where I geek out about Wicked:
DO YOU SEE THIS. Never did I think following RL Stine on Twitter could lead to the affirmation of ONE OF MY DREAMS COMING TRUE!
I'd heard rumors of a movie... then I'd seen the IMDB PRO USERS ONLY notice on a similarly-named upcoming movie entry... I participated in discussions on LJ and youtube videos about who would play who... but I was still suspicious, pessimistic. If Mr. Stine is talking about it, though... I could that as affirmed. YES YES YES YEEESSSSSSSS
::/channeling Double Rainbow Guy::
breathes
SO. I love Idina Menzel! She's an attractive, fantastic actress with a mean set of pipes. (If you want to call a selection of actresses I have a tendency to be attracted to "my type," then she's my damn type.) I loved her in the movie version of RENT (omg red tango dress? PLEASE), and on both the original cast recording from the musical and also movie's soundtrack. Wicked and RENT are two of the most... two of the.... I don't feel more close to anything than those two shows, and she is connected to both of them.
When she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" on Glee, I teared up, and their version of "Poker Face" is also really fantastic. Hell, she was THE VOICE OF CIRCE on an episode of one of those animated Hercules TV shows. The voice of Circe. Them's credentials, baby.
And as far as Wicked goes, from the clips on YouTube of her portrayal on stage and promotional scenes performed on various TV shows, she did a fantastic job with Elphaba's part on Broadway. I can't sing half the songs on THAT original cast recording without crying, especially the ones that include her voice. (That, however, is largely due to Stephen Schwartz' breathtakingly fantastic, first-rate songs themselves. No other songs evoke such a response from me. I literally tear up when several of the songs' first bars play-- ex. Defying Gravity. Oh god, I love them so much! breathebreathe)
That being said, this is one of the first franchises where I will say I am fully okay with the fact that the musical adaptation is different from the book. As opposed to the Harry Potter franchise, where I'll complain about or at least mention each divergence the movies take from the books. I think part of the reason is because in this case, I saw the musical before I read the book (which usually doesn't happen), and the rule of thumb is that whatever you experience first is what you'll be most attached to.
The other reason may be because the musical diverges SO MUCH from the book. One problem I've had with the Harry Potter movies is coming to terms with the fact that producers are going to change things to make the movies more marketable. I know this, but... the variations are really not that much, so I could never really grasp why they change anything. With Wicked, however, while the story remains largely the same, the tone and several key storytelling aspects in the book are completely overhauled in the musical. To great effect!
I've never really understood the "Best Adaptation of a Novel" Oscar before, because I didn't understand what the adaptation would be, other than the novel with added stage directing, changed thoughts to soliloquy, or something. However, I think I can come to better terms with it now. The adaptation of a novel can be as similar as possible think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or wildly different, as Wicked: The Musical is from its Gregory Maguire counterpart. Wicked's adaptation works better than, say, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire IMHO. Why? Because both versions of Wicked are my favorites, but while GoF the book is my favorite HP novel, the movie ranks low (see explanation of unnecessary changes above).
ALL OF THAT just came from my desire to wonder... Will Wicked: The Movie be based upon the musical Wicked.... or the book? I... I'm torn. I think a movie adaptation of the book would be more successful, could be more epic, as it shows a grittier, more realistic version of the middle of the story, and I DO want to see that... But oh dear god do I want to be able to watch them sing anytime. Also the musical has lesbian undertones the book doesn't have as much of and that makes me happy inside.
And more than that, even: As I said, RENT and Wicked are two of THE MOST influential shows on my life, and I want to share that with everyone. Because RENT the movie was made, I've been able to share that with all my friends-- but I only know one ex-good friend of mine who saw Wicked, and we don't talk anymore. I NEED TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THIS DAMN MUSICAL. I want to share it so badly. I've wanted to since THE DAY I watched it a year and a couple months ago... If it comes back on tour within a state or two from here, I WILL BUY TICKETS for myself and a good friend who hasn't seen it.
But back to Mr. Stine's tweets-- Idina would be fantastic as Elphaba, to be sure! The fact that she's high in the ranks leads me to believe that the movie will be based on the musical... BUT again, I'm going to try to stay neutral. Either one would be great. but I want the music aaahhh.
I've seen so many clips of the show from different places, seen so many actresses and actors play the parts, that as long as the damn movie gets made I'll be the happiest damn camper you've ever seen!