Photos by Emma Burden
Story by Emma Burden
The scent of buttered popcorn and candy filled the air. Movie goers purchased tickets to the weekend’s newest films. Ushers guided patrons into their theaters. And, gathered in the lobby of Premiere 6, were three women covered head-to-toe in green paint.
On Nov. 22, White Chapel Collective and its Pink Goes Good with Green event took Premiere 6 Theatre by storm. Event planners encouraged ticketholders to dress up as their favorite “Wicked” characters, take photos with sparkling backdrops and the movie poster and to indulge in free pink and green candies before enjoying a private showing of the new film “Wicked.”
The entryway to Premiere 6 was full, with moviegoers lining the walls and crowding the lobby. Groups of friends chatted together, admiring their matching costumes. A trio of movie-accurate Elphabas, all in green face paint, laughed with each other.
“Sixty people bought tickets for tonight’s event,” Peri Watson, director of events at White Chapel Collective, said. “We are theater kids who met doing a theater show, me and my business partner Madi [Moody]. We hoped to do something to bring us back to our roots.”
The theatrics were in full force as friends Aly Ruscianno and Skye Neal, dressed as Elphaba and Galinda respectively, posed together as the original poster for the Broadway adaptation of “Wicked.”
Other costumed fans included Beth Binkley, who arrived wearing a crown similar to that of Galinda the Good Witch in “Wizard of Oz,” and Chris Tennyson, showing off an outfit inspired by Galinda.
The novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire was published in 1995. Maguire drew heavily from L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and its 1939 film adaptation, “The Wizard of Oz.” “Wicked” focuses on the backstory of Oz’s famous Wicked Witch of the West, named Elphaba by Maguire, and her friendship and fall out with Galinda, the Good Witch of the South. Maguire’s novel became a hit Broadway musical in 2003 and was nominated for ten Tony Awards. On Friday, “Wicked” was re-released as a film adaptation.
“I’ve been a fan for pretty much my whole life,” Neal said, twisting a hand through a blonde Galinda wig. “I listened to the songs a lot. We had a CD growing up. I saw it on Broadway and it was a spectacular experience. It’s a great musical, that’s all there is to it.”
The film adaptation of “Wicked” is a musical as well, and features Broadway star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and pop icon Ariana Grande as Galinda.
“I’m Elphaba in the first act of the Broadway show,” Ruscianno said. She wore a blue skirt suit, glasses and a beanie to the Pink Goes Good with Green event, complete with a leather suitcase. “I’m Shiz University Elphie. My outfit is [based on the song] ‘The Wizard and I.’ I can’t wait to see how they do that.”
After mingling in the Premiere 6 lobby, taking photos and snacking on Starburst and lollipops, “Wicked” fans settled into their seats at 7 p.m. to watch their much-anticipated movie.
Emma Burden is a Reporter for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the Lifestyles Editor, email [email protected].
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