There’s still hope yet: we can still see Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth reprise their roles of Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked!
The thing is, they won’t be playing the roles in the upcoming film adaptation. They’ll be putting on their green makeup and bubble dress for a concert special titled A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway, which will air on October 29, 2018. Menzel and Chenoweth will be the hosts and the performers.
The duo will be joined by Pentatonix, Ariana Grande, and the current Broadway company of Wicked.
Wicked is based on the Gregory Maguire book of the same name, and tells the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, a lonely witch left out of groups because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular witch. Elphaba is disillusioned by the corrupt government of the Wizard, and she goes on a quest to stand up against evil.
Wicked is set before L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is supposed to be the “origin story” of the Wicked Witch of the West.
It was adapted to the stage in 2003, directed by Joe Mantello with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The original run starred Menzel and Chenoweth, and won seven Drama Desk awards, three Tonys, and one Grammy. After 13 years, it is now the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.
In 2014, Menzel revealed that she and Chenoweth were told that they were too old to reprise their roles for an adaptation (Elphaba and Glinda are college students).
She also joked that she could play Elphaba’s mother.
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