The stars of ‘Wicked’ have been changed for good. Former Elphabas and Glindas remember the magic
CNN
“Wicked” actresses share why they love the show, what it’s like to play a singing witch and their thoughts on the new film.
With the premiere of “Wicked: Part One,” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande join an exclusive club of women who have played two of the most challenging roles in musical theater. Elphaba and Glinda begin as enemies in the loose adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel, “Wicked,” which was itself based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz.” The former witch is stoic and resigned to burying her power — she’s ostracized by her classmates, fellow Ozians and even her family because her skin is green. Meanwhile, her foil is blonde and bubbly, accustomed to silver platters and special treatment. But they’re drawn to each other anyway, amplifying each other’s strengths until Oz tries to force them apart. Their witchy friendship is chronicled throughout the show, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. Dozens of actresses have played the witches on Broadway, the West End, on tour and across the world. The musical’s alumni are intimately familiar with the challenges — vocally, emotionally — of playing Elphaba and Glinda eight times a week. Perhaps no one cares for these witches more than the women who’ve played them. Now, as the film adaptation of “Wicked” arrives 21 years after the musical premiered on Broadway, former Elphabas and Glindas share with CNN what the witches mean to them and how the show changed their lives — and what it’s like to see “Wicked” in all its cinematic glory. (Conversations have been edited and condensed for clarity.) Meet our cast:
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