In this episode of Billboard On The Record, director Jon M. Chu and music editor Jack Dolman join host Kristin Robinson to talk about bringing the iconic musical ‘Wicked’ to the big screen. They dive into the process of adapting a beloved story, from working closely with Stephen Schwartz to deciding how to split the film into two parts. Chu and Dolman share behind-the-scenes insights on live performances by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, balancing music and acting and maintaining the integrity of every song. They discuss the challenges of transitioning from dialogue to song, collaborating with the cast and crew and making sure each moment feels timeless. Along the way, they reveal their favorite musical moments, their philosophy on storytelling through music and are faced with the ultimate question… pink or green?
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Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions.
Host:
Kristin Robinson
Executive Producers:
Diona DaCosta
Hannah Karp
Jade Watson
Produced By:
Kayla Forman
Mateo Vergara
Edited By:
Rachel Derbyshire
Kristin Robinson:
‘Wicked,’ it’s one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time featuring beloved songs like “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” and “For Good.” In 2024, after many years of development, director Jon M. Chu turned this musical into a blockbuster film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Reviving the story of Oz once again for a new generation of fans. Now that it’s 2025, it’s time for Jon Chu to do it again in the second installment of his film adaptation which is called ‘Wicked: For Good.’ Today, we’re going to talk to the director himself, Jon M. Chu, and supervising music editor, Jack Dolman, about how t hey transformed the iconic songs of ‘Wicked’ for the big screen. Welcome back to On the Record, a music industry podcast from Billboard and SickBird Productions. As always, I’m your host, Kristin Robinson, and we have a very special episode today. The second part of the ‘Wicked’ story will debut later this month on November 21st featuring all the same characters you came to know and love in part one, but this movie will feature two new songs, “Girl In The Bubble” and “No Place Like Home,” which were not included in the stage production. These additions point to the challenges and opportunities that the big screen poses to any musical adaptation, especially one like this where the source material has been bisected into two separate films. These new songs help fill out the second half of the ‘Wicked’ story in which the tale of Elphaba and Glinda finally catches up to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.
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