Yes, That Really Was Idina Menzel And Kristin Chenoweth Singing In 'Wicked'
Warning: Major spoilers lie ahead for Wicked: Part One.
Before there was Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, there was Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
It’s hard to tell what Wicked would be today if it weren’t for Menzel and Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda in the Tony Award-winning musical. Now, 21 years after the stage production debuted on Broadway, Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation is paying homage to the unstoppable duo by featuring them in a jaw-dropping, applause-worthy cameo.
Ahead, we break down everything you need to know about their surprise appearance—from the new song they sang to the other familiar faces they appeared alongside.
Idina and Kristin performed a brand new song in the movie.
The pair’s surprise appearance occurred during the 'One Short Day' sequence, in which Erivo’s Elphaba and Grande’s Glinda arrive as excited tourists in the Emerald City. As they prepare to meet the Wizard, Elphaba and Glinda witness Wizomania, a musical-within-the-musical that captures the efficacy of the Wizard’s propaganda machine.
In the stage production, the Wizomania choir is instrumental in revealing key plot points; they sing about Oz’s history as a previously magical land, introduce the sacred Grimmerie spell book, and reveal how the Wizard arrived to Oz by a hot air balloon.
In the film adaptation, Menzel and Chenoweth lead the Wizomania choir, starring as the show’s main players. Given their revered vocal chops, it was only fitting that Wizomania’s 'One Short Day' bit was expanded, allowing the OG Wicked actors to have some fun. Menzel belts out the iconic 'Defying Gravity' riff, and Chenoweth resorts back to her famed Glinda mannerisms. They also walk through the audience together, each coming face to face with the new heirs of their former Wicked roles (there’s a particularly great moment where Grande attempts to start singing and is met with Chenoweth’s hand covering her mouth).
Idina and Kristin’s cameo coincided with appearances from other members of the Wicked family.
The Broadway stars weren’t the only Wicked OGs included in the 'One Short Day' cameo. Stephen Schwartz, who composed the musical, plays the palace guard responsible for the iconic line: 'The Wizard will see you now!' And Winnie Holzman—who not only co-wrote the screenplay for the two-part movie-musical adaptation, but also wrote the book for the original Wicked musical—briefly appears as one of Emerald City’s denizens.
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