Many viewers have experiencedWickedfor the first time in theaters since its opening weekend, but before the movie,Wickedhas long been one of the most popular shows on Broadway. In 2024, Ariana Grande-Butera and Cynthia Erivo leadWicked’sincredible castas Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. Back in 2003, when the musical first opened on Broadway, those same roles were originated by the iconic Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.
Now, more than 20 years later,Chenoweth and Menzel cameo inWickedin one of the best and cheekiest scenes in the movie musical. Standing across Oz’s central square, looking the new Glinda and Elphaba in the eyes, it is clear to see what makes all four actresses such incredible presences on stage and screen. Without upstaging the new stars, Chenoweth and Menzel perfectly execute a number inWicked, which is already contending for Oscars, that ties directly back to their Broadway roles.
Wicked Makes Broadway Stars Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth Stage Performers In Oz
They’re Still On The Stage Singing About What’s Happening In Oz
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth both had huge theater success prior to originating theirWickedroles on Broadway. Even so, their work inWickedskyrocketed to new levels of success as stage performers. The new movie adaptation honored the two legends in a really great and respectful way.
In their cameos in theWickedmovie,the pair are still singing together about Wizards and Oz.Dressed in wonderfully elaborate costume dresses, Menzel and Chenoweth sing an additional verse in the song “One Short Day” to let both the audience and the witches Glinda and Elphaba know what exactly is going on. By putting Menzel and Chenoweth center stage once again, the cameo winks out at the audience who first came to love Elphaba and Glinda through the actresses' roles in the original Broadway musical.
Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth’s Wicked Cameos Were Perfect
Each Star Gets A Special Moment Referencing Their Old Roles
In their movie roles, Kirstin Chenoweth’s and Idina Menzel’s performers-slash-town criers, fittingly, compete for center stage, in a cheeky reference to the competitive spirit between Elphaba and Glinda. In the end, however,Menzel wins the competition by belting out her iconic riff from “Defying Gravity.“For anyone who has seen her perform as Elphaba, that music is unmistakable, as is Menzel’s voice, and it comes as a welcome reminder ofWicked’s Broadway origins.
Wicked’s 2 Major Cameos Explained By Cynthia Erivo & Composer: “One Big Easter Egg”
Wicked’s Elphaba star Cynthia Erivo and composer Stephen Schwartz talk about the two major cameos in the movie that left many audiences awed.
Kirstin Chenoweth also makes a fun allusion to her originalWickedrole of Glinda when she places a hand over Grande’s mouth when the new Glinda actress opens her mouth to sing. It’s a perfectly cheeky moment as it captures Glinda’s desire to always be the center of attention. It’s also a winking nod to the audience to seeWicked’s original Glinda actress out-diva the new Glinda in one of the rare moments that Grande’s version is successfully shut up by someone else.
It’s a perfectly cheeky moment as it captures Glinda’s desire to always be the center of attention.
To finish the cameo, both Menzel and Chenoweth interact directly with Erivo and Grande-Butera, passing on the torch to the two new witches of Oz. The original actresses are so clearly having fun with their cameos and are thrilled with their successors' performances, which are great;Cynthia Erivo, in particular, has the chance to EGOT withWicked. Despite their upstaging performance, their appearance perfectly blends respect forWickedand its original Broadway roots with all the excitement and energy of the new adaptation.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
