rewrite this title Breaking Down “Defying Gravity”: ‘Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo, Jon M. Chu & Crafts Team On Stunts, Singing Live & Finding Elphaba’s Iconic Note

EXCLUSIVE: Unlimited is not just a melodic lyric used in one of the most iconic songs in Broadway history. It also reflects the determination of those in front of and behind the camera that brought Wicked’s pièce de résistance “Defying Gravity” to life onscreen. 

The show-stopping battle cry is a declaration of self-acceptance from the witch Elphaba Thropp, played by Cynthia Erivo, after going through most of her life as an outcast. “We worked tirelessly to make ‘Defying Gravity’ feel like this gigantic set piece,” says editor Myron Kerstein. “We have the balloon and the flying monkey chase beforehand, and those scenes don’t need to be there, but it helps the audience, who may have expectations of where they’re going to go next, to sort of keep them on their feet and enjoy the ride.”

Originally unscripted and deterring from the stage version, director Jon M. Chu showcased Elphaba’s inner turmoil as a free fall that leads to reconciling with her childhood self. “It felt like there was something missing in her journey,” says Chu. “It didn’t give an emotional full circle for her. [I asked] what did she actually need to resolve? She needed to go back and resolve why is she doing this for herself.” 

The new scene initially invoked fear. “I remember bringing it up to Marc Platt, he was like, ‘Oh, you’re not going to the next section? That’s very scary because the audience is going to expect it,’” recalls Chu. “And I said, ‘Yes, that’s the moment where you think, you know this song, but we’re not done with you yet. People will be on the edge of their seat.’”

Although Chu’s script originally called for the entire scene to take place at night, cinematographer Alice Brooks had been working on an idea for the sun to always set during Elphaba’s biggest moments. “There are a lot of themes talking about what is good and what is evil, and in Oz what we think is wicked is not actually what wicked is, and the light is not always the light and the darkness is not always the dark,” she says. “I had this idea that Cynthia would find her power as she goes down the side of the building and descends into darkness, and then the rest of the number the sun progressively sets, until the end when she flies off into a pink sunset.”

For Erivo, bringing this scene to life meant literally defying gravity herself. Strapped into a harness as she soared around on artificially strong wind in studio that would hopefully impress the likes of Dorothy Gale, Erivo had the most challenging job of all: navigating vocal acrobatics. “We had to work on how to use what was available to create the sound we needed to create,” Erivo says. “You use the extension of the rib cage in your back, the sides to create the air, the tension in the muscle, in the legs, in your body, in your chest, in your back, in your neck even to make sure that there is the simulation of gravity in the body, which you don’t have when you’re in the air. And then you have to add on to the meaning of what you’re saying and the intention.”

“She’s just a powerhouse, doing every single one of those stunts and singing live,” says Brooks. “She’s on this big crazy ride around our sound stage, yet she’s singing live and in character. I don’t know how she did it.”

Erivo couldn’t wear the cape during her stunts however, due to the harness and wires, so VFX supervisor Pablo Helman was in charge of bringing that iconic piece of clothing into the flight. “The cape is kind of a character in itself,” he says. “The cape is the only thing telling you where you’re going. If you’re going up, down or sideways, the cape will give that away.”

Before she takes flight, choosing the perfect cape for Elphaba was costume designer Paul Tazewell’s job. In addition to giving her a more magical silhouette, with layers or purple and lace under the micro pleated black dress, the choice of velvet for the cape was very important. “If it had been a lightweight cape, it never would have had the gravitas that the cape does when she turns around,” he says. “It’s all representative of her taking on her full power. When she turns around and whips the cape around her body, there’s weight to it but it also catches the air in a way that is very dramatic and speaks to the power resonating off of her.”

As an audience member enthralled by the performance, you may never ask yourself why a broomstick and beautiful velvet cape happen to be in that attic room… but production designer Nathan Crowley says his mission it to always give it a reason. “We dressed it with the history of the Wizard as a carny,” he says. “You have to put that history into that journey, even though if you’re not really looking at it then it probably doesn’t matter. But if you want to analyze it, it’s like going through the history of the Wizard and then defying him at the top.”

As for belting her version of the iconic final note, Erivo says she was “Bible” strict to the musical’s original format. However, upon feedback from Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz and arranger Stephen Oremus to find her unique note within the Elphaba canon, Erivo let her vocals soar. “I tried a couple different things, and they just didn’t connect. Then this one just naturally happened,” Erivo says. “I wasn’t searching to do a riff. It just landed that way. And when I did, it just felt right.” 

Chu went on to talk about the teary reception on set as Erivo opted to sing the song live instead of relying on their pre-recorded track. “She extended [the note] and it’s echoing through this giant warehouse while she’s up in the air, and we have leaves and wind blowing at her. I don’t even know how [sound] is getting into her airways because we’re just blowing air at her. But she’s doing it, she holds it the whole time, and it’s just silence after she’s done… I’m looking around all the crew are crying, and I’m like, ‘I hope we pressed record.’”