Three women who played Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway were nominated for Tony Awards on Tuesday.
Shoshana Bean, who played the role for one year starting in 2005, was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Hell's Kitchen, in which she played a strong-willed single mother trying to protect her adolescent daughter from the temptations of the city. (This is her second Tony Award nomination; she is also nominated for “Mr. Saturday Night” in 2022.)
Eden Espinosa, who replaced Bean as Elphaba in 2006, was nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of an artistically and sexually adventurous painter in Lempicka.
And Lindsay Mendes, who became Elphaba in 2013, was nominated for best actress for her role as a hard-drinking novelist in this season's hit revival of Merrily We Roll Along. (Mendes already has one Tony for playing Carrie Pipperidge in the 2018 revival of “Carousel.”)
Who is Elphaba? Now, the musical “Wicked,'' based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, is the imaginary backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, and Elphaba is that character. (Reconsideration of her actual evilness is the theme of the musical.) Her name is derived from the initials of L. Frank Baum, who wrote “The Wizard of Oz.” Masu. Her skin is green, reminiscent of the green makeup worn by Margaret Hamilton in her popular film adaptation of Baum's novel, The Wizard of Oz.
“Wicked” has been performed successfully for so long, with so many companies and two young women in the charming lead roles, that it is now on the resumes of many musical theater performers. .
The actress who plays Elphaba needs a big belt. Her signature song is “Defying Gravity”. The role was originated on Broadway in 2003 by Idina Menzel, who won a Tony Award for her work and is expected to return to Broadway in the not-too-distant future in a new musical about women, Redwood. There is. Now, trees. (The musical was performed at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse earlier this year.)
Another main character in “Wicked” is Glinda (traditionally portrayed as a good witch, but again, tastes may vary). The role requires a high soprano and was the brainchild of Kristin Chenoweth, who also hopes to return to Broadway soon. She is starring in a new musical based on the film called “The Queen of Versailles,'' which is scheduled to premiere. this summer at the Emerson Colonial in Boston. (Mackenzie Kurtz, who plays Glinda in 2023, is currently starring in another new Broadway musical, The Heart of Rock 'n' Roll, starring Katie Rose Clark, who played Glinda three times on Broadway.) (stars in this season's revival of “Merrily'') We Go Together. ”)
Meanwhile, “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, and is set to hit the big screen. The first of his two-part series of this film is scheduled for release in his November as a Thanksgiving weekend movie.
