1.
First, the method for portray actors inexperienced for Elphaba in Wicked is so streamlined now, it solely takes roughly 20–half-hour. Chromacake in Landscape Green by MAC is what’s used for the inexperienced base, and it is utilized utilizing a paintbrush and a mix of the Chromacake and water.
2.
Throughout the present, there are continually touch-ups to Elphaba’s make-up when the actor is not onstage. Not solely is it to the touch up the inexperienced, but it surely additionally reveals the evolution of Elphaba’s character. In Act 2, her make-up will get darker and “more dramatic” with winged eyeliner, extra contour, and a darker lipstick.
3.
Lindsay Mendez, who starred as Elphaba on Broadway in 2013 for the tenth anniversary, stated that after being painted inexperienced for 9 months, eight instances every week, she would discover inexperienced make-up “in the pores of [her] skin” lengthy after she completed her run within the present.
4.
The now-iconic riff on the finish of “Defying Gravity” was one thing Idina Menzel dropped at the tune after she was solid as Elphaba. Kristin Chenoweth, who performed Glinda reverse Idina, recalled that the notes weren’t explicitly written till Idina joined the manufacturing.
5.
For Elphaba’s huge flying second in “Defying Gravity,” the actor taking part in Elphaba steps onto a small platform and presses their again in opposition to the mechanical gadget, and a belt locks them into place. A pc offstage signifies when they’re safely locked in; if they are not, it will not transfer. Also on the carry is material with the identical shade as Elphaba’s outfit so it hides what she’s standing on.
6.
In “Popular,” when Glinda runs round going, “La la…,” it was one thing Kristin got here up with, and now each Glinda who has taken over the position does it too. Kristin stated she did that little dance as a result of she imagined Glinda “in her room growing up. She probably loved ballet. She was a girly girl.”
7.
During a number of early readings, there was initially a tune known as “Making Good,” which was going to be the primary tune Elphaba sang earlier than it was changed by “The Wizard and I.”
8.
Another tune that was modified after preliminary readings was “Which Way’s the Party?,” which was changed with “Dancing Through Life.” Stephen defined that “Which Way’s the Party?” in the end did not introduce the character of Fiyero nicely sufficient.
9.
The first seven notes of the traditional Wizard of Oz tune “Over the Rainbow” are utilized in what Stephen calls the “Unlimited Theme,” which might be heard in “The Wizard and I,” “For Good,” “Defying Gravity,” and extra.
10.
Gregory Maguire, who wrote Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which the musical is predicated on, named the Wicked Witch of the West “Elphaba” after the letters “L,” “F,” and “B,” aka the initials of L. Frank Baum, who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
11.
When designing Glinda’s signature bubble robe for Wicked, Tony Award–successful costume designer Susan Hilferty was impressed by a Fifties Dior robe, in addition to Princess Diana’s wedding ceremony costume. However, she needed to soar by some authorized hoops as a result of it regarded too near what Glinda wore within the film The Wizard of Oz.
12.
Also, Glinda’s bubble costume weighs about 14 kilos and has gone by 4 iterations since Kristin wore it in 2003. The present costume contains 68,200 blue and white sequins that had been handsewn onto the robe.
13.
As for Elphaba’s last costume, Susan took inspiration from the Earth and gems in an effort to visually give “the sense of [Elphaba] being grounded,” versus Glinda, who’s “light, and bubbles, and air.” Also, whereas the costume could seem black, it is truly full of darker colours and was constructed utilizing “over 40 yards of fabric.”
14.
One of the largest fast modifications within the present is when the ensemble of roughly 17 actors have to vary from the mob to college students at Shiz University. They reportedly solely have a couple of minute and a half to vary into their Shiz uniforms, which incorporates altering costumes, wigs, and footwear.
15.
One of the hardest costume moments to nail down in Wicked was when Chistery sprouts wings and turns into a flying monkey. In order to offer the phantasm that he was rising wings proper in entrance of the viewers’s eyes, the wings are hooked up to the harness beneath the costume, after which the actor pulls a string to deploy the wings on cue.
16.
While writing “For Good,” Stephen knew it was going to be a tune about mates having to say goodbye, so in an effort to make it as genuine (and emotional) as doable, he truly requested his daughter for assist with inspiration for the lyrics.
17.
Willemijn Verkaik presently holds the report for the longest-running Elphaba. She’s performed over 2,000 performances in Germany, the Netherlands, Broadway, and the West End. As a outcome, Willemijn has additionally carried out the present in three completely different languages: Dutch, German, and English.
18.
The fog that’s seen onstage in Wicked has grow to be a memorable side of the present, particularly in the course of the starting, “Defying Gravity,” and “As Long as You’re Mine.” In 2018, the Broadway manufacturing had reportedly used 942,000 kilos of dry ice over the 15 years the present had been working on the time.
20.
The dragon, which looms over the Wicked stage, is definitely a marionette that’s operated by crew members. Each rope the crew members pull operates a distinct side of the dragon, whether or not it is the wings, the top, or one other half.
21.
And lastly, the design of the large Oz head that’s seen in Wicked was impressed by how the Tin Man was put collectively in The Wizard of Oz. By trying on the Tin Man’s costume within the film, the set designers found out the idea for the way the Oz head would look if it had been “built in Oz.”
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