NEW YORK 鈥� Fifteen years ago, one of the top films in the land was Finding Nemo, Shania Twain played the Super Bowl halftime show, 50 Cent鈥檚 Get Rich or Die Tryin鈥� was a hit album and a couple of witches-to-be took over Broadway.
The musical Wicked shook off tepid reviews to roar into Broadway history and, on Monday, is celebrating its coming-of-age with a Halloween-themed NBC special starring its original stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, as well as Ariana Grande.
鈥淔irst of all, I can鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 been 15 years. I think it was yesterday. And yet it feels like it鈥檚 been 15 years. So there鈥檚 that I鈥檓 battling in my brain,鈥� Chenoweth says, laughing. 鈥淚 just wanted to be in a show that someone would have heard of.鈥�
Wicked is Broadway鈥檚 sixth longest running show and is regularly sold out. There is currently a North American tour, a West End production and another touring the U.K. The ice-cream company Ben & Jerry鈥檚 has launched a sandwich in its honour.
The musical reimagines the relationship between the Good Witch of the North (Chenoweth) and the Wicked Witch of the East (Menzel), who were introduced in L. Frank Baum鈥檚 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and immortalized in a 1939 film adaptation. The songs by Stephen Schwartz include Defying Gravity, Popular and For Good.
鈥淚 knew it was something special,鈥� says Menzel, who had already achieved success in Rent when she tried out for Wicked director Joe Mantello. Menzel shook while rehearsing the songs: 鈥淚 knew I thought it was important and it moved me when I first auditioned and got a call-back.鈥�
Critics were not always kind, with the New York Times sniffing that the musical 鈥渄oes not, alas, speak hopefully for the future of the Broadway musical.鈥� Variety called it 鈥渓umbering, overstuffed鈥� and New York鈥檚 Daily News described it as 鈥渁n interminable show with no dramatic logic or emotional centre.鈥�
Fans disagreed. The show went on to win a Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, opening in 16 countries, including Brazil, South Korea, Germany, Japan and Australia, and in Latin America.
The musical premi猫red long before the MeToo movement, but has benefited from its focus on two young women 鈥� one seemingly perfect in looks and popularity, the other a restless, green-skinned outsider 鈥� finding their voices and forging a bond.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to the piece, to how good Wicked is that 15 years later, it鈥檚 even more important and really resonates with this movement that we鈥檙e in,鈥� Menzel says.
