The first look at the upcoming two-part film adaptation of Broadway's Wicked arrived February 11 with a trailer released during CBS' Super Bowl broadcast (or, perhaps more likely for Playbill readers, on YouTube), and fans have been pretty effusive ever since. When you have a fan base like this particular Oz-themed long-running musical, excitement for a long-awaited movie version is high—and, that's putting it mildly.
Apparently that energy has sent fans back to the original Broadway cast album, released in 2003 just a few weeks after the musical opened at the Gershwin Theatre (where it continues its run today). According to Spotify data obtained exclusively by Playbill, streams of the Broadway album's tracks have increased by as much as 256% since the trailer's release.
Twelve tracks saw major increases in streams on February 12, with the biggest increase (the aforementioned 256%) going to Act Two opener "Thank Goodness." Also seeing major upticks were "Dear Old Shiz" (250%), "No One Mourns the Wicked" (200%), "One Short Day" (175%), "The Wizard and I" (170%), "Dancing Through Life" (170%), "I'm Not That Girl" (165%), "As Long As You're Mine" (140%), "No Good Deed" (130%), "What is This Feeling?" (130%), "Defying Gravity" (100%), and "Popular" (75%).
The list is particularly interesting in that it seems to be led by some of the musical's deeper cuts, perhaps indicating that fans were less interested in comparing and contrasting what's heard in the trailer (only brief excerpts from Act One finale "Defying Gravity" are heard in the minute-long preview) than they were in revisiting the Stephen Schwartz score more generally.
Die-hard fans have lots to wonder about and look forward to in the months leading up to the film's November 26 release date, more than with just any Broadway adaptation. Director Jon M. Chu, songwriter Stephen Schwartz, and book writer and screenwriter Winnie Holzman have expanded the already epic story into a two-part film (the second half will release in 2025), meaning this stage-to-screen adaptation will be unprecedentedly unique from its Broadway origins.
All of the data reflects streams on February 12 and is presented in comparison with average U.S. daily streams.
Broadway alums Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star as Glinda and Elphaba (respectively) in the upcoming releases. The cast also includes West End Company Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and newcomer Marissa Bode as Nessarose, the first wheelchair-using actor in the musical's history to take on the role.
Stage and screen star Keala Settle, SNL's Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael will play roles new to the musical's screen version, with Settle as Miss Coddle, Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Yang, James, and Teoh as Shiz students Pfannee, ShenShen, and Avaric, respectively. Yang recently revealed in an appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live that the role of Doctor Dillamond has not yet been cast, with a puppeteer filling in during filming.
The stage musical's book writer Winnie Holzman has penned the screenplay (which reportedly includes new songs by Stephen Schwartz), and Tony winner Paul Tazewell is designing costumes.
Wicked, injecting a new backstory onto the classic tale The Wizard of Oz, debuted on Broadway in 2003 and continues to be an audience favorite at the Gershwin Theatre. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical features music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Holzman. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The musical has subsequently been performed in more than 100 cities across 16 countries, and, in April 2023 surpassed Cats to become the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history.
READ: "My Heart Broke Open": Cynthia Erivo Shares Thoughts on Playing Elphaba in Wicked Films
The show won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).
Stream Wicked's original Broadway cast album on Spotify here.
Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked
