Wicked

Wicked, stage musical by American composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman that serves as a prequel to the events from L. Frank Baum’s original novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and its film adaptation, The Wizard of Oz (1939). Wicked is a revisionist retelling of the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and is an intricate tale of friendship and acceptance set against a backdrop of authoritarianism and propaganda.

Wicked made its Broadway premiere on October 30, 2003. Despite an initial lukewarm critical reception, the musical went on to become a huge commercial success with a devoted fan base. The original production of the show garnered ten Tony Award nominations and won three, and in April 2023 it became the fourth longest running Broadway show, behind The Phantom of the Opera, the 1996 revival of Chicago, and The Lion King.

Plot summary and original cast

Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical largely takes place before the events surrounding Dorothy’s arrival in the Land of Oz. The show follows the lives of green-skinned, ostracized Elphaba and blonde, popular Galinda as they go from enemies to friends and eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, respectively. The show also features other characters with significant roles in The Wizard of Oz, including the deceitful Wizard, the musical’s main antagonist; Nessarose, Elphaba’s younger sister, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East; Fiyero, Elphaba and Galinda’s shared love interest, who becomes the Scarecrow; and the munchkin Boq, who becomes the Tin Man.

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Directed by Joe Mantello, the original Broadway cast included Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda, as well as Joel Grey, Carole Shelley, Norbert Leo Butz, Michelle Federer, and Christopher Fitzgerald. Although critics were unimpressed by the songs and plot of the show, Menzel’s and Chenoweth’s performances received praise. The show garnered the most nominations of any production at the 2004 Tony Awards, including nominations for best book of a musical, best choreography, and best musical. It won three awards: best scenic design of a musical for Eugene Lee, best costume design of a musical for Susan Hilferty, and best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical for Menzel, a category in which Chenoweth was also nominated.

Tours and film adaptations

In 2005 Wicked launched its first national tour and an extended-run production opened in Chicago; the Chicago production closed in 2009. In 2006 Menzel reprised her role as Elphaba in the West End production of the show. Wicked has also toured internationally, with performances throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, and parts of Asia. The musical has been seen by nearly 65 million people and generated more than $5 billion in ticket sales worldwide.

After years of development, a feature-length film adaptation was officially announced in 2016, with an expected release date of December 2019. However, Universal delayed the release, opting instead to give the initially scheduled slot to a film adaptation of Cats. In 2022 it was announced that the film, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda, would be split into two movies. The first film, Wicked: Part 1, was released in November 2024, and the second, Wicked: For Good, premiered a year later.