News brief Nov. 18-22

International:

The streets of London, England, bustle with excitement this week upon the upcoming premiere of the feature film, “Wicked.” 

The film stars Arianna Grande as the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Following the story of Elphabel, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, the film accounts her striving to achieve equality for all beings of Oz, specifically animals. Elphabel is accompanied by, at first, the bane of her existence, who later becomes her dear friend Galinda. 

Arianna Grande and Cynthia Erivo arrived at the London Red Carpet event in outfits matching the costumes of their characters.

Cynthia Erivo, a former resident of London, was excited at the prospect of coming home for the premiere. 

“I am excited that stories about witches are having a resurgence,” Grande and Erivo said, “People really need a sisterhood and community.” 

“Wicked” will premiere in the United States on Nov. 22. To purchase tickets, click here. 

National: 

A 9-10 foot long Oarfish, also known as the Doomsday fish, has been spotted along the beaches of San Diego, California. 

The sighting of this dead fish is surprising as the creature normally stays on the lowest level of the sea, feeding on crustaceans and plankton. It marks the 21st sighting since the 1900s. 

The Oarfish has been nicknamed the Doomsday fish because sightings usually only occur after natural disasters like major earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons. 

With the spotting of this large dead fish along the sides of the San Diego beach, scientists decided to freeze and dissect the specimen to see if any correlations led to this monster fish’s arousal.

“It may have to do with changes in ocean conditions and increased numbers of oarfish off our coast,” Ben Frable, manager of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said in a statement. “Many researchers have suggested this as a reason why deep-water fish become stranded on beaches. Sometimes, it may be linked to broader shifts such as the El Niño and La Niña cycles, but this is not always the case. There was a weak El Niño earlier this year. This wash-up coincided with the recent red tide and Santa Ana winds last week, but many variables could lead to these strandings.” 

Local: 

The Lyric Theater group in Oklahoma City is hosting its 14th annual production of “A Christmas Carol” this holiday season, sponsored by Devon Energy. 

The theater group will feature 20 different volunteers rotating throughout the shows. There will be 41 showings in total, beginning on Saturday, Nov. 23, and ending on Friday, Dec. 27. 

“It’s a large kid cast, and the kids love the show. We have two Tiny Tims, two Peter Cratchits and they rotate throughout,” Michael Baron, the show’s director, said. 

Child-friendly refreshments will be provided, as well as two hours of traditional Christmas carols with a few new songs thrown into the mix. 

Lance Marsh, head of the Acting Program at Oklahoma City University, will be cast as Ebeneezer Scrooge for this year’s production. 

“Behind this beautiful screen is a two-story set that has a revolve, so we’re able to bring forward Scrooge’s office, Fezziwig’s party, giant, scary future ghost tombstones,” Baron said. 

Click here for more information.