As a longtime fan of the enchanting musical phenomenon that is Wicked, I can hardly contain my excitement for the much-anticipated film adaptation. For 21 years, we’ve been yearning for this magical tale to grace our screens, and now, under the brilliant direction of Jon M. Chu, the wait is finally over!
Fans of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” have been fervently hoping, for 21 years now, that a movie version would be made on Broadway.
At last, they’re experiencing it through director Jon M. Chu’s two-part musical spectacular – “Wicked Part One” is currently playing in cinemas, while “Wicked Part Two” is scheduled to premiere a year from now on November 21, 2025.
In a fresh retelling, both the novel and movie delve into the previously unheard-of origin stories of Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo), the notorious Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda (portrayed by Ariana Grande), who was initially presented as the Good Witch of the North in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s tale, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
For enthusiasts of the musical “Wicked”, this theatrical release is essentially a compulsory journey worth taking. To acknowledge their dedication, producer Marc Platt (a Tony Award-winner) and Chu have thoughtfully embedded some Easter eggs in their film, further tying the stage production to the screen.
As a fellow enthusiast who’s already watched the movie, if you found yourself overlooking some of the cameos during the grand Wiz-o-mania spectacle in Emerald City, don’t fret! I’m here to help you spot them next time by sharing the identities of these special guests.
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth’s cameos in Wicked
Without a doubt, it was essential for the actresses who initially played Elphaba and Glinda in the San Francisco workshops and later on Broadway in New York, to be part of the cast for the movie adaptation of “Wicked”.
A short while after Elphaba and Glinda enter the Emerald City, they are greeted with a song called “One Short Day,” where they’re escorted behind-the-scenes to watch a theatrical performance known as Wiz-o-mania. This production tells the tale of the city’s origin. As the show unfolds, Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth are unveiled as the star performers of Wiz-o-mania, two fierce divas vying to outdo each other in their act. They pay tribute to their original Broadway roles by incorporating unique elements from those performances into this production.
Other Wicked stage actors of note in the movie
During the energetic performance of the Wiz-o-mania series, a variety of performers join the star-studded Wiz-o-mania lineup. Since the Wicked films were created in London, England, many well-known faces from the musical theater world are showcased in this musical within a musical. In fact, there are numerous artists who have previously performed in different productions of Wicked on the West End stage.
On stage or close by, you’ll find Kerry Ellis, who portrayed Elphaba from 2006-2008, then again from 2008-2009 and in 2014. Also gracing the stage is Dianne Pilkington, who played Glinda from 2007–2010. During the Broadway run, Michael McCorry Rose, who sang Fiyero, serves as the lead male vocalist for “One Short Day” alongside the cast.
In a different scene, during Act 1 at Shiz University where Glinda is initially introduced, Alice Fearn portrays her mother character; noteworthy, she took on the role of Elphaba from 2017 to 2019.
Winnie Holzman
Holzman retraces the early stages of the “Wicked” musical, having collaborated closely with composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz to transform Maguire’s novel into what would eventually be the script (or book) of the musical. They worked on the adaptation from its initial trial performances in San Francisco, through the Broadway version, and the subsequent modifications made for the West End production.
Besides collaborating on the scripts for both “Wicked Part One” and “Wicked Part Two”, she teamed up with screenwriter Dana Fox. In “Wicked Part One”, during the “One Short Day” scene, Holzman donned an Oz-ian outfit and sang a line from the song directly towards the camera while in character.
Stephen Schwartz
6-time Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz collaborated with Holzman in writing the script and composing the tunes and verses for their “Wicked” musical. For the movie versions of “Wicked”, Schwartz teamed up with composer John Powell (known for “How to Train Your Dragon”) to create songs suitable for film, while utilizing melodies from the stage musical’s songs to fashion the film score.
In the first part of “Wicked”, Schwartz makes a brief appearance as a smartly-dressed guard from the Emerald City. He escorts Elphaba and Glinda into the inner chambers of the Wizard of Oz, played by Jeff Goldblum. He formally introduces them with the familiar phrase, “They may now proceed to meet with the wizard.
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2024-11-27 21:02