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Reading Race, Roommates, and My Review of “Wicked”
As a child born in New York and involved in various music and theater clubs, I have always enjoyed Broadway. I fondly remember a night in the early 2000s when my dad and stepmother prepared for a date night in the city to see the latest musical, “Wicked.” Typically, we attended shows as a family, but I made it clear that I would be perfectly fine with them seeing the show without me, as long as I received the CD and a playbill (two things that I collected from every show I would see).
When they returned with the goods, I eagerly popped the soundtrack of the original Broadway cast into my player and listened to it repeatedly for years. I was always captivated by the stories of misfits and outcasts, especially in musicals like “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Rent.” As I connected with more friends who also loved Broadway (and lived through the “Glee” era) my middle school and high school years saw many impromptu singing sessions between classes belting songs like “Defying Gravity” and “The Music of the Night”. These moments only made us stand out more as the “weird” kids in school.
Fast forward to 2024, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for a year to see the movie adaptation of “Wicked” after watching teasers of the trailer. From “Mean Girls” to “Death Becomes Her,” 2024 has proven to be an excellent year for movie musicals, so I was thrilled to see “Wicked” on the big screen. After attending on opening night, it did not disappoint!
I enjoyed the film so much that even after sitting in the theater for three hours, I could have easily stayed for another three, and I wasn’t the only audience member who sat in awe for a few minutes while watching the credits. Having followed this show and its fandom since I was a preteen, I have always found the film’s themes to resonate as a story about difference and identity politics.
However, these themes became even more pronounced in the film adaptation of the musical compared to the times I listened to the soundtrack on repeat twenty years ago. Therefore, I would like…
