Warning: This article includes spoilers for Wicked!
Universal’sWickedsecretly follows a trend set up by an award-winning Steven Spielberg musical movie from 3 years ago, setting the 2024 film up for success. Since the musical was released on Broadway in 2003, Wicked has gained a passionate fan base. Unsurprisingly, after winning 10 Tony awards, discussions began about adapting the story onscreen. The format switched multiple times, finally resulting in thetwo-partWickedmoviethat’s releasing in November 2024 and 2025.
There are many reasons for viewers to be excited about the Wicked movie, but one of the biggest is not immediately recognizable at first glance. The Universal musical secretly followed a musical adaptation casting trend set by aSteven Spielberg moviefrom 2021 which future movies should strive to emulate.
Most Of Wicked’s Actors Have A Broadway Background Like With Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story
The Wicked Cast Is Packed With Broadway And West End Actors
WhenWest Side Storycame out in 2021, the movie received praise for mainly casting Broadway actors in both lead and supporting roles instead of Hollywood actors. Since then, other musical adaptations have received criticism on social media for not following this trend. Excitingly,Wickedsecretly followed the lead of Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Story. Looking at the leadcast ofWicked, only Cynthia Erivo and Ethan Slater stand out as famous Broadway actors. However,almost all the main actors have experience performing on either Broadway or the West End.
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Ariana Grande might be known for her singing and onscreen acting, but the multi-hyphenate performer actually started her career performing on Broadway as Charlotte in the musical13. Jeff Goldblum, Keala Settle, and Jonathan Bailey have all been either nominated for or won prestigious awards for their onstage performances. Outside the main actors,the supporting and minor characters in Wicked are also packed with well-known West End actors(viaWhat’s On Stage).
Casting Broadway Actors Was Especially Important For The Wicked Adaptation
While most musicals can get away with including actors who have decent singing abilities, the stakes were too high with Wicked. The musical is one of thelongest-running Broadway musicals of all time, so everything has to be perfect. The singing will be examined with especially high standards. The musical version of Wicked isn’t the most easily accessible due to the financial and location barriers. However, the albumWicked (Original Broadway Cast Recording)is easily accessible, making it so anyone with access to the internet can listen to the soundtrack featuring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
Where To Watch Wicked On Streaming
The hit musical based on The Wizard of Oz is now an Oscar-nominated movie, and here are the options for where to watch it on streaming or on digital.
Unsurprisingly, theWickedsoundtrack is the fifth best-selling Broadway album of all time (viaPlaybill), meaning most people attending the Wicked movie will have heard the music. As such, they will expect music of the same caliber as the songs with which they’re familiar. By casting actors with a Broadway and West End background inWicked, the producers ensured the music would rise to the same quality level as the original soundtrack, even if each artist will have their own approach to the iconic music.
