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Thank goodness Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel are back together again. The Tony winners —who originated the roles of Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba in the 2003 Broadway production of Wicked —had a surprise reunion April 3 that brought the pair, and audience, to tears. Following a performance of Idina’s new musical Redwood —her first Broadway show in more than a decade—Kristin surprised her longtime friend on stage, where she embraced the Rent alum before praising the cast’s performance.
“I just have to say something, I saw the show tonight. Y’all, I am not OK,” Kristin, 56, told the audience. “It was very, very touching.
I’m really proud of my friend.” After her remarks, Idina, 53, joined the Schmigadoon! star in an encore performance of Wicked ’s penultimate song “For Good.” In video of the song shared on social media, the pair held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes while singing the bridge.
Afterwards, the Frozen actress picked Kristin up off the ground in a warm embrace as the crowd applauded. While the Broadway stars’ reunion was certainly splenderific, it’s not the only moment they have recently reteamed. In fact, the pair made a surprise cameo in last year’s film adaptation of Wicked , starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, where they sang “One Short Day” along with the movie’s leads.
Plus, while promoting the John M. Chu -directed flick, all four women joined together and discussed the importance of their friendships with one another. “I was just so happy to have someone that was always there to see me and to support me,” Idina told Kristin in a joint November interview with Entertainment Weekly .
“I really think art imitates life, and you're able to find each other and trust each other and see each other for who you really are.” As for Cynthia and Ariana, they found a similar level of camaraderie while playing the roles, noting in unison that they each “definitely gained a lifelong friend.” While Cynthia and Ariana ultimately landed the movie’s lead roles, read on to see who all was considered to play Elphaba and Glinda long before the 2024 film.
Demi Moore Demi Moore 's production company Moving Pictures bought the rights to Gregory Maguire 's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and brought the film to Universal Pictures in the 1990s, according to producer Marc Platt . Moore's producing partner Suzanne Todd confirmed the Ghost star wanted to play a lead in the film—either Glinda the Good Witch or Elphaba the Wicked Witch—telling Vanity Fair in December 2024, "I think on different days she could do either, but in the moment it was definitely for Elphaba." Whoopi Goldberg Moore wasn't the only one actively pursuing the rights to Wicked .
According to Maguire, Whoopi Goldberg was also interested in a film adaptation. "Whoopi Goldberg's manager wanted to buy it for her," Todd added. "But I really wanted it.
" "This is true," Whoopi's publicist Brad Cafarelli told Vanity Fair . "Whoopi loved the book and tried hard to get the rights." Claire Danes Fresh off the now cult-classic My So-Called Life , Claire Danes expressed interest in a movie within the first six months of the book's release in the ‘90s, as Maguire recalled.
Salma Hayek According to Maguire, Salma Hayek "had had some interest" in working on a movie version as well, although he was not sure if she intended to play the part of Elphaba. Laurie Metcalf The Roseanne alum—who was also one of the original members of Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company—also showed interest, Maguire confirmed to Vanity Fair , noting that he also wasn't sure which role she was looking to portray. Michelle Pfeiffer Once Moore's Moving Pictures was granted the rights in the 1990s , they began working on a screenplay and creating their wish list of actors.
According to Todd, they never got to the point of casting the character of Glinda, but Michelle Pfeiffer was on the wish list. Emma Thompson Also on Todd and Moore's list for Glinda? Emma Thompson , who was on her way to winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for 1995's Sense and Sensibility . Nicole Kidman Another actress that Todd confirmed was "top of mind" for the role of Glinda was Nicole Kidman , who was fresh off 1995's Batman Forever .
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