Lifestyle
'Wicked' defies gravity, if not time
Goodness knows, it feels as if Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have been attached at the hip for the better part of this century, crying and bantering together while adorned in fabulous ensembles of green, black, and pink, the (un?)official colors of Wicked. The press tour and behind-the-scenes gossip accompanying Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited spectacular have been exhaustingly dramatique – probably to be expected for the film adaptation of a Broadway musical juggernaut beloved by theater kids all over (I was one of them), and starring one of the era’s biggest pop stars.
Ultimately, it’s what lands on the screen that matters. And with regards to Wicked: Part 1 many things are true at once: the excellent Erivo and Grande couldn’t have been better suited to play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, who goes on to become Glinda the Good Witch; the movie’s themes are evergreen and relevant; and whoever made the decision to divide the stage show into two separate movies deserves to be cursed by a spell from the book of the Grimmerie.
Wicked, very loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s Wizard of Oz revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, tells the origin story of Elphaba and how she became L. Frank Baum’s emblematic villain. She’s shunned by her father and ostracized by her peers for the mere fact of being born with abnormally green skin, and at a young age discovers that in response to their callousness, her rage manifests uncontrollably as a magic force from within. Years later, that ability comes to the attention of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the no-nonsense headmistress of Shiz University, who eagerly takes Elphaba under her wing for private tutelage in sorcery.
Two good friends, two best friends
Elphaba is assigned to room with Galinda, the bubbly, supremely vain beauty queen who’s none too happy she now has to share her private suite with the school’s oddball. The two clash for all the expected reasons: if Elphaba’s whole vibe is “emo-goth girl who shops at Hot Topic circa 2003,” Galinda’s is “Barbie.” Galinda’s initially jealous that she herself doesn’t get to study with Madame Morrible. But soon enough, they become friends (best friends, even), just as Oz enters a period of social unrest.
There’s a lot to recommend here, particularly for fans of the show – the humor is punchy, Christopher Scott’s expressive choreography enhances the characterizations, and Paul Tazewell’s costume design details are perfection. But by far the standout of Wicked is that central relationship between these two enemies-turned-friends. Erivo and Grande have the goods: both come from theater backgrounds (the former has won a Tony) but are also naturals on camera, and so they’re able to bring subtlety and grandiosity as needed. Even under the green makeup and against the backdrop of some hideously overwhelming CGI aesthetics, their chemistry is undeniable, whether they’re bickering during one of the show’s highlights, “What Is This Feeling?” or finding common ground during the show-stopping Act I finale “Denying Gravity.”
This is most palpable during the big Ozdust Ballroom sequence, in which Elphaba, once again ostracized by her classmates, defiantly reacts to their laughter with dance, and Galinda, feeling empathy for possibly the first time ever, joins her. It’s both the most musical theater-y thing that could happen in this most musical theater-y of shows, and gets at the essence of the show’s enduring appeal.
A timely allegory — to a tune
Meanwhile, the show’s other central concern is striking to take in at this moment. Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book is a sprawling, bleak meditation on the nature of good vs. evil, and what it means to resist or give over into fascist movements. Oz is a world where animals have evolved to be just as intelligent as humans, with the ability to talk and live just as humans do, though they’ve long faced discrimination for doing so. (In the movie Elphaba’s beloved professor Dr. Dillamond is a goat voiced by Peter Dinklage.) The paternalistic, self-anointed Wizard (Jeff Goldblum, at his Goldblum-iest) is intent on stripping Oz’s animals of their autonomy and rights, and using Elphaba’s powers to do so.
The musical, both on stage and screen, is a significantly diluted and altogether different take on Maguire’s novel. But its parallels to our real world – currently marked by calls for mass deportations, the erosion of abortion rights; etc. – are still unmistakably apparent to anyone reading today’s news.
The allegories of minority persecution are rendered even more palpable by the fact of casting Erivo, a Black woman, in the role as Wicked Witch of the West. (To date, only one Black actress has played her in an onstage production full-time: Alexia Khadime, in London’s West End over a decade ago and again in the current production.) By coding the outcast-turned-political agitator as Black – her hair is in microbraids, and save for the green makeup, Erivo’s facial features are fully visible – the realities of the world we live in are inescapable. “Her green skin is an outward manifestation of her twisted nature!” a character proclaims to the people of Oz at one point, riling them up to position Elphaba as the common enemy. Arguing that her skin – who she is – is reason enough to demonize her: It isn’t altogether different from, say, recent rhetoric used to target Haitian immigrants in Ohio.
For all its virtues and relevance, however, it’s curious that in this two-hour-41-minute adaptation of the first act of the show – longer, it should be noted, than the entire stage production without intermission – little of substance was added to justify making this affair a two-parter. Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox stay quite faithful to the source material (which Holzman also wrote) and there are no new songs to go alongside all of composer Stephen Schwartz’s original ones. (Reportedly Part 2 will have some new songs, which may be for the best considering Act 2’s numbers suffer in comparison to the stacked first half.) There are few attempts to incorporate more of Maguire’s excessive lore from the book, and other secondary characters, like Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and romantic interest Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) aren’t fleshed out any more than they are in show.
The result is a movie that, while pleasant and occasionally moving, concludes with its apex (“Defying Gravity”) which also happens to be a cliffhanger. It’s an unusually and exceedingly peculiar state – both complete and incomplete at the same time. The feeling isn’t quite loathing, exactly. But it is a bit tiresome, especially since it likely means we have to expect yet another full year of a Wicked press tour. Like its predecessor, it’s an imperfect production that has a lot of heart and brains. If it only had the courage to tell a complete story in a reasonable amount of time.
Lifestyle
Forget what you think you know about fruitcake
For generations of Americans, making fun of fruitcake has been a holiday tradition. Even Sabrina Carpenter cannot resist piling on. “Fruitcake just makes me sick,” the pop star intones in a song on her new Christmas album that happens to be called Fruitcake.
But a Canadian pastry chef and master food preserver would like us to reconsider our assumptions. Camilla Wynne is the author of a new cookbook called Nature’s Candy. It’s an ode to the pleasures of candying fruits — and even the occasional vegetable — and baking with them.
Wynne said she completely understands why fruitcake got stuck with such a terrible reputation.
“I think it’s because there’s a lot of terrible candied fruit out there, unfortunately,” she said. “Bright red or bright green glacé cherries, and the problem with those, of course, is that they don’t taste like anything. It’s fair that they get a bad rap, but they aren’t representative of candied fruit generally.”
Fruitcake is fantastic, says Wynne, if you use excellent fruit, especially fruit you candy yourself. Still, the idea of candying fruit at home seems daunting at best, at least to this NPR reporter (and enthusiastic amateur baker). “Oh, I hate that you’re intimidated!” Wynne said in response to the hesitancy, “That’s like the last thing I want. [But] people are. I understand that.”
Candying fruit, Wynne insisted, is not any harder than boiling eggs. The technique is, basically, briefly simmering fruit in sugar water over the course of a few days.
“I’m candying a bunch of whole figs right now,” she said. “Every day, it’s not much more than watering your plants. They need to simmer for 10 minutes, so when I’m setting up to make dinner, I’ll just turn them on and put on the timer.”
Those candied figs are put to succulent use in Wynne’s Florentine tart recipe, along with candied cherries and orange peel. Even to a fruitcake skeptic, the cake recipes in Nature’s Candy look delicious. Her Tropical Terrazzo Cake (recipe below) uses coconut milk, lime juice and an array of candied tropical fruits. The cookbook also includes plenty of non-fruitcake recipes, such as caramel corn with candied ginger, and strawberry sugar cookies with candied jalapenos.
“You get all this jalapeno syrup with it too, and it makes a really good base for margaritas if you’re into that kind of thing,” Wynne noted with relish.
Back in the lockdown days of the pandemic, she added, many home cooks turned to baking bread. Candying your own fruit is similar, she says. It brings a sense of scaling up skills and quiet contemplation to the kitchen during a moment marked by violence and institutional turmoil around the world.
“Unwind, de-stress and connect to beauty,” Wynne suggested. “The world’s a bit nuts.”
And what goes better with nuts, after all, than candied fruit?
Tropical Terrazzo Cake
By Camilla Wynne
“They paused to breathe in steam rising from the oven and took extra helpings of pound cake sliced to reveal a terrazzo pattern of candied citron and glace fruits,” writes John Birdsall in one of my favorite culinary biographies, The Man Who Ate Too Much. The idea for this sturdy pound cake studded with chunks of candied tropical fruits and glazed with tart lime syrup came from that single line in this biography of icon James Beard. The book is full of literary descriptions like this that pull you right into the action, making it a pleasure to read. Most importantly, the book doesn’t downplay his queerness. I recommend reading it while you enjoy a slice of this cake. Use a variety of candied tropical (or tropical-adjacent) fruits, keeping in mind that it can always be a mixture of homemade and store-bought. I usually use pineapple, kiwi, papaya, citron, ginger, and cactus pear.
Serves 16
For the Cake
230 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature (very soft)
533 g (2⅔ cups) sugar
1½ tsp salt
Zest of 1 lime
6 eggs, at room temperature
420 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
250 mL (1 cup) full-fat coconut milk
500 g (2 cups) drained and chopped (½- to 1-inch pieces) mixed candied fruit, reserving the syrup
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Generously grease and amply flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan and refrigerate the pan until it’s time to fill it.
To make the cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, salt, and lime zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
With the mixer running on low speed, add one-third of the flour and then half of the coconut milk. Alternate until all the flour and coconut milk are incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium-high for 30 seconds to make sure everything is well blended. Fold in the chopped candied fruit.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Give the pan a hard tap on the countertop to help settle the batter. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the syrup.
For the Syrup
125 mL (½ cup) candied fruit
syrup (see Note)
60 mL (¼ cup) lime juice
2 Tbsp dark rum (optional)
NOTE You can use any candied fruit syrup for this recipe or use the reserved syrup from the cake method. To make the syrup, in a small pot, combine the syrup and lime juice. Bring to a boil and cook until it is reduced by half. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum, if using.
To assemble, carefully turn the cake out of the pan. Use all the syrup to brush the cake all over the top and sides. Cool completely. The cake will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for at least 5 days.
Excerpted from Nature’s Candy by Camilla Wynne. Copyright © 2024 Camilla Wynne. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Edited for radio and the web by Meghan Sullivan, produced for radio by Chloee Weiner, produced for the web by Beth Novey
Lifestyle
Aaron Rodgers Reveals He Has A Girlfriend
ESPN
Aaron Rodgers just revealed he has a new girlfriend!!!
The New York Jets star dropped the bombshell minutes ago on “The Pat McAfee Show” … telling Pat McAfee, A.J. Hawk and the rest of the guys he’s now dating a woman named Brittani.
No word on who she is or how they met — but Rodgers certainly appears to be really into her … as he said on the show he got her a Christmas gift — and he didn’t push back when McAfee ribbed him about being “in love.”
“It’s a good feeling, boys,” Rodgers said. “It is.”
Rodgers’ last public relationship was with actress Shailene Woodley. The two got together in 2020 and were engaged soon after … but split in 2022.
Prior to that, 41-year-old Rodgers had high-profile ‘ships with Danica Patrick and Olivia Munn.
He had been rumored recently to be seeing Mallory Edens — the daughter of Milwaukee Bucks owner Wes Edens — but unless her pet name is “Brittani” these days, it seems that’s kaput.
Congrats on the new love, Aaron!
Lifestyle
'May love rest gently in your broken heart': What to say to a grieving friend
This month, we asked our audience: What words of comfort do you say to a friend whose loved one has passed away? It was part of a podcast episode and story we did on how to support a grieving friend.
We received dozens of emails on this question. Some people shared the exact messages they sent to their own good friends. Others who have experienced loss told us what not to say — and what they wished people said instead.
As many can attest, it can be tricky to offer condolences — you want to show your friend you love them, but you also know there isn’t much you can say to heal your friend’s pain. Here are some ideas about what to say to a grieving friend. These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
‘May love rest gently in your broken heart’
Our 29-year-old son died unexpectedly in September. There really are no words to console us. Most comments that mention healing or finding peace, however well-intentioned, feel so unrealistic and oblivious to the depth of our loss. I hope we do find peace and some degree of healing eventually, but right now I need to sit with my grief.
I’ve thought a lot more about what I say to those who are grieving. The (barely) best I’ve come up with so far is: “May love rest gently in your broken heart.” —Betsy Hooper-Rosebrook
A simple way to break the ice
When my husband passed away unexpectedly five years ago, it was so hard for me to go to the grocery store or the post office. Everyone asked me, “How are you doing?” I felt like I needed to respond in a way that assured the other person I was OK when I was not.
However, two friends would always say, “It’s so good to see you,” and give me a hug. That took the pressure off of me. So now, with my grieving friends, I try to say that too. —Cindy Jackelen
Tell your friend they are wonderful
On a card, I usually say something like, “I know their life was better because you were in it.” People have commented that they loved hearing that. —Connie DeMillo
‘Sorry for your loss’ does not cut it
Of course it is exactly what you mean and is probably sincere, but it’s stock language. Come up with an original, personal message that’s your own. Ask yourself: What would you want someone to say to you if you were in that situation? Give that person the gift of five minutes’ thought and empathy. —Beth Howard
Mark death anniversaries on your calendar
I lost my wife of 42 years to cancer ten years ago. I always dread the approach of her death anniversary. But it’s comforting to receive a text from someone who remembers that day as well.
I have a friend who lost both her husband and her only child to cancer. I’ve marked those dates in my calendar and I send a simple text that says “Sending love to you today.” It helps relieve the burden of grief when it is acknowledged and shared. —Thomas McCabe
Bring up their laugh
Say, “I’ll always remember their laugh.” Every time I’ve said it to a grieving person, they perked up, smiled and were truly thankful. —James Vandeputte
Don’t say nothing
Having lost my son when he was 20, don’t say nothing. Saying something doesn’t remind a grieving friend of their loss. It’s already on their mind 24/7. —David Lavallee
Sit with them quietly
When my mother passed away in 1998, it was very difficult for me. Friends called and came by and said the typical condolences. I didn’t want to hear any of it.
I was sitting alone in my living room quietly when my then 14-year-old son reached out and held my hand. He sat with me and never said anything. After a while, he got up and went back to his room.
In that moment, I found total comfort and understanding. I knew I would get through this sadness. I wondered how my son could know this was all I needed. Sometimes, just sitting with a person and saying nothing is everything. —Sharon S. Barnes
Validate their pain
Several years ago, I had to deal with the death of two brothers and both parents over a span of about five years. I talked to a friend who had some training in grief counseling, and we worked out together some words to help me grieve and understand. It goes like this:
Your world has been shattered and is in a million pieces. It no longer makes sense. You can’t see how you can live and breathe and move in this world. But, given time, you will be able to put it back together. It won’t be the same world that you knew before, because there will always be a piece missing — forever. But you’ll be able to live and move in this new world that you’ve put together. Eventually, this world will make sense and start to work for you. You’re even allowed to go visit the place where the piece is missing and grieve.
I’ve been able to pass these words on to others who have been in severe grief, even strangers, and it seems to help. Maybe you can pass this message on to others. —Dan Corbett
Share the silliest memories
My mother-in-law died recently at the age of 94. Upon her death, I reminded my wife of 35 years of a humorous event that occurred when my mother-in-law was a mere 80 years old. We were walking behind her into her house and later, the same evening, I told my wife that her mom had a cute butt. When I reminded my wife of that, we both laughed and cried. —Wayne Mac
Thank you to everyone who wrote in with your words of support and love for grieving friends.
The digital story was edited by Meghan Keane. The visual producer is Beck Harlan.
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