NYU School’s as Wicked Characters
The new film, Wicked, premiered recently on Friday, November 22, 2024. Many fans of the Broadway phenomena and newcomers to the Wicked lore gathered in theaters by the masses to watch the movie of the year. Many fans noted how the visuals, acting, choreography, and music were outstanding. As one user reports on IMDb, “Wicked is visually stunning and features strong performances, especially from Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The movie does a good job of introducing the world and its characters, with a lot of effort put into the costumes, sets, and effects”. Additionally, many online engaged with the memes from the Wicked premiere as there have been numerous jokes spread online revolving around Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. One meme making headlines appears from an Out junket interview, as the interviewer, Gilchrist, says to Erivo, “I’ve seen, this week, people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that”. If you read that sentence and are confused, you are not alone. As one X user says, “In der clerb… we all confused”. The film has garnered mass attention in the media and the budget was also incredibly high at $150 million. Additionally, Wicked has seemed to collaborate with many brands from Aerie to Bloomingdales. The film has been critically acclaimed with a score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a high box office opening weekend of $164.2 million worldwide. At NYU, I was surrounded by talk of the film, so I had to see the movie for myself. I truly think Wicked is a phenomenal movie and everything said about its successes is true. But as I was watching the film, I noticed some similarities between Wicked characters and different schools at NYU. For any of you who might have read one of my previous articles, “NYU Buildings as Hunger Games Districts”, I am back for round two! I thought, what better way to talk about the film Wicked than relating it to NYU?
Glinda→Tisch School of the Arts:
Starting with the most “popular” character, Glinda is the Tisch School of the Arts. Glinda embodies a typical Tisch student with her dramatic & theatrical persona. Glinda’s swoosh of her hair and fashionable wardrobe compare very well with a typical Tisch drama major. Her vocals are outstanding. Additionally, her ability to maintain a positive image at Shiz University is similar to Tisch students' lovability at NYU. Tisch is the home for the performers, creators, and those who light up the world with their artistry and charm, and Glinda’s dazzling personality is sure to resonate with the individuality that embodies Tisch.
Elphaba→Gallatin School of Individualized Study:
The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the most beloved characters from Wicked. And the iconic, humble, and reserved Elphaba is sure to embody the Gallatin student population. Elphaba is known at Shiz for being out of the norm or unique. Similarly, Gallatin students are known for majoring in unique or rare topics. Gallatin marches to the beat of its drum. The school is independent and embraces creativity, letting students “defy gravity” by designing their paths. I even know one friend minoring in Cyborg at Gallatin. Gallatin is the school for those unique underdogs that embody Elphaba. Gallatin is also home to some of the most famous stars like Timothée Chalamet and Anne Hathaway. And we know Elphaba will surely be the most infamous in all of Oz.
Fiyero→ Stern School of Business
No other could take the place of Stern’s population better than the confident and cocky Fiyero. Stern is known for having charming students who, some would say, “have a better than everyone” mentality as they are one of the most competitive schools at NYU. While Glinda has an inflated ego, so does Fiyero. But Fiyero is not as theatrical as Glinda, which is why Glinda is Tisch. Fiyero is similar to a common “Sternie” boy at NYU. The character embodies the ambition and boldness of Stern students. When seeking out adventure, Fiyero is always on the move, much like Stern's driven students. If Fiyero did not go to Shiz University, and he went to NYU, we can all assume his major would be finance!
Boq→ Tandon School of Engineering
Boq is rather mechanical-looking, some would say made out of tin. Many Tandon students are more disconnected from NYU’s campus because they are in Brooklyn, not close to Washington Square Park for reference. Similarly, Boq is rather distant from achieving Glinda as a girlfriend. Different ideas but the same principle. While Boq is far from Glinda’s heart, Tandon is far from Tisch. Boq is dedicated to achieving goals, even if he sometimes gets overlooked. Similarly, Boq is rather bright and Tandon students are very intelligent or techy. Nevertheless, Boq’s practicality and desire to prove himself align with Tandon’s mission of career-focused engineering.
Madame Morrible→ School of Law
Madame Morrible comes across as very convincing to viewers in her kindness to help Elphaba, but then she turns out to be the villain. Madame Morrible is sneaking and convincing, similar to those who might attend the School of Law. Like the school of law, Madame Morrible plays by the rules as she is the headmaster, and law students also stick to the laws. Madame Morrible also has a commanding presence and focuses on shaping powerful futures. While her ethics might be questionable, her belief in structure and influence resonates with the rigor of legal studies.
Nessarose→ College of Nursing
Nessarose is rather irrelevant, and so is the College of Nursing. I am kidding, but what I mean by that is many NYU students do not know of many who are in the College of Nursing because it is so selective. I do not hear about the nursing school as much due to its limited selectivity and it being not as popular of a major. However, Nessarose’s focus on deep connections to her community reflects the nurturing essence of the Nursing School. Although her journey is flawed, her determination and inspiration for her achievements while being handicapped mirrors the nature of future nurses.
Doctor Dillamond→ Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Representing the MCC majors, we have none other than Doctor Dillamond. Doctor Dillamond is an underrated, kind character and so are Steinhardt students. Doctor Dillamond’s compassion for humans and animals is similar to Steinhard’'s drive to educate students on matters involving humanity. Doctor Dillamond is a character of the people with wisdom. Similarly, Steinhardt students are very into the humanities and matters of people’s rights. Like Dr. Dillamond, Steinhardt values striving to educate others despite challenges while promoting intellectual curiosity.
The Wizard→ College of Arts of Sciences (CAS)
Finally, we have the magical and mystifying Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz offers many opportunities to the citizens of Oz even if he is not a kind person in the film. Similarly, CAS offers a wide range of classes and majors to students at NYU. The Wizard’s role as a leader and visionary aligns with CAS. However, just like the Wizard, CAS students must remember the importance of their leadership.
All the Wicked characters are unique in their way. All of these interpretations are different from the characters, but it was fun to think creatively and apply certain attributions of the characters to the schools at NYU. As a disclaimer, these Wicked character pairings with NYU schools are completely from my imagination and “unlimited.” So for those who might have been offended by my choices, I apologize. I do hope that my choices are accurate to other students at NYU. And a wish to everyone I have this holiday season is to hold space with lyrics from “Defying Gravity”.
