The Wacky World Of Wicked Movie Merch

 The Wicked movie at the time of this post is less than a month away, and I will be reviewing it, and covering a great range of topics pertaining to the film, the music, and of course the musical itself. On a trek to Target as I find myself doing from time to time, the second I stepped into the store I was greeted by it. A massive display of merchandise and clothes for the upcoming mega musical movie, and even in the bargain section, merch pertaining to it, and I am sure there was even more placed in other areas of the store. I say this with full confidence because I checked the website and there was a dedicated page with 295 different products and a custom banner pertaining to Wicked, in my curiosity I went to Box Lunch and Walmart's websites, the former having almost 70 pieces of merch and the latter sporting over 1000. Walmart and Target have dedicated pages with banners, fun wording, and even online exclusive products or advertising other businesses that take residence in their stores. So I thought I would share my findings as I took a whole night last weekend to fall down the rabbit hole and see how much merch is tied to this upcoming mega-musical movie, and what it means. 

There are some products that are no-brainers, clothes of all kinds such as shirts, sweaters, slippers, and such, and because this is being advertised as a family movie for everyone, dolls, make-up, nail polish, and beauty products. Knowing the kind of character Glinda is, beauty products of both pink and green just make sense and fit with the movie, same with dolls, toys, posters, clothes, or even trimmed-down versions of the original novel that inspired the musical. All of these are expected with a massive movie release, shirts, pajama pants, posters, and of course Funko Pops, with some of them being exclusive to each store which is a given when it comes to Funko Pops.

Some of the merch is interesting but not completely out of the realm of possibility, such as bedding, luggage, and Starbucks drinks, one for Glinda and one for Elphaba, one pink and one green. Jewelry also makes sense as it seems this film is taking the angel of marketing towards women of all ages and trying to be the next Barbie, a musical Barbie, but without the Oppenheimer to balance for free marketing, instead not one but TWO Disney musicals right after marketed at families, Mufasa and Moana 2. 

Then there are some that leave me scratching my head, Starbucks having drinks makes sense, same with a blanket or even different types of clothes like a varsity jacket based on the school they attend, but then there are some I don't quite understand. Decor and posters, sure that makes sense but for some characters like the wizard I don't see moving as many posters as the leads, but then there's bedding, and pillows made to look like Elpahba's hat. But also online exclusive cake mix to secure a green or pink colored cupcake mix, otherwise it is a mystery between pink and green for cupcakes and cake pops and you only find out when you bake them. But then there is the mac and cheese, there is a pink and or green colored mac and cheese, that you only find out when you make it. WHY?! Some of these products I would classify as "flying too close to the sun" such as we don't have to slap Wicked on everything and entertain every idea. 

This was a brief summary because from clothes to blankets, toys, Legos, food, and more there is too much too cover in just one post. I may dive deeper and show even more, I encourage you to go to the websites and see this craziness yourself. It is too much to cover at once but may be revisited at some point. 

It seems Warner Brothers is trying to make this the family musical event of the holiday season, perhaps even over-trying to make it a good adaptation, we will have to wait and see until the movie comes out and I can review it, but it seems they know this musical movie adaptation has been a long time coming, is highly anticipated, but also they have faith in this taking off. From the Broadway show's reputation and popularity to the stars in the movie, there seems to be confidence in this film, which is nice but is only sometimes slightly misplaced. It is nice to see a musical getting this much merch outside of the Hamilton Funko pops, shirts, and posters, which most times are either online only or at the shows themselves. It is cool to see a musical get this much attention and excitement, and to be in a store like Target and Walmart, and have dedicated pages on their websites. A musical that is not an animated Disney musical getting dolls, merch, makeup, jewelry, and caboodles to carry them, much like Barbie, they are embracing the IP. An IP is not only a multimillion-dollar musical that is still running today but is based on a beloved classic property. Still, the mac and cheese is weird though

Avenue Q: The Foul Mouthed Puppets That Toppled Wicked

 At the time of this post, the Wicked movie is now less than a month away, and trust me, there is going to be a ton of gravity-defying content on this blog, from the music to the movie, and more surprises to come when the one short day in the emerald city arrives. But as I was scrolling on YouTube late at night, I watched a video documentary on how Wicked won some Tony Awards but lost some including Best Musical in 2004 to Avenue Q. It inspired me to talk about this puppet musical that poses the question "What if Sesame Street was rated R?" and covered topics of adult life. I have not seen a production of this show yet but I have listened to the album many times, there is some stuff that is classified as dated in this musical, and there are some jokes that have aged better than others, but there is plenty here that still works today. So I wanted to talk about the show in general before I get into the movie based on the mega-musical on the horizon and so many aspects both of the stage show and the film, I thought I would explore the show through smart marketing, pulled off the win and saved itself from closing. Also absolutely go watch the video, it is so well-made and informative. 

This show hits you from the beginning, the opening shows you everything you are about to get, jokes left and right that are not suitable for younger ears, even though puppets take the stage they are not here to teach you anything, they are here to cuss, talk about bills, love, life, and so much more. From songs about laughing at the misfortune of others, to not wearing underwear today, this show is wild. But then the show surprises you with moments and songs like "Purpose", "There's A Fine Fine Line" and "For Now" where the jokes either mostly or entirely subside and the show embraces its still very real themes. Felt puppets may be singing about unrequited love, finding one's place in the world, or accepting things as they are for now, but the topics in these cases are very real, reaching the listener and giving them something to walk away with. The moments the comedy which sometimes is absolutely hilarious aside and talking about very real things the listener could be feeling or has felt in their life.

The comedy pulls no punches and no topic is sacred, from race to sexuality, Avenue Q, aside from being extremely crass has the philosophy of "If it can be made fun of, make fun of it". But the jokes and themes can only carry so far, what about the music carrying them?

The songs have memorable lyrics whether in seriousness or jest, and infectious melodies. Whether a solo or a group number, these songs are catchy with a wide scope of instrumentation, and as someone who has only watched a couple clips but has spent most of their time with this show in the confines of the cast album, these songs are great. I may not stick with all of them, but the ones that stick really do stick. Whether landing a joke or having a moment to reflect on, the lyrics are mostly genius. Yes some of them contain super dated jokes, but some of the shorter songs entailing having a fake girlfriend, or once again simply not wearing underpants are still super funny. Some of the more edgy songs also have solid jokes, great wordplay, and pitch-perfect timing. Before the South Park team brought their troupe of singing Mormons to the stage with that South Park wit and style, this was the original low-brow musical. 

I love many of the songs and will someday have to dive deeper into them, but one I will explore in the future I want to touch on briefly is "For Now", as the show closes we are not given a big, bombastic, comedy driven piece but rather something more. We end on the note of accepting things we can not avoid, both good and bad, a very real moral that holds weight in varying stages of life, one about enjoying things big and small even if you don't hold all the answers. This song is so powerful and ends the show on such a quiet but strong note that I still think about this song regularly, and can never just listen to it once, it sits with me as the final notes are played, and if seen, the lights go out. In a quiet moment, the lead accepts his life and goes home, all the craziness that began with ACT One vanishes as each character one by one shuffle off stage to leave Princeton to sing the final notes. Truly showing how even the show, or in my case, the album was only for now, until my next trip to Avenue Q on a car ride or while relaxing. A show that holds so much more than what is shown at face value, enough that it was able to stand against, and coexist with the biggest musical in the world at the time. 

Source/Instrumentation: How Wicked Lost The 2004 Tony Awards, Wait In The Wings Youtube Channel, Youtube Video

Will The Warriors Become A Broadway Musical?

 This past weekend saw the launch of Lin Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis's new concept album based on the 1979 movie of the same name, "The Warriors". About a gang, this time all female, making their way back home with a target on their backs when they are wrongfully blamed for killing another gang leader. I have been listening to the album, and it is going to take a while for me to process my thoughts and give a full review, but someday I will, it just might not be anytime soon. Aside from perhaps building to that by looking at a couple individual songs later on down the road, I thought I would explore a fascinating aspect of the musical. The nature of its release. It is a concept album, as the whole story is right there in the album, with no word of a coming stage adaptation. 

The reviews are a tad mixed on this one, and my early feelings are the same, as mentioned earlier it will take some time before I give a full review, but it is nice to compare my feelings with others as I go on this journey. I am still wondering if this will see the stage, and thus is the question and central theme of today's post.

There are a couple options, it could stay just as a concept album, it could come to the stage, or it could come to the stage and have new songs, changes to the story, and cut songs, all with potentially different performers and more with a release of an official cast album. There are many paths on this road, and it's hard to say where the story of this album begins and ends, it could stay as is or go beyond that. Hamilton was originally going to be a concept album as well before it came to the stage and became what we know it today, but that does not mean this will follow in Hamilton's footsteps. 

From an outsider's perspective who only sees flashes through pop culture, the news, and social media, it seems Lin Manuel Miranda has changed and moved on at least for now. He has directed a film, worked on multiple movies, and there are upcoming movies that he has had a hand in. He was in Ducktales and made several appearances on TV, wrote a poetry book, and more. There is a chance he could return to the stage someday, but that might be later down the road. I would love for him to direct more musical movies because, with Tick Tick Boom, he proved that he can use his knowledge of music to make a great musical movie.

He has worked on and will probably work on more Disney musical films, maybe even collaborate with them on a stage version. Who knows? I know I sure don't.

So at the end of the day, we have no idea of where this album will go if it is to the stage or just as is. But what we can judge and see is the artists we follow trying something new, changing, and going different ways. Even if they do or don't return to where they got their name, they carry that style, and why we followed their work into their new projects. Some will be hits, some will be flops but that is art and the nature of creating. Until then all we can do, is watch, listen, and grow ourselves. 

The New Wicked Poster, The Run Time, And The New Trailer

 

There is a ton to unpack, I have been slacking when it comes to covering this upcoming musical event. The movie is one of the biggest musicals of all time, I am so far behind that this is the latest poster, and the last time I covered this topic, there was one poster and there are now more than ten. There have also been some clips, trailers, and information given. So even though I have not been covering this in the most detail, I wanted to talk about a couple of the most recent pieces of news that dropped as we are now about a month off from the film release. 

The first thing I wanted to address is at the top of this post. It is a recreation of the classic Wicked poster as many musical fans can see. I am okay with this, but it does feel like the marketing team is trying so hard to make this movie as big as possible by harkening back and showing they know where this product orginated, most of the recent YouTube videos label it as "The musical event". The problem is that it is trying to recreate and be new at the same time and by doing that, it falls short as both. And speaking of making something as big as possible...

Interviews and press releases have now revealed that the run time of this movie will be two hours and forty minutes, which is just five minutes short of BOTH acts of the stage version with an intermission included. This movie is part one of two and that run time is concerning, to say the least. Wondering if there would be new songs which is less of a possibility because the album that is dropping the same day the film premieres does not show any new songs. There is a chance the new songs are hidden and will appear online or on a CD later, and are just not included to have them be special for the movie, or an expanded album could be dropped later. This is a small chance we could only see the song list of songs we are familiar with and we could get some surprises, or it could be a faithful adaptation, which the latter is what I am leaning towards. 

Finally, there was a new trailer, one that focused on showing songs, namely "Popular", "Dancing Through Life", "What Is This Feeling" and of course "Defying Gravity". The choreography and visuals looked amazing, the director of this film did the film version of "In The Heights" and the musical performances along with the visuals were the strongest part of that film. What was shown looked good and will probably be performed well both in a musical sense and visually, the shots looked dynamic and grand, fitting for such a huge musical. 

I am excited and concerned, excited by what I have seen, and even seeing the post replicated shows a deep respect for the source material. My concern is the run time and if things are going to be padded out, overexplained or just extended, only because it as almost as long as BOTH acts of the orginal. This is a part one, and that makes me wonder how long part two will be, and what may be added and expanded there. This looks like the musical segements are going to be great, and with that run time, unlike "In The Heights", it does not seem many if any songs will be excluded. The visuals look breath taking whetehr in moments of music or in pure display, and the singing so far, sounds good. 

There is alot to hope for in this movie, there are just a couple things that coneern me, that I hope wash away by the time the final note is struck and credits roll. I really hope my doubts are proven wrong and this is a truly great movie, I am hoping.