest person in the room but also smart — in a way that's still funny. His pauses for effect, physicality, and now-viral exclamation of “Right!“Prove that Grande is one of the underrated comedy talents of a generation, and Glinda is the role she was born to play.
Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba is the emotional backbone of Wicked
Elphaba having complexity while pursuing relatively simple goals makes the story compelling
Meanwhile, Elphaba is the emotional and moral core of the story. The Wicked Witch of the West is a figure most people know as irredeemably evil and extremely spiteful, but Evil he does The Wizard of Oz a tragedy by showing how Elphaba never wanted to hurt anyone. The world was cruel to her from the beginning, and no matter what she did to help, it backfired. Erivo gets off to a strong start with Elphaba's story, showing how there is an underlying frustration within her and how important things like Glinda's friendship with her are important in her life.
Erivo performs some very subtle expressions that show the character's complex feelings about what is ultimately a foregone conclusion.
Elphaba's character arc shows the sadness of having been alone for most of her life, with her only break being Glinda and Fiyero. Elphaba's goals are relatively simple: study witchcraft and use it to help animals, adapting this plan as she discovers the truth about Oz's regime. Erivo performs some very subtle expressions that show the character's complex feelings about what is ultimately a foregone conclusion. However, Elphaba's most powerful moments are still “The Wizard and I” and “Defying Gravity,” which is largely the result of songwriting rather than acting.
Ariana Grande is Wicked's true MVP
But Cynthia Erivo could become bigger in Wicked Part Two
Ariana Grande narrowly emerges as the biggest star in Evilwhen this first film has her convincingly deliver the brilliance of Popular” while also bringing the heartbreak and healing (and operatic vocals) of “No One Mourns the Wicked” as well as Glinda and Elphaba. It's doubtful anyone really expected Grande to be as good as she is at Evil; when she perfectly portrays a character with subtle nuances and that carries so much thematic weight, she comes out on top. However, Erivo can still surpass her as Elphaba.
The next half of the story could be Erivo's time to truly shine, as it requires her to live up to the desperation and terrifying nature of “No Good Deed” while also being enchanted by the sight of her enemy during “Wonderful.” The first half of the story shows Elphaba mostly making moves that she thinks will lead to real change, up until “Defying Gravity.” However, when Elphaba is continually challenged by her situation in the second half, demanding more internal conflict in Erivo's performance, she could be the MVP of the next half. Evilwhile Grande remains so in the first.