A hush falls over the audience as the map of Oz fades away and the Wicked Witch’ theme plays, jolting the audience to attention. As the music begins, the lights flash to illuminate the dancers, and a low fog shrouds the stage.
Wicked, which premiered on Broadway on Oct. 3, 2003, tells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, characters from the original “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” novel by L. Frank Baum.
Elphaba and Galinda meet at Shiz University, where they are forced together as roommates despite their immediate rivalry. However, as they get to know each other, their relationship blossoms into a powerful friendship. The musical follows the evolution of their friendship amid social tensions and societal changes that ultimately reopen the divide between the two characters.
Although the musical largely concentrates on the dynamic between Elphaba and Galinda, there are other characters that help develop their storyline and bridge the show into the timeline of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Fiyero, a carefree prince that enrolls at Shiz, is the main love interest of the two girls and helps each of them transition into their roles in the original story. The story also includes Nessa, the sister of Elphaba; Boq, a Munchkin who is in love with Galinda but pursued by Nessa; and, of course, the Wizard of Oz.
The story progresses through Elphaba and Galinda’s growing friendship to reveal untold aspects of the original novel, including events of the original story that build up to the iconic moment when Dorothy “melts” the witch by throwing a bucket of water on Elphaba. There are some additional facts included after the fact, wrapping up the storylines introduced in the musical.
The musical itself is adapted from Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) by Gregory Maguire. Stephen Schwartz, a famed Broadway composer and lyricist, discovered Maguire’s book and immediately wanted to modify it into a stage musical; however, Universal Pictures had the rights to the book and was in the process of creating a non-musical movie based on the novel.
Schwartz was resolute in his desire to make the musical, so he went to the producer of the film–Marc Platt–and pitched the idea of his adaptation as a stage musical. Platt was hesitant at first, but eventually greenlit the project between 1997 and 1998, instructing Schwartz to meet with Maguire to discuss the adaptation. Maguire also agreed to the prospect of a musical in 1998, and the foundation for the Broadway show was set.
Around that same time, Winnie Holzman was hired as the playwright for Wicked and collaborated with Platt and Schwartz to develop a scenario–or detailed outline of the story and key moments–by November of 1999. During this time, the three developed key plot points, such as the love triangle between Fiyero, Galinda and Elphaba.
In January of 2000, the first reading took place with Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda. It included three of the current musical’s songs: “No One Mourns the Wicked,” “Making Good” and “As Long As You’re Mine,” and led to more development of the storyline with Chenoweth’s help.
In 2001, they initiated the first entire reading of the show, which then shifted the focus onto the bond between Elphaba and Galinda. The storyline was developed further, and later that year, they found their Elphaba: Idina Menzel. Holzman explained that Menzel and Chenoweth had very different styles of working; where Chenoweth was “polished and presentational,” Menzel was “very private” and took a while to see what she was going to do with the part.
After the written portion of the musical was finished, the focus shifted to the design and sets for its transition to the stage. Maguire’s book was referenced frequently for the details of the sets, with the sets incorporating multiple nods to the book in their designs.
For instance, the large, dragon-like mechanism crowning the top of the stage, completed by machinery and gears around the set, was a reference to the Clock of the Time Dragon—a traveling puppet show that prophesied important events and displayed past events. In the book, this was how Elphaba learned about her past and about the problems occurring in Oz.
When the designs were complete, the last step was bringing it to Broadway. Eventually, it was agreed that there would be a full production in June of 2003, opening from June 10 to June 29. It would then be shut down for revisions, before opening again with previews on Sept. 26 and officially opening to the public on Oct. 30, 2003.
The movie adaptation of the musical was announced in 2012, just nine years after its Broadway debut, and shooting finally began in 2021 when the storyline was completed. Its cast, which is composed of many renowned actors and actresses, made the movie even more highly anticipated.
Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, is a renowned pop star that has garnered a lot of attention and fame from younger generations. She has also held many notable acting roles prior to her role in Wicked. Many know her as Cat from Nickelodeon’s Victorious and Sam and Cat.
The role of Elphaba is portrayed by Cynthia Erivo, who also was a prominent figure in the music industry before Wicked. She originated the role of Celie, the lead character in the revival of the musical, The Color Purple, which won her a Tony in 2016. She also starred in Harriet alongside other well-known singers.
The cast also included Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), who gained popularity through her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), who played roles in Bridgerton (2020) and Fellow Travelers (2023); Keala Settle (Miss Coddle), who originated the role of Becky in Waitress (2016) and played Lettie Lutz in The Greatest Showman (2017); and Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard), who was part of Jurassic Park (1993) and many other films. Other notable members of the cast include Peter Dinklage (Dr. Dillamond) and Ethan Slater (Boq).
The film received favorable reviews, with an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 87% from Google users.
“Wicked is the best musical-to-movie adaptation since Chicago and Mamma Mia,” one critic wrote.
Although Wicked hasn’t been out for long, there are plans for a second part to the film adaptation that will follow the musical’s second act, which will be released in November 2025. If you haven’t yet seen the released Wicked movie, it remains available in movie theaters and is expected to be released for streaming in February or March 2025.
