‘WICKED’: RATED PG

Broadway musicals that become movie musicals have a long tradition that invite debate as to which versions are better.

“Chicago” has been a Broadway musical twice, first with a two-year run starting in 1975, and returning to the stage in a 1996 revival still running to this day.

Not surprisingly, “Chicago” inspired a 2002 movie musical of the same name, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly and Renee Zellweger as Roxie Hart, both of them scheming vixens ending up in jail on murder charges.

Were the movie stars as good as their counterparts in the original 1975 stage musical? Broadway legends Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon were the initial Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, respectively. Both of them won Tony Awards.

The point of this exercise of comparison of the stage versus the big screen is that an argument can be made that what started on the stage is invariably better than a cinematic adaptation. This is something to think about with the release of “Wicked” if you have already seen the musical on a stage.

Before you invest time into 160 minutes for “Wicked,” a running-time that tests the outer limits of endurance, keep in mind that it ends with a “to be continued” notice for a second part that is reportedly not expected to arrive until about this time next year.

On Broadway, the “Wicked” musical runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. That informs us that the full story could wrap up a lot sooner than a two-part marathon.

From the outset, a drawback of a stage production is the physical inability to deliver stunning visuals of a witch taking flight or computer-generated imagery of an Emerald City. “Wicked” proves to be exquisite in its cinematography.

Comparing favorably to the original Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenowith, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and Ariana Grande’s Glinda, the impending Good Witch of the North, respectively in the same roles, deliver big time on the dancing and singing.

While the denizens of Munchkinland rejoice in the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good tells the story of the Witch’s troubled childhood and her days at Shiv University where they became reluctant roommates.

The backstory then shifts to Elphaba, born with iridescent green skin and mysterious abilities, as she arrives at the university to see her wheelchair-bound younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), and draws the notice of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the Dean of Sorcery Studies.

After inadvertently revealing her magical abilities, Elphaba accepts an invitation to be tutored by Morrible, and this is how she comes to know Galinda, the irrepressible pretty blonde and seemingly self-absorbed lightweight hailing from a life of privilege.

With her verdant complexion, Elphaba is an outcast, while Galinda is the complete opposite, more like one of the popular mean girls most likely to be found in high school surrounded by members of a clique, including here the fawning yet amusing connivers Pfannee (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James).

Elphaba’s notoriety gains her an invitation to the Emerald City to meet with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and is joined by Galinda, who shortens her name to Glinda as a nod to how it has been mispronounced at college. The trip appears to put some complications into their friendship.

The arrival of Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), a rebellious carefree player committed to only whatever and whomever may tickle his fleeting fancy, catches the eyes of both girls.

Meanwhile, the school’s authoritarian streak leads to discrimination against the anthropomorphic animals and subsequent deprivation of their civil rights and ability to speak.

Affected by this turn of events is Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), a talking goat who teaches history until he’s forced to retire and replaced by a devious professor who lacks any respect for animals.

Taking umbrage at the mistreatment of animals and feeling a growing sense that Morrible and the Wizard are problematic, Elphaba is on her wicked witch trajectory, which is likely to be further explored in the second part, perhaps much like the Broadway show’s Act Two.

Undeniably, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba is at once fierce and vulnerable, and if her rendition of “Defying Gravity” does not result in an emotionally satisfying experience, then “Wicked” will not leave an indelibly curious impression.

While “Wicked” impresses as a solidly designed production with memorable performances, my preference for a musical creation remains immutably fixed on the stage where one’s imagination also plays a role.

However, the more thought that goes into the provenance of this film version leads me to reconsider, at least in the limited scope of this one adaptation, that the magic of a stage production can be captured and expanded upon to achieve a richly rewarding cinematic experience.

“Wicked” is an immersive journey through the fantasy world of the witches of Oz as both Elphaba and Glinda will eventually fulfill their destinies, and a year from now we could learn so much more.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.