The graduates of Shiz University are making their alma mater proud.
In the 21 years since “Wicked” opened in New York, 43 women have starred full-time as Elphaba or Glinda — frenemies who meet as Shiz undergrads — and many more have taken on the vocally taxing roles in productions across the United States and around the world.
Shiz has taught them well. After leaving the show, many have gone on to glittering careers, on Broadway and beyond. Three former Elphabas were nominated for Tony Awards this year, while four former Glindas have appeared in principal roles.
As a smash-hit Hollywood adaptation introduces millions more to this revisionist history of Oz, we checked in with alumnae of the stage show to ask what they learned there. These are edited excerpts from our conversations.
Glinda
Kristin Chenoweth
Chenoweth, who won a Tony Award in 1999 for “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” originated Glinda on Broadway in 2003. She is now one of Broadway’s most-loved stars and is planning to return next season in a musical adaptation of “The Queen of Versailles.”
How did you first get involved with “Wicked”?
I was called by [the composer] Stephen Schwartz himself, and he said, “Look, I’ve got this part I want you to do.” I didn’t know if I could work out the dates, but I went over to his apartment, and listened to “Popular.” I thought it was really cute and I could have some fun with it, so I was involved in a workshop in L.A., and that’s how it started. I remember the producer Marc Platt going, “Kristin, every once in a while a part comes along — maybe once in a lifetime — that is like a hand to a glove, and this is your part.” Glinda was very much the side character, but they started seeing how Idina and I were working together, and it evolved into a much bigger role. That first night we opened in San Francisco, for our out-of-town tryout, I told Idina, “It’s not going to matter what the critics say. There’s something very special here.” I just knew it.
How did it change your life?
Movies came to me. More TV came. Ultimately an Emmy Award came. I credit “Wicked” for all of that. People saw me in a different light, and it changed my world in the best possible way.
Why do you think this role has become such a training ground for women in musical theater?
It’s a very hard role. Both roles are extremely difficult, and you’ve got to have the skill set to do it. Glinda starts out one way, singing high soprano, and by the end she’s singing extremely low. You’ve got to have that layered funny, but it’s got to be masking the real insecurity of her. You can’t just show up and be cute.
Elphaba
Idina Menzel
Menzel, Tony-nominated in 1996 for playing Maureen in “Rent,” won a 2004 Tony Award for originating Elphaba, then went on to enormous success as the voice of Elsa in Disney’s “Frozen” films. She starts previews next month for “Redwood.”
How did you begin with “Wicked”?
I had heard about it through the grapevine as being a really cool new project, and I wanted to be seen for it. I thought of Elphaba as very Goth and like Ally Sheedy in “The Breakfast Club,” so I went in in a cool back dress with black Doc Martens and green eye shadow and green lipstick. I sang well, so they asked me to learn “Defying Gravity.” I started to get invested in it and was feeling that I was really right for it — it spoke to me. I was really desperate to get the role. I had a great audition, and was doing great, and I did “Defying Gravity,” and at the end I cracked. I looked at the accompanist and said, “I’m going to do that again,” like, “Don’t even think about moving on to the next part.” I got really angry, and I did it again, and I hit it. Joe Mantello [the musical’s director] always says that’s when he really thought I could be wicked.
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you in the show?
I fell and almost died? I fell through a trap door. They cued one cue early, so I walked into an empty hole and slammed my ribs. They stopped the show, literally said, “Is there a doctor in the house?,” laid me down on the floor and closed the curtain. I broke a rib — just one. The next day was scheduled to be my last performance, and they said, “If you can get there, we would love to say goodbye.” Shoshana Bean [who had taken over] did the most generous thing she could do, and stepped off two minutes before the end of the show and allowed me to come out in my red track suit, on so much Vicodin, and take a bow.
How did it change your life?
Between “Rent” and “Wicked,” there was a long chasm where I didn’t really work that much and I lost a lot of confidence. I got “Wicked,” which I was so excited about, but I felt super-insecure in the rehearsal room. Kristin’s process is remarkable to watch, she can cold read, and she’s fearless and superfast, and I just wasn’t. I felt like at any minute they would replace me. But by having to walk in Elphaba’s shoes, and face bullying and adversity onstage every day, and to have to truly find my voice and also reconcile power and sensitivity and empathy all at the same time, it changed my life. I feel like it saved me.
Elphaba
Stephanie J. Block
Block played Elphaba through two years of workshops and readings, then was replaced by Menzel for the pre-Broadway production in San Francisco. She understudied the role there, returned to originate Elphaba in the first national tour, and played the role on Broadway from 2007 to 2008. She went on to become a Broadway star in her own right, notching three Tony nominations and winning in 2019 for “The Cher Show.”
How do you think about your initial disappointment with “Wicked”?
Did I cry? Of course. Did I want it desperately? Of course. My heart was completely broken. But did it go exactly the way it needed to go for my life? Yeah. I met my husband on tour. I was able to buy an apartment and start a life. It was an incredible hurdle, and it completely changed my life. What I love about Elphie — she and I align — is that we have always been authentic to ourselves, and in the end we lived happily ever after.
How did “Wicked” prepare you for other shows?
Sharing a space with another strong female lead is something that every leading actress should experience. It’s fortifying and humbling, and it helps you grow. The magnitude of the role is a bit of a litmus test — it’s almost too much of a test for body, mind and spirit, but when you can do it, you walk out feeling invincible. And there’s also this really beautiful sisterhood that goes along with it, this quiet understanding between all the witches. We recognize ourselves in each other: You took it on, and you’re still standing.
Is “Wicked” still a part of your life?
Let’s be honest: It’s everywhere. I got to introduce my daughter to the piece — it was touring in Northern California and I brought her. We still have all sorts of fan art. I have lots of sweet little Elphaba figurines everywhere. And I did steal my second-act hat.
Glinda
Megan Hilty
Hilty appeared in the role on Broadway from 2005 to 2006, the first national tour in 2006, and the Los Angeles production from 2007 to 2009. She was nominated for a Tony in 2016 for her performance in “Noises Off,” starred in the NBC Broadway drama “Smash,” and is now winning raves in the new Broadway musical “Death Becomes Her.”
What did “Wicked” teach you about yourself?
Over those years, I worked with 17 different Elphabas. The best thing that happened during “Wicked” was forging those beautiful friendships. We are [told in] narrative after narrative that there is no room for more than one woman, especially in the entertainment business. I’m eternally grateful for that very special show to ingrain in me the power of female friendship.
How did “Wicked” prepare you for your subsequent career?
It taught me how to be a leading lady. I had no idea what I was doing. I was fresh out of college and I learned quickly by example from the women around me.
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you during your run?
When I was in Los Angeles, the part where her frock turns into a ball gown, I was doing this plié, so my legs were spread wide and I was squatting down, and at the same time, I blew my hair out of my face. My microphone was right there, so you can imagine the enormous sound. It made Eden Espinosa laugh so hard. I did what I thought Glinda would do. I blamed it on her. I said, “Excuse you.”
glinda
Kate Reinders
She played Glinda in Chicago and on Broadway from 2005 to 2007 and then went on to star in the Broadway musical “Something Rotten!” and the Disney+ mockumentary “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
What did “Wicked” teach you about yourself?
Glinda was the first time I really got to explore lots of different parts of myself. She’s funny, she’s smart, she’s silly, she’s serious. She explores the pressure to be who she thinks people want her to be. Ultimately friendship and love win over. It really is a wonderful lesson.
How did the show prepare you for your subsequent career?
I remember being in the bubble in Chicago and having a moment where I thought, It’s never going to get better than this. This is the best role in the best company. Am I peaking? It prepared me for the reality of things to come and go. I knew it wouldn’t last forever and I just tried to really enjoy it while it was there. Once you play Glinda or Elphaba, it gets tricky. They are the best female roles available.
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you during your run?
Everybody gets stuck in the bubble. There’s always slipping and sliding and falling down a little bit. The best is when you get stuck in the bubble and just your feet are showing.
Glinda
Annaleigh Ashford
She performed in the national tour from 2005 to 2006, on Broadway from 2007 to 2008, and in Chicago from 2008 to 2009. She won a Tony in 2015 for a revival of “You Can’t Take It With You” and has starred in revivals of “Sweeney Todd” and “Sunday in the Park With George,” as well as several TV series.
What did “Wicked” teach you about yourself?
Glinda puts her dreams ahead of her friendship, and in the end she’s the one alone. As a young person in this business, that was instrumental in the way that I viewed my future. It’s so important to make sure you have balance and perspective because it’s such a selfish, self-involved career.
How did “Wicked” prepare you for your subsequent career?
It’s a monster of a show. I found it to be extremely humbling. I still have “Wicked” nightmares. It’s been like 20 years. Once every couple of months I have a dream where I’m supposed to be playing Glinda at some point and I get onstage and I don’t know what’s happening.
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you during your run?
In New York, I fell on my butt and did a backward somersault. I fell so epically that I realized the audience was concerned about me and I had to tell the audience I was OK. I felt so very bold. And I got a great laugh.
Is “Wicked present in your life now?
So many people have been through Shiz University, as we say. It’s a rite of passage. And it’s almost like you’re in this sisterhood. It’s a love story between these two women. There’s something really special about that.
Elphaba
Jennifer DiNoia
She played Elphaba in more than 2,200 performances, and on four continents: in four American productions, as well as in Sydney, Seoul and London. She joined the show in Chicago as a swing in 2006 and became an understudy and a standby before landing Elphaba; she last played the part in 2022.
What did the role teach you?
I was a dancer and had never taken a voice lesson until I booked “Wicked.” I was kind of winging it from the beginning, and every time I’m in the show there’s new people I get to learn from. Also, I’m quite meek and awkward, while Elphaba knows who she is and doesn’t have a filter. Elphaba taught me how to find my voice, not just onstage, but in real life.
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you in the show?
When we were in Chicago, there was a huge blizzard one evening, and all of the power went out in the theater. The audience screamed. The generators came on and filled up the house lights, but we couldn’t finish the show. That theater is well-known for being haunted, and all of the dressing rooms are downstairs with no windows. I was like, “I can’t stay here, after hours, by myself, in the dark, cleaning this makeup off.” So I hailed a cab, fully green, and went home with my full Elphaba makeup on, which I’d never done before or since. That was pretty fun.
Have you left theater?
I’ve done other theater, and a lot of readings and workshops, but my career has really only been “Wicked” for the last 17 years. Now I have an 8-year-old, and the Broadway schedule is hard to balance with real life. Being a single parent half the time, I’ve tried to lean into being present in a different way, and that’s another huge role. I played Elphaba until I was 12 weeks pregnant, and then I came back when my daughter was 8 months old. While I didn’t miss a large chunk of her life, I’ve missed parts of it, so now that she’s very aware, I’m making choices a little differently. Not that I’m done with theater — it just has to be the right project to make the sacrifices.
Elphaba
Willemijn Verkaik
A Dutch actress, she has played Elphaba in more languages than anyone else: German, Dutch and English — with a British accent in the West End and an American accent on Broadway. She performed the role more than 2,000 times between 2007 and 2017. She is now starring in “& Juliet” in Germany.
Did you learn anything from Elphaba about your own power?
Yes. That I could do a lot more than I thought. I feel that with these songs I can really pour everything out of my heart — enthusiasm, courage, power, vulnerability. It’s a very demanding role, and to be able to do that every night makes you very strong. I’ve been through a lot during the years of playing the role — health issues — and even though I felt sometimes alone or weak or unhealthy, I thought, “If Elphaba can do it, I can do it, too.”
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you onstage?
I was singing “No Good Deed,” and my foot got stuck in my dress. I couldn’t get up, and I had to crawl offstage. The song is so dark and so serious, and then I was ridiculous. My colleagues laugh about it still.
How did the role change your career?
A lot. When I was in Germany, there was an open rehearsal, and someone filmed “No Good Deed.” That went viral, and it put me on the map. All of a sudden I had this international career ahead of me. I’ve been invited for all kinds of concerts and events just because of Elphaba.
Elphaba
Lindsay Mendez
She starred in “Wicked” from 2013 to 2014, and went on to win a Tony Award for a “Carousel” revival in 2018. She was nominated again this year for “Merrily We Roll Along.”
What did “Wicked” teach you about yourself?
“Wicked” was the first show I ever led on Broadway. I had a lot of fear and insecurity going in. But I happened to step into it with Katie Rose Clarke, who played Glinda. She was so kind and easy and confident and a real team player. She taught me so much about the kind of energy to bring. My favorite parts of the show were when I was onstage with her.
How did it prepare you for your subsequent career?
The way I had to prepare my body, the way I had to take care of myself, my voice, I really had to dedicate my entire life to doing that show every night. “Wicked” taught me the discipline to do something that big every night and deliver. I just finished “Merrily We Roll Along.” It was such a breeze compared to “Wicked.”
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you during your run?
Derek Klena, he was my Fiyero. At the end he opens a trap door, and Elphaba comes out of it. My first weekend doing the show, he opened the trap door and it slipped out of his hands and it just fell back down and hit me in the head. It’s really heavy! I was like, I’m bleeding. But I kept going, because as actors, we just do that.
GLINDA
Brittney Johnson
The first Black actress to play Glinda on Broadway, from 2022 to 2023, Johnson is now appearing in the revival of “Gypsy.”
What did “Wicked” teach you about yourself?
Glinda changes so much from the beginning of the show to the end. She starts off as a self-centered person who really can’t see past her own self. Then she turns into a person who has empathy. As an actor and as a human being, it reminds you that there is room for growth in your life. You shouldn’t be the same person from year to year. Hopefully we change daily. That’s the only way to have a complete human experience.
How did “Wicked” prepare you for your subsequent career?
“Wicked” was Show No. 5 for me. I had a lot of Broadway experiences before. But it is truly unlike any other show. Once you play one of these witches, you can pretty much do anything stamina-wise. That blue bubble dress weighs 15 pounds!
Is “Wicked” still present in your life?
Someone stopped me the other day to tell me how much my performance meant to him. When somebody tells you that you touched them and changed them, it’s a very humbling experience.
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