AMP in the post
“Wicked” has changed forms over the years. It first began life as the popular book by Frank L. Baum titled “The Wizard of Oz”. In 1985, author Gregory Macguire breathed new life into the oft-told story by exploring the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, whom he named Elphaba (gotten by playing around with the original writer’s initials.)
The story “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” gained popularity and even became one of America’s most famous cultural icons. He wrote two more books in the “Wicked” series, but it’s the first one that’s survived the long years in between.
“Wicked” Musical Upcoming Adaptation Details
Not much is known about the plot at the moment – whether they’ll be sticking to the original storyline or adding a big twist to it.
But we do know the main story about a little Kansas girl Dorothy who flies over the rainbow and arrives at the magical Land of Oz. It was adapted to a musical in 1939 by Judy Garland.
AMP in the post
The “Wicked” series focused on the relationship between the Good Witch Glinda and the Wicked Witch Elphaba.
The young years of the Wicked Witch were explored, especially during her college years where she befriends her one-time rival Glinda before they grow apart again.
It was in 2003 that Macguire’s novel got its adaptation into “Wicked” (the musical) by Broadway legend Stephen Schwartz – the mind behind musicals like “Pippin” and soundtracks for the famous movies like “Enchanted” and “The Prince of Egypt”.
Working alongside librettist Winnie Holzman (the creator of “My So Called Life”) for the lyrics, a famous Broadway favorite came to be.
“Wicked” Musical Casting Details
AMP in the post
The news of the movie entering production came in early November with the announcement of the two ladies who will play the leading characters.
Ariana Grande will be playing Glinda, the Good Witch – a role first popularized by Kristen Chenoweth. The casting director opted for someone with a Broadway Musical past and, doubtless, lots of Broadway fans. She later rose to fame as a Nickelodeon star.
She’s known for performing songs from the musical, like when she sang for “Wicked’s 15th Anniversary Special”. She’s also known for doing a remix of Glinda’s biggest song, “Popular”, in a Mika track. Needless to say, this role was a long time coming.
For Elphaba – who is considered one of the most difficult characters to play in modern theater and originally popularized by Idina Menzel – they tapped Tony-, Grammy-, and Emmy-winning Broadway star Cynthia Erivo.
The two leads celebrated the casting news by gifting each other flowers. Idina Menzel congratulated the pair for landing the parts. Let’s just say that the past week was spent in celebrating the casting news.
It starts production next summer, so we could be waiting for more than a year to dive into the world of “Wicked”.
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with “Wicked” right now. Come back here often for all “Wicked” spoilers, news, and updates.