Wicked trailer is an epic expansion of the musical that hides the fact it's a musical

The ongoing trend of trailers obscuring that a movie is a musical (see: Wonka, Mean Girls) is reaching epidemic levels. Wicked is one of the most beloved and highest grossing Broadway musicals ever—that’s the whole point of adapting Wicked for the screen. Yet while the first full trailer for the movie teases some of the most popular (no pun intended) tracks, we curiously never get to see stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande actually sing. In fact, without the soundtrack, there’s barely anything to indicate this movie is a musical besides some very, very brief clips that faintly suggest dancing. If Universal is pushing this as a big holiday blockbuster, why wouldn’t the studio lean into what makes Wicked what it is—the music?

Of course, the simple explanation is that the trailer is meant to entice audiences who aren’t already Wicked fans. And without any context at all for the musical, the trailer presents an interesting, epic-looking origin story for The Wizard Of Oz. The story follows Elphaba (Erivo), a brilliant and talented outcast who forms a schoolyard rivalry with Galinda (Grande), a wealthy, popular girl. “The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship,” reads the synopsis. “Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.”

The trailer is grand in scale and fleshes out the story in ways the musical only touches upon. For instance, there’s a brief glimpse of Elphaba’s difficult childhood; there are also shots around Oz after Elphaba’s reputation has turned for the worse, with huge propaganda posters and burning effigies. (As an aside, the trailer doesn’t indicate that the musical has actually been split into two films, though the trained eye will notice that the plot sort of stops after Elphaba crashes through that window.) For people who are fans of the musical, it’s genuinely exciting to see Shiz come to life, or to see the wondrous feats produced by Elphaba’s magic. The sets and the effects make a great case for why this show should be transferred from the stage to the screen.

What would be really exciting for fans would be to see some more choreography, to actually witness a little bit of Erivo belting rather than just hear it disembodied over a black screen that says “Thanksgiving.” We know it exists (a featurette released earlier this week showed some tantalizing dance sequences), so why not show it off? Wicked is an international sensation, so there aren’t many people who will be tricked into thinking this film isn’t a musical. The messaging behind this style of marketing is, “Don’t worry guys, there’s actually interesting plot and cool effects in between those silly songs.” But great singing and dancing should be a selling point of a musical, not a shameful afterthought. For goodness sake, let Wicked be Wicked!