A universal story of resilience in Wicked

Chinese-American film-maker Jon M. Chu, who helms the musical fantasy film, says the story is personal to his immigrant family

- John Lui

The musical fantasy film Wicked is an adaptation of the stage musical of the same name. That hit production was itself a revisionist take on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz and the classic 1939 Judy Garland film it inspired, The Wizard Of Oz.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on Nov 21, the movie stars American pop star Ariana Grande as a young woman named Glinda, who will become Glinda the Good Witch of the North, and British actress-singer Cynthia Erivo as her college roommate Elphaba, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

Chinese-American director Jon M. Chu sees echoes of his family's immigrant past in this iconic story, which he believes everyone sees a bit of themselves in.

Speaking at a recent question-and-answer event with the cast in New York City, he recalls watching the tryout production of Wicked the musical in San Francisco just a few months before it opened on Broadway in 2003.