‘Wicked’ Won’t Play in Kuwait Theaters, Local Media Speculates It’s Because of LGBTQ Cast

[hewontgo]

“Wicked” has been banned in Kuwait on the eve of its local theatrical release. Local media speculates the decision was prompted by the film's LGBTQ cast.

The Gulf state previously banned “Barbie” to protect “public ethics.”https://t.co/rKXk66wBov
- Variety (@Variety) December 4, 2024
“Wicked” has been removed from cinema listings in Kuwait on the

Comments

Their loss

[benihime99]

[peddlestools]

are there even any gay characters in the movie?

[pikapika217]

if you want to be technically Bowen's character is openly into Fiyero, who in turn flirts with man and women alike.

[squirrels_oh_no]

Fiyero is insinuated to be bi/pan when he flirts with everyone in the library.

[ahkna]

Glinda and Elphaba

[pikapika217]

JUST ran into a really good reel about how people need to let Glinda be/be seen as the bad guy:

https://instagram.com/p/DDFe330SxcJ

And here is my own spoiler filled response:

[Spoiler (click to open)] I think the most important part is that it's clear Glinda sees herself as bad and seems to recognize that she lives in a prison of her own making by not being brave with Elphaba when it would have been most important to. Not going with her haunts her, not being able to see beyond her privilege or process it in the same way Elphaba haunts her. Arguably that's what makes her such a great character - she made bad choices, regrets it and feels lost in those consequences. She is shattered by her own idea of what being a nice person is in the face of what true sacrificial goodness looks like. Fiyero is similarly effected but starts to think about everything and himself differently and question things faster. The consequence of her choices is something she needs to feel and just because she isn't *as bad* as the wizard or Madame Morrible doesn't mean we can't

[houndooms]

spoilers for act 2

[Spoiler (click to open)]I wasn't really a Wicked fan/follower but I always thought that when Glinda sings her "the wicked's lives are lonely" verse in the opening number, she's knowingly singing about herself. Like even if she does bring good change to Oz and becomes a better person, she's always going to be lonely in knowing she played a part in things getting so bad, to people getting hurt and to losing those she cared about.

I saw a discussion on reddit where this person wanted them to change the ending so Glinda and Elphaba reunite, or Elphaba leaves some sort of sign for Glinda to find to let her know that she's alive and I'm like no!! Glinda has to live with what she did for the rest of her life! By the end of the story she doesn't deserve that kind of peace.

[pikapika217]

EXACTLY

[Spoiler (click to open)] Her whole life has been about her prioritizing her own peace and not being uncomfortable. She is likely purposefully going out of her way to punish herself both because she feels that's the way to make any attempt at amends but also because it's all she knows. I wonder if she could even make it right at all in any sense because it's been so long. Honestly I hope they don't reunite in person at all in part 2 or she only sees her as she 'dies' or something. Something to be really poetic that way

[meadowphoenix]

it's weird because i agree that it's reasonable to see glinda as villainous in the second act (her narrative foil, in addition to fiyero and elphaba, is also nessarose in that their wickedness is more sheer selfishness than active malice, but at a certain point, those two things are indistinguishable and nessarose never learns this, though glinda is slapped in the face with this by morrible). like that's the purpose of the show, that good or wicknessness is in action not facade.

but she's not the villain in any sense, and i think it's fair to push back on saying that. there's a difference between the primary villains to elphaba's hero, which is morrible and the wizard, and the primary antagonist, which is glinda to elphaba's protagonist.

[ari_angelique]

Religious leaders being a bunch of homophobic asshats? Say it isn't so.

[ladychips]

lgbtq moment in the movie or because a cast member is queer?