looking at you with wide eyes. musical characters?? could i get glinda and elphaba from wicked :0

fun fact glinda is in my top ten favorite characters ever !! if i think about her too long i go crazy ^_^

I'm going to say something a little controversial:

I don't think Ariana should have been cast as Glinda (that isn't the controversial part) contrary to some opinions that I've seen, I have total faith that she can NAIL Glinda's vocals. She has an incredible voice, that's kind of a fact, her range is very impressive. I do not, however, trust her with the acting or nuance needed to play Glinda, especially with her using the Cat voice.

Ariana isn't a terrible actress, she's decent, but you need to be able to pull off an "obviously feeling 5 polar opposite and distinct emotions at once while successfully covering them with a smile" to play the role. Plenty of Broadway Glinda's haven't been able to do that, very few acknowledge that she's angry and grieving during NoMtW, she legitimately just watched her best friend die in front of her, something I think truly makes a wonderful Glinda wonderful. Thank Goodness is a very complicated song, Glinda is seriously going through it and trying to hide the fact she's on the verge of having a total breakdown in front of a giant crowd she's meant to be cheering up and encouraging. She's trying to convince others that she is happy when she can't even convince herself.

Glinda isn't an easy role to play, it's a heavy responsibility. It's even harder when trying to play with the dumb blonde trope while also displaying the fact that Glinda is deeply intelligent, she just knows that that's not going to get her very far. As she knows, in Oz the most important is being popular.

i know i'm who i am today because i knew you 20 YEARS OF WICKED: FOR GOOD idina menzel & kristin chenoweth • ana gasteyer & kate reinders • alyssa fox & mckenzie kurtz • christine dwyer & jenni barber • idina menzel & kristin chenoweth • stephanie j block & kendra kassebaum • alyssa fox & mckenzie kurtz • lindsay heather pearce & brittney johnson • idina menzel & kristin chenoweth • idina menzel, kristin chenoweth, & various elphabas and glindas of broadway

CYNTHIA ERIVO as ELPHABA THROPP and ARIANA GRANDE as G(A)LINDA UPLAND in WICKED (2024)

Like a handprint on my heart.

#repostober Day 20

More Wicked things

WICKED (2024)

there's something to be said about wicked's opening and closing numbers both ending with a high cry of "WICKED" and while at the start of the show glinda is singing it with the ensemble, at the end she's silent on that final word. she's said her piece, she's told them the story and they're still crying out that elphaba is wicked, and this time glinda can't bring herself to join, too hurt to keep pretending.

instead, the last thing she sings is a reprise of for good, showing just how much elphaba did change her. she's not willing to join the crowds anymore.

also by not having glinda sing the last words, the narrative further isolates her from the rest of the world. she's truly and utterly alone.

Now that I’ve chosen to become a pal, a sister, an advisor, there is nobody wiser, not when it comes to… Popular!

GELPHIE HIVE RISE 💗💚

mckenzie kurtz & alyssa fox perform for good

i think something in wicked that gets overlooked a lot is that g(a)linda is just as academically ambitious as elphaba in the musical. i feel like those 'are you an elphaba or glinda' personality quiz things always frame elphaba as being studious and glinda just wanting to have fun but like. the very first thing glinda does at shiz is introduce herself to madame morrible and remind her about the entrance essay she wrote for the sorcery seminar. she just gets overlooked because she doesn't have the natural talent and book smarts that elphaba does, which is why she has to resort to using her charm and likability to get what she wants. idk i just think glinda and elphaba being established as academic rivals in that first shiz scene is such an interesting part of their early dynamic that isn't explored by the general public as much as it deserves to be

movie posters are so back

congratulations to wicked for 20 years running on broadway!

alexia khadime as elphaba and lucy st. louis as glinda / west end live 2023

Don't be offended by my frank analysis, think of it as personality dialysis. Now that I've chosen to become a pal, a sister and advisor, there's nobody wiser!