Jon M. Chu’s upcoming adaptation of Wicked has a nice nod to the Broadway musical with two cameos.
Warning: Spoilers for Wicked ahead
Who are the two Broadway cameos in Wicked?
While Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo steal the show as Galinda and Elphaba, one scene in Emerald City stands above the rest. As Galinda and Elphaba are in the streets of Emerald City, a musical about the Wizard of Oz begins.
In the play are Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played Elphaba and Galinda during the first Broadway run of Wicked. They perform in the musical and make their way to the street. They even interact with Grande and Erivo, who now assume their iconic roles.
The cameos are brief, but they are a heartwarming nod to the Broadway musical. While both Menzel and Chenoweth starred in several Broadway productions before Wicked, it helped propel their careers to new heights.
Chenoweth got her second Tony Award nomination for playing Galinda. Menzel won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role.
Before Wicked made its way to Broadway, the two starred in the tryout production in San Fransisco, California. Chenoweth later left the production in 2004 before Menzel left in 2005.
Judging by their cameos, they still appear to be endeared with the roles. Otherwise, I doubt that they would come back for the movie adaptation.
What have Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth done since?
Both Menzel and Chenoweth have continued their acting careers and music careers, releasing several studio albums. Chenoweth gave an Emmy-winning performance in Pushing Daisies and also starred in The West Wing.
Menzel has recently starred in Disney’s Frozen series as Elsa. She also starred in Uncut Gems in 2019 as Dinah Ratner. She once again collaborated with Uncut Gems star Adam Sandler in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, once again playing his wife.
What are the Wicked movies about?
The Wicked movie is the first of a two-part adaptation of the musical. Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) directed it based on a script from Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.
The first act of the play is depicted in the first movie. It follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) as she attends Shiz University, where she catches the eye of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). It is there that she also meets Galinda (Ariana Grande), who she eventually befriends.
A second movie, Wicked: Part Two, will be released on November 21, 2025. It will presumably adapt the second half of the musical and bring the story to a conclusion.
In addition to Erivo and Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, and Bowen Yang also star in Wicked.
Wicked is in theaters.
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