Today celebrates the 10th anniversary of the now classic musical, Wicked. Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, the show written by Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz changed theatre forever. It opened up the theatre business to a whole new world of girls and young women. While the show got mixed responses from critics when it opened, it became clear very quickly that girl power was going to fuel this phenomenon…and here we are 10 years later and the show is going strong around the world.
Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda) and Idina Menzel (Elphaba) became huge stars followin Wicked and will forever be entwined in theatre history. Both women appreciate the themes of sisterhood, friendship and female empowerment that thread throughout the musical.
Menzel commented that those were some of her favorite parts of the musical.
I’m proud that there are two very beautiful, powerful women that are the centers of the story — that it deals with a sisterhood, if you will.
Chenoweth’s favorite moment in the musical, when Glinda and Elphaba sing “For Good,” for her encapsulates the relationship between the two women.
That was my favorite moment, [and] it’s actually my favorite song in the show, too. I think it’s a moment in friendship… There are the themes of
forgiveness and true love. And, that’s [the] story that people loved so much — a love story between two women.
Read Playbill’s full story revisiting and celebrating Wicked here. And below watch Menzel and Chenoweth singing “For Good” in October 2003 at a Macy’s event celebrating the production.
And if you’ve got a girl in your life make sure to take her to see this amazingly empowering show.
