21 "Wicked" Behind-The-Scenes Facts Specifically About The Original Broadway Cast And Creating The Musical
1. First, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz discovered Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel after a friend recommended it, and he knew he wanted to adapt it for a stage musical. However, Gregory had already sold the rights to Universal for a film adaptation. He pleaded with producer Marc Platt and Gregory to allow him to have the rights for a musical instead.
2. According to writer Winnie Holzman, it took "almost a year" just to get an outline for Wicked that she and Stephen Schwartz felt comfortable with. During this time, director Joe Mantello also joined to help adapt Gregory Maguire's book and bring it to the stage.
3. Kristin Chenoweth started with Wicked in 2000 during the workshop stage of the musical. Stephen Schwartz said he composed the music with Kristin in mind and called her a "natural" Glinda.
5. Also, during the early workshop stage of Wicked, Gavin Creel played Boq. He booked the workshop shortly after moving to NYC after graduating college. Seth Rudetsky wrote in a Playbill article shortly after Gavin's death in 2024, "Many people don’t know, but he played Boq. As in Boq, the munchkin! Gavin was decidedly not short and told me that his height was the joke. Glinda would say, 'Do you see that unusually tall munchkin?'"
6. The now-iconic riff at the end of "Defying Gravity" was something Idina Menzel brought to the song after she was cast as Elphaba. Kristin Chenoweth recalled that the notes weren't explicitly written until Idina joined the production.
7. In "Popular," when Glinda runs around going, "La la...," it was something Kristin Chenoweth came up with, and now every Glinda who has taken over the role does it, too. Kristin told Vulture she did that little dance because she imagined Glinda "in her room growing up. She probably loved ballet. She was a girly girl."
8. Kristin Chenoweth was the one who suggested that Glinda sing "No One Mourns the Wicked" as a soprano, as it was initially written that Glinda starts the song "low and belting."
9. During several early readings, there was originally a song called "Making Good," which was going to be the first song Elphaba sang before it was replaced by "The Wizard and I."
10. Another song that was changed after initial readings was "Which Way's the Party?" which was replaced with "Dancing Through Life." Stephen Schwartz explained that "Which Way's the Party?" ultimately didn't introduce the character of Fiyero well enough.
11. Due to the intense tech schedule prior to Wicked opening in San Francisco, Idina Menzel had to stay in Elphaba's green makeup "all day" because producers and crew members needed to see how the green makeup would look "under different lights."
12. During the San Francisco tryout for Wicked, Kristin Chenoweth injured her neck during a performance, which led to chronic neck pain, according to Kristin. She re-injured her neck in 2003 and notably performed in the show on Broadway wearing a neck brace during previews.
13. Wicked premiered on Broadway on Oct. 30, 2003, after 25 preview performances, at the Gershwin Theatre. As of November 2024, the show has played 8,168 performances on Broadway. This makes it the fourth longest-running Broadway musical in history.
14. Norbert Leo Butz, who originated the role of Fiyero on Broadway, married Michelle Federer, who originated the role of Nessarose, in 2007. In an interview with Broadway.com in 2012, Norbert joked, "I got me a wife out of [Fiyero's tight pants]. I got Michelle Federer, who was checking out those white pants when I was 'Dancing Through Life.' Now she's dancing through wife!"
15. When designing Glinda's signature bubble gown for Wicked, costume designer Susan Hilferty was inspired by a 1950s Dior gown, as well as Princess Diana's wedding dress. However, she had to jump through some legal hoops because it looked too close to what Glinda wore in the movie The Wizard of Oz.
16. As for Elphaba's final dress, Susan Hilferty took inspiration from the Earth and gems in order to visually give "the sense of [Elphaba] being grounded," versus Glinda, who is "light, and bubbles, and air." Also, while the dress may appear black, it's actually filled with darker colors and was built using "over 40 yards of fabric."
17. In 2004, Wicked was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, making it the musical with the most nominations that year. Ultimately, the show won three Tonys, including Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Idina Menzel.
18. Kristin Chenoweth played her final performance as Glinda in Wicked on July 18, 2004, after being with the production for close to four years and less than a year after it opened on Broadway. She was replaced by Jennifer Laura Thompson.
19. Idina Menzel played her final full performance as Elphaba in Wicked on Jan. 8, 2005, with her returning the following day to take her final bow after being injured on stage. She was replaced by Shoshana Bean, who was her understudy.
20. Just one day before her final performance, Idina Menzel fell through a trap door on stage during Elphaba's melting scene and broke a rib. For what was scheduled to be her final performance, Idina famously came on stage wearing a red tracksuit to celebrate with the rest of the company.
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