---
title: A Bewitching ‘Wicked’
date: 2024-11-22T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-bewitching-wicked"
section: Articles
---
# A Bewitching ‘Wicked’

*November 22, 2024* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/author/sala-levin-10)


> UMD Alum, President of International Wizard of Oz Club, Sings the Praises of Musical’s Film Adaptation

*Wicked 1920x1080 — As the first part of the movie adaptation of "Wicked" hits theaters today, International Wizard of Oz Club president Ryan Bunch M.A. '01 (below) says the movie (starring, from left, Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba) "expands on the world of the musical and portrays the Land of Oz in more detailed and visually stunning ways than the stage show could do."*

If anyone has been anticipating the premiere of “Wicked,” it’s Ryan Bunch M.A. ’01. The president of the [International Wizard of Oz Club](https://www.ozclub.org/) has been an Oz devotee since childhood, when he’d watch the annual telecast of the 1939 film as an “almost religious ritual,” he said. His master’s thesis at the University of Maryland turned into the book “[Oz and the Musical: Performing the American Fairy Tale](https://www.amazon.com/Oz-Musical-Performing-American-Fairy/dp/0190843144),” which analyzes musical adaptations of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”


*Ryan Bunch portrait*




**Topics:** [Arts & Culture](https://today.umd.edu/tags/arts-culture), [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni), [Music](https://today.umd.edu/topic/music)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)