“7 Interesting Facts You Do Not Know About Wicked Musical.”

Share on facebook
Share
Share on twitter
Tweet
Share on email
Email

Wicked is a magical musical that successfully captures the heart of everyone who sees it. Everything about wicked is magical, from the unique twist of the storyline to the outstanding performance and costume. The musical was well thought of and planned by its producers and director. 

The inspiration for wicked musical came from a 1995 novel with the same unique name, “Wicked”: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, written by Gregory Maguire. The 1995 novel is actually a retelling of the novel written by L. Frank Baum, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the outstanding 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  

Stephen Schwartz decided to add a twist to the story. He not only turned wicked into a musical, but he also told the story in an alternative manner, and it ended up becoming a success. Changing the typical pattern of completely painting the villain black from the beginning, Schwartz actually told the story from the villain’s perspective. Unlike the cliché story of villains, a story is actually told about what led the villain into being what she finally became, “The Wicked Witch of the West.”  

The original production of Wicked premiered in 2003 on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre, and so far, it’s been a huge success. The musical has won several awards, including three Tony Awards, seven Drama Dex Awards, and a Grammy Award. Considering its shaky beginning during its preview on Broadway, before it was revamped for three months, Wicked has definitely achieved a lot in its 19years of existence on Broadway. Like every other successful musical, it was announced that Wicked would be turned into a film soon.  

Wicked is a compelling musical, not just because of its storyline but also because of the magical way its performers bring the story to life during every performance. Stay with us for more Wicked musical tickets info here

In this article, you will be discovering “7 Interesting Facts You Do Not Know AboutWicked Musical”. Keep reading through to learn mind-blowing facts about one of your favorite musicals, “Wicked.”  

  1. The idea for Wicked came to Stephen Schwartz when he was on vacation.  

Stephen Schwartz has always been known to have a creative mind. Definitely, we can’t expect less from the writer of the Pippin and Godspell musical. They say great ideas come when the mind is relaxed, that was the case for Wicked. The idea for the fantastic musical came to Stephen Schwartz when he was on vacation in Hawaii in 1996 when a friend mentioned an interesting book she was reading about the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West. This completely captured the interest of Schwartz, and it led to him getting the 1995 novel written by Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. As soon as he got home from vacation, Schwartz called his lawyer and started working on obtaining the rights, and the remaining story is history. 

  1. There was an Elphaba before Idina Menzel. 

This may be hard to imagine, but it is actually a fact. I myself cannot picture any other person but Idina Menzel making the role famous, but there was actually someone before her. Idina wasn’t the first person to step into Elphaba’s role. Stephanie Block read the part while the show was being developed but was eventually replaced by Menzel, and it turned out to be the best decision for the musical. Block would have probably done a good job as well, seeing as she is a professional, but Menzel is indeed a good choice. Block would have her day, though: She originated the role in the first national tour in 2005. 

  1. Wicked is a huge success. 

Wicked musical gained lots of publicity due to its unique storyline and performance. Usually, it takes even the most successful productions two to three years to get back the original investment, but that wasn’t the case with Wicked. The magical musical made back the $14 million put into it in just 14 months. There is no better way to determine the success of a Broadway musical.  

  1. Wicked started on shaky grounds

Although the musical is a very successful one, it wasn’t properly received at first. When Wicked was previewed on Broadway, it got some negative reviews like, “The yellow road has a few bricks missing,” Robert Hurwitt wrote this of the San Francisco Chronicle. San Jose Mercury News reviewer Karen D’Souza wrote a bad review as well, and she wrote, “Dorothy isn’t the only one who thinks there’s no place like home. About an hour into Wicked, this reviewer started to yearn for a pair of ruby slippers. Style over substance is the real theme in this Emerald City.” Well, there is a saying that everything that has a good part has a bad part as well and vice versa. The bad reviews led to the greatness of the musical. Schwarts is a man that knows how to take correction, and that was what he did. After these reviews, Holzman and Schwartz spent three months reworking the show before its Broadway debut, and it came out just fine. 

  1. Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were both nominated for the best actress Tony Awards in 2004

Chenoweth and Menzel are both amazing actresses that played their roles in Wicked musical so excellently. It wasn’t a surprise when both of them were nominated for the best actress Tony Awards in 2004. In the end, Idina Menzel ended up taking home her first Tony. Menzel and Chenoweth later won a Grammy each for Best Musical Theater Album the same year. Chenoweth already had a Tony Award, and she won her first in 1999 for her role as Sally in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. They both deserved the Awards they got. 

  1. Menzel missed her final performance as Elphaba due to an injury. 

This is actually a sad fact, but everything is fine now. The day before Menzel’s final show, she fell several feet through a trap door during a performance. The New York Times reported that Menzel was rushed to the hospital, still wearing her witch costume and green makeup. Fans began to wonder if the Wicked Witch role was cursed, as Margaret Hamilton, who played the witch in the Wizard of Oz, suffered serious burns while she was filming the movie. Of course, these are just mere coincidences, but the fans cannot be blamed for thinking that way. 

  1. The Wicked Witch didn’t always bear the name Elphaba. 

The Wicked Witch had no name at first in L. Frank Baum’s Oz book series. Gregory Maguire actually gave her the name Elphaba in his 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West in 1996, a revisionist exploration of the characters of The Wizard of Oz. Maguire got the idea for the name Elphaba from L. Frank Baum’s initials: L-F-B. 

Related To This Story

Latest NEWS