Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the iconic actresses who portrayed Elphaba and Galinda in the original Broadway production of Wicked, revealed their favourite songs from the highly anticipated film adaptation.
During a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, the original Wicked stars made some unexpected confessions about the tracks from the first part of the two-part Wicked movie, which features Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
After Erivo, 37, mentioned that she had only performed Glinda’s second-act number, Thank Goodness, for a public audience before her Elphaba audition, Menzel eagerly jumped in, saying, “That’s my favourite song. Don’t tell anyone!”
“I love all the Elphaba songs, of course,” Menzel, 53, continued. “But when you’re doing it eight shows a week, you [start to love the songs that aren’t yours].”
Similarly, Chenoweth’s favourite song isn’t technically a Glinda number (though she does perform it in an Act II reprise).
“I’m Not That Girl is my favourite,” Chenoweth, 56, revealed, prompting Menzel to tease Erivo, “Did they test you to see if you could hit the ‘I’m not that [drops voice] girl?’”
Menzel was referring to the iconic final note of Elphaba’s rendition of the emotional ballad, which suddenly drops into a lower key.
In the upcoming 2024 Wicked film, slated to premiere on Friday, November 22, Grande takes on Chenoweth’s role as Glinda, while Erivo stars as Menzel’s Elphaba.
