After more than 7,700 performances and 64 Tony nominations, the Broadway smash-hit “Wicked” turns 20 this year. The original cast, including Kristin Chenoweth (Galinda) and Idina Menzel (Elphaba), reunited at the Gershwin Theater to watch the new generation of Actors help celebrate the show’s stellar success over more than two decades.
Based on the book “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire, the musical works as a prequel for “The Wizard of Oz”, and follows the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and Glinda, the Good Witch, and how their past interactions affect one another’s future. The background and origins of “Wicked” were discuss during the reunion, as well as the evolution of the musical over the years.
“Part of what I loved initially, was the surprise of familiar characters in unexpected circumstances, undoing preconceived notions,” producer Marc Platt said to The Washington Post. “These were characters I grew up with, icons like the Wicked Witch, who struck terror in me.”
The show made its Broadway premiere on Oct. 30, 2003, with music and lyrics written by Steven Shwarts. “Wicked” was an immediate success and went on to become the fourth longest-running musical in Broadway history.
“The reason why it has been around forever is because of the themes of the show,” Menzel said to CBS. “It’s about really owning who you are, and what makes you different is what makes you extraordinary.”
A year after its premiere “Wicked” swept the 2005 Tonys by storm and won big categories including Best Actress in a Musical, Best Costume Design, and Best Scene Design. The combination of marvelous vocals and the magical set design set the musical up for uncontested success.
“I’m constantly amazed when I drop into the show, that the whoops and hollers and cheers start when the lights go down,” the musical’s director Joe Mantello said to the Washington Post.
“Wicked” then took its Tony-winning sets and costumes and dove headfirst into a national tour. The production continued touring for the following decade, spreading its message of kindness and acceptance in every state it visited.
It’s about really owning who you are, and what makes you different is what makes you extraordinary.
— Idina Menzel
“I think it was written without a timeline in mind,” a former Elphaba actress Lindsay Pearce, said to ABC 7. “So, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2003. If it’s 2016. If it’s 2020, if it’s 2023. Regardless of whatever’s going on in the world, whatever’s going on in people’s lives, it applies.”
Throughout its two-decade run, the musical reached so many lives and inspired so many to believe in themselves. Recent cast members have even watched and sung “Wicked” favorites throughout their childhood, which inspired them to take up musical theater.
“I grew up listening to this show, and specifically the song ‘Popular,’ acting it out in my room at the age of eight and nine years old,” McKenzie Kurtz, the most recent Galinda, said to Elle. “I have memories of acting this out for my parents, putting on performances of it. So, I’ve been doing this song for years. It definitely holds a special place in my heart.”
