Holding Space for Wicked - Max Gallagher

*contains spoilers for the movie Wicked*

On November 22, 2024, the film adaptation of the massively popular musical Wicked released and promptly took over the internet. It depicts Elphaba, a young woman who will one day be the Wicked Witch of the West, and her journey through Shiz University. She was born with green skin, and is reviled by her peers, but is gifted with magical skill that brings her to the attention of the Wizard of Oz, who turns out to be a fake, causing Elphaba to run away. The first of two parts, the movie is an excellent adaptation of the critically acclaimed play, with excellent set design, a phenomenal cast, and music faithful to the original. And people sure do love the music. There are tons of Tik Toks, Reels, and even hallway performances at CAPA showcasing singers’ attempts to hit the high note on Defying Gravity, to mixed success. But the highlight of the film for me is the story, which contains themes that are still relevant over 21 years after the Broadway production premiered. Persecution, being an outcast, and good and evil not being as clearly defined as we tend to think are still things folks face regularly, and the movie does an excellent job conveying these messages through the main villain, the Wizard of Oz, who is beloved by the public while secretly being a fraud who only cares about power.

Wicked has also led to many memes, as everything popular tends to do these days. The most famous of these is the Holding Space meme, a reference to the press tour following the movie. Journalist Tracey E. Gilchrist told Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (who play Glinda the Good and Elfaba respectively) that, “people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that”. While she says this, Ariana Grande weirdly doesn’t hold her co-star’s whole hand, just grabbing and repeatedly tapping Erivo’s finger. This moment has led to many references depicting the bizarre scene, with internet users talking about what they are holding space (meaning being present) for in their lives while awkwardly grasping a friend’s finger. Just like most pieces of media these days, the memes have slightly overshadowed the excellent film that Wicked was. Is this a good thing? Probably not. But it does show that our generation will take anything and make it into a big joke.