Hundreds of students, some dressed in dazzling costumes of pink or green, formed a seemingly never-ending circle around UT’s student union on Monday night, awaiting the doors of Oz to open at 7:30 pm. UT Showtime hosted an early screening of “Wicked” — the beloved Broadway musical turned film featuring stars such as Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, officially releasing on Nov. 22.
UT Showtime announced the screening of “Wicked” via Instagram two days prior, garnering over 1,500 likes and 200 comments on one post. UT Showtime chair and management information systems junior Thien Nguyen said it set a new record for the organization, which regularly hosts free screenings for students.
“This is the most hype I’ve ever seen here for a movie,” Nguyen said, who joined UT Showtime his freshman year. “And the longest line.”
UT Showtime gave out only 310 tickets, but Nguyen said the line went on long past that number. Some students waited all day to guarantee admission to see the screening. Linguistics junior Louis Li arrived at 10 a.m. to ensure his spot at the front.
“I’m obsessed with this musical and obsessed with this movie,” Li said. “I still remember where I was when they first announced the cast (and) I’m a huge fan of Ariana Grande.”
Students attending dressed according to Showtime’s stated theme for the screening: pink or green to signify allegiance to Team Glinda or Team Elphaba. Die-hard fans and fashionistas alike rose to the occasion, and dozens of green witches and sparkly princesses camped out around the Union. Nancy Ramirez, a computer science freshman who arrived at nearly 5 p.m., showed her Glinda loyalty with a baby pink dress and Grande-esque hairstyle with a bow.
“(Being Team Glinda) speaks confidence,” Ramirez said. “Glinda is a very confident character, and she radiates positivity out into the world. That’s what I’m trying to capture here.”
On the other hand, Presley McGurl, radio-television-film junior, sported a full witch costume, pointy hat included, to support Team Elphaba.
“I just love Elphaba … seeing the hardships she goes through and how she just overcomes them,” McGurl said. “I love Glenda … but she’s just the popular, pretty one. Elphaba is the one that actually faces a lot of hate and discrimination. She’s inspiring.”
McGurl, who turned 21 years old on the day of the screening, made some changes to his birthday plans in light of the news.
“I can’t even believe it,” McGurl said. “I wasn’t expecting (this). I didn’t know about this until two days ago. As soon as I heard I was like, ‘Oh girl, I gotta be here,’ so I canceled dinner with my family.”
Ramirez became a fan of the Broadway version of “Wicked” during the pandemic. As she loved the original musical, she said she feels extremely excited about the film adaptation.
“I feel like everyone’s heard of ‘Wicked,’” Ramirez said. “I’m very lucky to be able to see an early screening, not everyone gets to experience this.”
