WASHINGTON — Something British this way comes as the movie adaptation of "Wicked" is set to make its D.C. premiere Tuesday night at the United Kingdom's embassy on Massachusetts Avenue Northwest.
The movie-musical, starring Academy-Award nominee Cynthia Erivo and pop music sensation Ariana Grande will make its wide release on Fri. Nov. 22, but the British Embassy wanted to do something special to celebrate the British cast and crew of the movie adaptation and prequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Costumes from the movie-musical were on display inside the British Ambassador's residence ahead of the premiere, including the pink-bubble dress worn by Grande's character Glinda. The movie's costume designer Paul Tazewell was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on another stage adaptation Steven Spielberg's 2021 version of "West Side Story."
WICKED was the first movie filmed at Sky Studios, a movie studio on the outskirts of London, the musical's $145 million budget helped bring the Emerald City to 21st century audiences with 9 million tulips planted in the studio lot's garden to line the streets of the yellow-brick road.
The movie stars Erivo as Elphaba who proves it ain't easy being green at Shiz University. Erivo is a London native. Jonathan Bailey, a celebrated British theater star, has a supporting role in the movie as Elphaba's love interest, Fiyero.
"Through a partnership with British studios, British talent and even British gardeners, Wicked has made it to movie theaters, and we've no doubt it'll go stratospheric," the British Embassy said in a social media post on Tuesday that also celebrated the movie's British production designer Nathan Crowley.
"Wicked" was a smash hit on both Broadway in New York and West End in London. In 2017, the production became the second highest grossing Broadway musical of all time, raking in more than $1 billion.
The movie also stars Best Actress winner Michelle Yeoh who runs the university where Elphaba learns to defy gravity, as well as Jeff Goldblum, Peter Dinklage and Bowen Yang.
If you don't happen to be at the British Embassy's premiere, Wicked will be playing at most D.C. theaters on Thursday ahead of its official U.S. release date Friday.