‘Wicked helped me understand my queerness in unexpected ways’
Just Like Us ambassador Isobel Harforth reveals how the “rainbow themes” in Wicked helped her come to terms with her queerness.
Words by Isobel Harforth For as long as I can remember, my life has included Wicked. Not just because I’ve seen the West End musical four times, but because it has anchored me through life’s tribulations, the Emerald City always glowing somewhere in my peripheral vision.
I knew Wicked’s film adaptation would be a direct extension of this, but what I didn’t know was that watching it would help me understand my queerness in brand new ways.
The film is inherently queer, from the incredible cast (Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Bronwyn James, to name a few), to the loud, wonderful strangeness it celebrates, and the rainbow of themes it covers.
