Editor’s observe: The next article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the writer’s personal. Learn extra opinions on theGrio.
Kanye West launched me to “Depraved.” Not personally, in fact, however many moons in the past, there was some video footage of Kanye West within the studio messing round with a beat that sampled the track “Common,” sung by Kristin Chenoweth, who performed Glinda within the unique forged recording of the Broadway musical, “Depraved.” To my information, nothing ever got here of that beat — nor ought to it have; so far as Kanye productions go, at that time, it felt like extra of a throwaway — however the pattern was so intoxicating that I wanted to listen to the supply materials. I searched it on (in all probability) Spotify and the remainder is historical past.
I like musical. Whereas it could be problematic for a litany of causes, I nonetheless have “Hamilton” on repeat within the automotive and on my tv. I do know all of the Disney musicals and have pressured my children to like musicals as properly. We’re a dramatical, sing-songy home. “Depraved” was my jam. Upon discovering the soundtrack to “Depraved,” each day I’d hop in my 2008 Dodge Magnum — with the Hemi — plug within the aux wire and let the songs take me and my daughter into the great world of Oz. There was just one drawback: till lately, I actually had no reference factors to what was actually taking place within the play.
As a lot as I cherished the soundtrack, I by no means made it to Broadway (or wherever else, for that matter) to see the play. I wished to, however for no matter purpose, I didn’t go see it. So regardless of understanding the phrases to the entire songs and singing “Defying Gravity” on the prime of my lungs at cease lights, complicated varied demographics of drivers within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan space, in need of the cues from the lyrics to the songs, the plot was kinda sorta misplaced on me.
So you may think about my pleasure after I came upon that the movie adaptation of “Depraved” was making its strategy to theaters. I used to be much more excited as a result of the 2 leads, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, are powerhouse singers, which felt apropos to sticking the touchdown on the songs I knew. Nicely, I lastly noticed the film — and child, I cherished it.
For one, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba? Nailed it. Whew, chile. Ariana Grande appeared like she was having so, a lot enjoyable enjoying the a part of Glinda, aka Galinda. Additionally, as a child who grew up watching “The Wizard of Oz” on VHS, it was a pure delight to have a narrative that got down to clarify the backstory on so many issues. I like narrative reframing and reimagining of one thing, so I’m all the time going to be impressed with an excellent artistic addition to an already compelling piece of fiction. That’s the rationale I’m so glad Percival Everett gained the Nationwide Ebook Award for his bestselling novel “James,” a retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the attitude of Jim.
Watching Elphaba’s story was each emotional and insightful. Having access to the internal workings of an individual’s thoughts, their journey and discovering out how particular person “goes dangerous” will get me invested ten occasions out of ten. Heck, I used to be rooting for “The Depraved Witch” for the whole lot of the movie. By the movie’s finish, I wished to burn down Ozmyself. It additionally made me actually rethink the start scenes and opening quantity, “No One Mourns the Depraved” since ya know, perspective and all that jazz.
It truly made me considerably emotional on reflection as a result of (I’m assuming EVERYBODY is aware of the Depraved Witch of the West will get killed in “The Wizard of Oz”) the movie opens with a complete group — Munchkinland — excitedly celebrating the loss of life of Elphaba, who (spoiler alert) WE study was from those self same streets-streets, and was principally a freedom fighter who bucked the system after which was was an enemy of the state. In actuality, she would have greater than probably fought tooth and nail for these people. Seeing her being burned in effigy after studying what we realized made me emotional. I’m not saying I cried — however I’m not saying I didn’t cry, both. It’s difficult; depart me alone.
That’s additionally why I can’t wait till “Depraved Half II” comes out subsequent yr; as a result of I have to see the place (perhaps, if?) all of it took a flip. By the tip of the primary a part of “Depraved,” Elphaba realizes she has to forge a path of her personal primarily based on her morals and ideas, and since she realized of the complete sham behind the mythology of Oz — a discovery Dorothy will even later make. The lengths people will go to protect a lie and their evil ambitions is what Elphaba found; her powers and skills make her a hazard and the facility construction of Ozwas prepared, keen and capable of publicly insist on characterizing Elphaba as simply that, a hazard. I’m questioning if I’ll nonetheless be rooting for her in the identical method by the subsequent movie’s conclusion.
All I do know is that I need extra retellings and reimaginings and views of the villains. Disney, as an illustration, has executed job with that; the complete “Descendants” line of movies, that includes the fictional children of a few of Disney’s most well-known villains does an exquisite job of pulling again the curtain (pun supposed) on the again tales of the misunderstood and unfairly judged.
Whereas I wait, it’s Elphaba over every thing, fam. Defy gravity, lady! Defy gravity!
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Expensive Tradition” on theGrio Black Podcast Community. He writes very Black issues, drinks very brown liquors, and is fairly fly for a lightweight man. His greatest accomplishment to this point coincides together with his Blackest accomplishment to this point in that he obtained a telephone name from Oprah Winfrey after she learn one among his items (greatest) however he didn’t reply the telephone as a result of the caller ID mentioned “Unknown” (Blackest).
