Summary

Kristin Chenoweth seemingly makes a cameo in a behind-the-scenes
Wicked
video, sharing the set with Ariana Grande’s Glinda.
Original Broadway stars could have cameos in the film adaptation to honor their enduring contributions.
Cameos from Chenoweth and potentially Menzel are a subtle way to acknowledge their iconic performances.

A behind-the-scenes Wicked video appears to feature a cameo from Kristin Chenoweth. In the original Broadway cast, Chenoweth played Glinda, while Idina Menzel played the role of Elphaba. For the upcoming film adaptation, which is splitting the story into two films, Ariana Grande was cast as Glinda, and Cynthia Erivo was cast as Elphaba, but there has been speculation about Chenoweth and Menzel appearing via cameos as part of Wicked’s cast, given how their iconic performances made the musical a hit.

According to Wicked Updates, Chenoweth seemingly appears in a new Wicked behind-the-scenes featurette video. Check out their post and the Wicked behind-the-scenes video below:

The apparent cameo can be spotted at the 1:54 mark in the video, with Chenoweth, or someone who strongly resembles her, wearing a lavish costume and observing Grande’s Glinda on Wicked’s set. It appears to be a crowd scene in the Emerald City, possibly for the song “One Short Day,” when Glinda and Elphaba first arrive in the Emerald City.

This Is The Perfect Way To Honor The Original Broadway Stars
Chenoweth Could Be One Of Several Broadway Cameos

While Chenoweth’s cameo has not been officially confirmed, and it remains to be seen if Menzel will be appearing as well, giving the original Broadway stars cameos is the perfect way to honor them. Wicked would not have become a phenomenon without Chenoweth and Menzel’s performances, as they managed to make Glinda and Elphaba feel compelling and distinct from the versions of the characters in The Wizard of Oz. More than two decades since their Broadway debut, they are still predominantly associated with their Wicked characters.

The cameos are an ideal way to acknowledge Wicked’s original stars without having them take over the new adaptation.

Grande and Erivo will put their own spins on the characters, and they are the ones at the forefront of the film adaptation, but it is fitting to still have Chenoweth and Menzel as cameos to subtly honor their enduring contributions. It is also fitting that Chenoweth is seemingly sharing the set with Grande. If Menzel has a cameo as well, she should share the set with Erivo, which would be yet another way to give a nod to the original stars and pass the torch.

Related Every Wizard Of Oz Character Who Appears In Wicked Wicked includes many characters from the original Wizard of Oz story, but their arcs are reframed to reveal more about the complex politics of Oz.

Since Wicked is being split into two films, it is possible that only Chenoweth will appear in the first installment, and Menzel will not have a cameo until the second one. It would be even better if other members of the original Broadway cast also received cameos, from Joel Grey, who played the original Wizard, to Norbert Leo Butz, who played the original Fiyero. The cameos are an ideal way to acknowledge Wicked’s original stars without having them take over the new adaptation.

Source: Wicked Updates, Wicked

Wicked Based on the famous play that stemmed from The Wizard of Oz, Wicked is a fantasy musical that sees an all-new cast take on the modern tale. The film explores the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West, a woman scorned by society due to her green skin, with even the Wizard of Oz framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. Director Jon M. Chu Release Date November 27, 2024 Writers Winnie Holzman , Stephen Schwartz