The OriginalWickedBroadway Cast: Where Are They Now?

Mar. 15, 2025

SinceWickedlaunched on Broadway in 2003, the musical has remained eternally “Popular.”

Wickedhasn’t left the Gershwin Theatre since its premiere in October 2003, making it the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history. The Stephen Schwartz-written show has been toured and produced around the world, from Mexico City to Melbourne and London. On Nov. 22, thefilm adaptationstarringCynthia ErivoandAriana Grandeas Elphaba and Glinda will hit theaters.

AsWickedmoves from the world’s biggest stage to the silver screen, catch up with the cast of the musical’s Broadway debut.

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Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda

Already an established theater star, Kristin Chenoweth’s set the standard for her successors with her work as Glinda. She left the show after nine months to play Annabeth Schott inThe West Wing, make her solo concert debut at Carnegie Hall and appear in the movie musicalAsphalt Beach. Chenoweth also released her second studio album,As I Am, in 2005.

The actress returned to Broadway three more times afterWickedforThe Apple Treein 2006,Promises, Promisesin 2010 andOn the Twentieth Centuryin 2015, for which she earned her third Tony nomination. She will lead a new musical,The Queen of Versailles, in a Broadway production set to open in the 2025 to 2026 season.

Of her role as Glinda, Chenowethjoked to PEOPLE for the musical’s 15th anniversary, “Very few times in our career do we have a hand-in-glove moment, and Glinda was mine. I just thought when I read it, ‘This is my part! And if anybody else plays Glinda, I’ll kill them in their sleep!’ “

In 2021, Chenoweth gotengagedtoJosh Bryant, the guitarist of country band Backroad Anthem, and the pair laterwedon Sept. 2, 2023, in Dallas.

“I have been a self-proclaimed bachelorette my whole life,” Chenoweth told PEOPLE after the nuptials. “I was never going to get married. I even got engaged before and couldn’t do it. Until I met Josh. Then I was like, ‘Why would I ever let this guy go?’ I’m so blessed.”

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Idina Menzel as Elphaba

Idina Menzel as Elphaba in June 2004; Idina Menzel in June 2024.Frank Micelotta/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Frank Micelotta/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Idina Menzel’s soaring performance as Elphaba cemented her in Broadway history with a Tony Award. Menzel stayed with the Broadway production until 2005, and after briefly stepping away from the iconic green witch, she returned to the role for the West End’s version ofWicked.

“I had no idea what it would become but I knew it was something special,” Menzel said of playing Elphaba. “I needed this role to teach me something about life that I needed to learn.”

Aside fromWicked, the actress is best known for lending her voice to Elsa from the hit Disney filmFrozen. Her solo song from the 2013 animated movie,“Let It Go,”peaked at No. 5 on theBillboardHot 100. Menzel voiced Elsa again in theFrozensequel and is set to return for thethird installment, coming in 2027.

Menzel is set to make her hotly anticipated return to the Broadway stage in 2025 to leadthe new musicalRedwood– which she also co-conceived. The production begins previews on Jan. 24, 2025 at Nederlander Theatre ahead of its opening on Feb. 13, 2025, after having its world premiere at California’s La Jolla Playhouse.

Menzel married actorAaron Lohr, in September 2017. She has one son,Walker Diggs, with ex-husbandTaye Diggs.

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Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero

Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero; Norbert Leo Butz in March 2022.Broadway.com/YouTube; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Broadway.com/YouTube; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

He is married toWickedcostar Michelle Federer, and the pair welcomed a daughter in 2011, Georgia Teresa.

Butz joked toBroadway.comthat he won over Federer with Fiyero’s tight white pants in the show, quipping that “she was checking out those white pants when I was ‘Dancing Through Life.’ Now she’s dancing through wife!”

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Joel Grey as The Wizard of Oz

Joel Grey as The Wizard of Oz in October 2003; Joel Grey in June 2024.Matthew Peyton/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Matthew Peyton/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Joel Grey assumed the mantle of the musical’s main antagonist, the Wizard of Oz. The Broadway legend appeared in two more productions afterWicked: the 2011 revival ofAnything Goesand the 2016 adaptation ofThe Cherry Orchard.

In 2015, the actoropened up about his sexuality to PEOPLE, coming out as a gay man. He shares two children — actressJennifer Greyand chef James — with actress Jo Wilder, to whom he was married for 24 years.

05of 08Carole Shelley as Madame MorribleCarole Shelley as Madame Morrible; Carole Shelley in April 2018.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic; Charley Gallay/GettyBroadway veteran Carole Shelley set the standard for the villainous headmistress Madame Morrible. The Tony Award winner later reprised the role in the 2005 national tour and the 2006 Chicago production.“It knocked me out, I’ve gotta be honest,” she said of the role to theTheater Development Fund’s magazine. “Morrible takes a heck of a lot of energy. There is a certain driving element to her character, because she’s manipulating a lot of characters and events. Her intense spontaneity takes a lot of energy.“She went on to appear in two more Broadway productions,Billy Elliotin 2008 andA Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murderin 2014.Shelley died of cancer at age 79 on Aug. 31, 2018 in New York City. Her final role was three months before her death asJohn Mulaney’s chaperone around Radio City Music Hall in his stand-up comedy specialKid Gorgeous.

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Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible

Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible; Carole Shelley in April 2018.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic; Charley Gallay/Getty

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic; Charley Gallay/Getty

Broadway veteran Carole Shelley set the standard for the villainous headmistress Madame Morrible. The Tony Award winner later reprised the role in the 2005 national tour and the 2006 Chicago production.

“It knocked me out, I’ve gotta be honest,” she said of the role to theTheater Development Fund’s magazine. “Morrible takes a heck of a lot of energy. There is a certain driving element to her character, because she’s manipulating a lot of characters and events. Her intense spontaneity takes a lot of energy.”

She went on to appear in two more Broadway productions,Billy Elliotin 2008 andA Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murderin 2014.

Shelley died of cancer at age 79 on Aug. 31, 2018 in New York City. Her final role was three months before her death asJohn Mulaney’s chaperone around Radio City Music Hall in his stand-up comedy specialKid Gorgeous.

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Michelle Federer as Nessarose

Michelle Federer in May 2005 and in July 2023.Thos Robinson/Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty

Thos Robinson/Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty

Michelle Federer made her Broadway debut as Nessarose, Elphaba’s sister and the Wicked Witch of the East before her villainous turn. Out of the original principal cast, Federer stayed on the production the longest, leaving in January 2006. She briefly returned to the role from 2009 to 2010.

“It wasn’t until the second time around that I truly connected with her sadness and mourning. There is an odd strength that comes from loss. A feeling that you’ve already been through the worst, so nothing else can really hurt you,” Federer toldPlaybillin 2016.

She marriedWickedcostar Butz in 2007, and together they share a daughter, Georgia Teresa.

07of 08Christopher Fitzgerald as BoqChristopher Fitzgerald in April 2004 and in June 2024.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic;  Dia Dipasupil/GettyThree-time Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald originated the role of the lovesick Munchkin Boq. After departingWickedin January 2005, he continued his successful Broadway career with shows likeYoung Frankenstein,Chicago,Waitress,Companyand more.“People are so crazy about that show. I’ve seen people with tattoos of Boq on their arm.Wickedprobably will outlast us all,” Fitzgerald said in a 2009 interview withTalkin’ Broadway.Fitzgerald has been married to director and former actress Jessica Stone since 2003, and they have two sons together.

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Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq

Christopher Fitzgerald in April 2004 and in June 2024.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic;  Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic;  Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Three-time Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald originated the role of the lovesick Munchkin Boq. After departingWickedin January 2005, he continued his successful Broadway career with shows likeYoung Frankenstein,Chicago,Waitress,Companyand more.

“People are so crazy about that show. I’ve seen people with tattoos of Boq on their arm.Wickedprobably will outlast us all,” Fitzgerald said in a 2009 interview withTalkin’ Broadway.

Fitzgerald has been married to director and former actress Jessica Stone since 2003, and they have two sons together.

08of 08William Youmans as Doctor DillamondWilliam Youmans in December 2007 and in October 2022.Steven Henry/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImageWilliam Youmans donned intricate prosthetics to become the talking goat professor Doctor Dillamond. He left the show in July 2005 but briefly returned between 2006 and 2007 for the Chicago production. Youmans officially stepped back into the role on Broadway in March 2023.“When I took my final bow in 2005, I came out with a sign that said, ‘I’ll be back.’ BecauseWickedwas the greatest thing that ever happened to me. My career was completely revolutionized,” Youmans toldPlaybillafter his 2023 return.After his initial run ofWicked, he also originated the role of The Director in Richard Gustin’sBeing Seenat a festival in 2015 and played Bascombe in the 2018 Broadway revival ofCarousel. In November 2019, he joined the playTo Kill a Mockingbird’s cast as Dr. Reynolds/Mr. Roscoe.He resides in N.Y.C. with his wife, artist Susanna Starr.

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William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond

William Youmans in December 2007 and in October 2022.Steven Henry/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Steven Henry/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage

William Youmans donned intricate prosthetics to become the talking goat professor Doctor Dillamond. He left the show in July 2005 but briefly returned between 2006 and 2007 for the Chicago production. Youmans officially stepped back into the role on Broadway in March 2023.

“When I took my final bow in 2005, I came out with a sign that said, ‘I’ll be back.’ BecauseWickedwas the greatest thing that ever happened to me. My career was completely revolutionized,” Youmans toldPlaybillafter his 2023 return.

After his initial run ofWicked, he also originated the role of The Director in Richard Gustin’sBeing Seenat a festival in 2015 and played Bascombe in the 2018 Broadway revival ofCarousel. In November 2019, he joined the playTo Kill a Mockingbird’s cast as Dr. Reynolds/Mr. Roscoe.

He resides in N.Y.C. with his wife, artist Susanna Starr.

source: people.com