Jeff Goldblum did the impossible in Wicked: Part I: He saved “A Sentimental Man” from being the worst song in the musical.
Like any normal musical theater fan and Wicked aficionado, I have passionate thoughts about how to rank the Broadway musical’s songs. And before the 2024 movie, I would’ve put the Wizard of Oz’s number “A Sentimental Man” dead last on my ranked list. It’s slow, it’s boring, and it doesn’t add much to the plot at all. Even though the original Broadway track is only 76 seconds long, it feels like a whole act on its own.
Listen — every musical has its duds. I often share “That Song In Every Musical That No One Likes” (as performed by Upright Citizens Brigade’s Sarah Smallwood Parsons) with other musical theater fans when discussing a certain kind of Broadway song. They always know exactly what type of song Parsons and I mean: a slow number that’s mostly talked-through, with a very limited range and little to no plot relevance. Heck, the second line of Parsons’ song even calls out “A Sentimental Man” as one of these duds.
“A Sentimental Man” isn’t the only “older man kinda talk-singing with a slow tempo” song on the Wicked soundtrack. But the other Act I song that falls into that category, “Something Bad,” at least features a lot of exposition (and some funky goat noises), while Act II’s “Wonderful” benefits from being the song where the Wizard more fully reveals his manipulative character. By contrast, all “A Sentimental Man” really does is vaguely hint at the Wizard’s motives.
In Wicked: Part I, though, Goldblum cranks up the charm in his performance of this tedious, inessential song. Make no mistake: “A Sentimental Man” is still toward the end of my list, but through some interesting staging and the sheer charisma of Jeff Goldblum, it now ranks above “Something Bad.” He infuses it with the perfect level of smarminess, as he stands atop a miniature mountain within his miniature replica of Oz and literally talks down to Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). The original Broadway version of “Sentimental Man” is condescending, but Goldblum really nails the tone, waffling between almost-uncomfortably-gooey charisma and a superiority complex from someone who’s literally a god to all of Oz.
That, coupled with the little dance where, while behind the curtain — behind the curtain! — he moves the miniature moon hanging in the sky and changes the scenery on his diorama from day to night really cements the Wizard’s slimy con-man vibes, more than the original song does. It’s so obviously a bunch of practical stage effects to our eyes, but to Glinda and Elphaba, it looks like he’s moving celestial bodies.
Will I still skip “A Sentimental Man” when I listen to the Wicked soundtrack? Maybe. Probably. After all, Goldblum’s physicality and the movie’s staging and set design are huge factors in what makes the scene work. But instead of automatically skipping it, I might decide to take it in as a bit of a breather between the breathless hurrah of “One Short Day” and the triumphant highs of “Defying Gravity.” At least with this version of “A Sentimental Man,” I’m not tempted to take one short nap.
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