Kristin Chenoweth suggests Dove Cameron and Arianna Grande for 'Wicked' film

I agree that younger actresses would be better for playing the parts, especially because the show starts out when the girls are in school, but really? Dove and Ariana? I think they're okay with their individual projects, but I do not want to see them as big Broadway roles like Galinda or Elphaba. I'd love to see Rachel Zegler as Elphaba - she put up a snippet of her singing "The Wizard and I" online, and she sounded excellent!

Ariana is just so underwhelming...

David10086 said: "Today I caught a rerun of 'The Wendy Williams Show' with actress Kristin Chenoweth as a guest (original airdate was mid-November). At one point, Williams mentioned that 'Wicked' was never made into a movie, and asked KC why (as though it's up to KC to make the decision). She also asked if she would consider starring in the movie with Idina Menzel if it ever becomes a movie.

KC acknowledged it should be made into a movie (no mention that it's been discussed for years), and said she would love to see Arianna Grande and Dove Cameron as the two stars - she believes the characters should be played by youthful actors. She has no interest in starring in the movie if it ever gets made, and alluded to Idina feeling the same way.

Williams praised her for being so generous to younger talent, and not selfish like other actors she knows who would demand to get the part they created on stage. She kept telling KC she was a 'special person'."

You...actually think KC was being asked because Wendy Williams thought KC was the one who gets to make the decision? And why does not mentioning that "it's been discussed for years" mean anything? Are you saying someone from Broadway.com, possibly you, should have been conducting that interview? Seems like exactly the sort of questions and compliments (i.e., special person) you'd expect a talk show host to give to someone like KC.

Also, what's with the people on this board so into the idea of a Wicked film? I mean, fine if it happens, but what can film add to the experience people here have doubtless had seeing the show time and again?

Updated On: 12/31/19 at 09:56 PM

MollyJeanneMusic said: "I agree that younger actresses would be better for playing the parts, especially because the show starts out when the girls are in school, but really? Dove and Ariana? I think they're okay with their individual projects, but I do not want to see them as big Broadway roles like Galinda or Elphaba. I'd love to see Rachel Zegler as Elphaba - she put up a snippet of her singing "The Wizard and I" online, and she sounded excellent!"

I hate to bring this up, but you say Wicked starts out when they are in school, which is true. When does it end? I've never been able to figure out the timeline of this show. From some of the scene transitions it seems like it could have been weeks, but the way Glinda talks in the beginning it's been years.

Chowd95 said: "MollyJeanneMusic said: "I agree that younger actresses would be better for playing the parts, especially because the show starts out when the girls are in school, but really? Dove and Ariana? I think they're okay with their individual projects, but I do not want to see them as big Broadway roles like Galinda or Elphaba. I'd love to see Rachel Zegler as Elphaba - she put up a snippet of her singing "The Wizard and I" online, and she sounded excellent!"

I hate to bring this up, but you say Wicked starts out when they are in school, which is true. When does it end? I've never been able to figure out the timeline of this show. From some of the scene transitions it seems like it could have been weeks, but the way Glinda talks in the beginning it's been years.

"

In the original novel the ending scenes with Dorothy are around 18 years after they’ve been at Shiz

Chowd95 said: "
In the original novel the ending scenes with Dorothy are around 18 years after they’ve been at Shiz"

So Glinda waits 18 years to marry Fiyero?"

It takes place over the course of 18 years, Glinda doesn’t marry Fiyero in the original book though it’s pretty different. Here’s the Wiki page if you want to try and piece together the events:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_(Maguire_novel)

Chowd95 said: "
In the original novel the ending scenes with Dorothy are around 18 years after they’ve been at Shiz"

So Glinda waits 18 years to marry Fiyero?"

The book differs GREATLY from the musical. There is never a relationship between Glinda and Fiyero. In fact, Glinda is not even really a big character in the book after the chapters that take place at Shiz. She is really the main character in those chapters as it focuses a LOT on her and her nanny. But after the school chapters she almost entirely vanishes from the plot and it turns into a political drama with Elphaba fighting for animal rights.

After she told Wendy other people should play the roles in a movie she said, "Plus idina and I-" but Wendy interrupted her and didn't let her finish. Wonder what she was gonna say...

yea keep Ariana far far away (or cast her as nessa, lol)



as for the time line, in the stage version I always assumed during intermission at least a year has passed.

I honestly wonder if/when Ariana Grande eventually does Broadway again, what a director who do about her diction. It would actual kind of poetic if Ariana eventually played Eliza Doolittle, just so she will be forced to fully enunciate words instead of turning every syllable into a melisma to the point you only understand every fourth word.

Another problem Ms. Grande will have if she played Elphaba is that she apparently went to the Joe Jackson school of public speaking, where you talk very soft and breathy so people are forced to lean in when you are speaking. It doesn't help that all of her professional acting credits consist of playing air head stereotypes, which has only further enforced the breathy nature of her public speaking voice. Its honestly one of the weirdest things if see a candid video of her speaking in her natural lower register voice compared to her public voice.

Dove Cameron I can get on board with though, in the role of either Elphaba or Galinda/Glinda. The girl can play both the dumb airhead, and the head strong loner, and she has a great voice.

At this point though I honestly wonder if Kristen Chenoweth should be more vocal about being considered for Madame Morrible in the eventual adaptation. Yes playing the antagonist is against type for Chenoweth, but honestly she is a good fit for the role. We honestly don't need Meryl Streep shoe horned into the film and given a song that is eventually cut. I think Kristen's iconic perky personality would be a give more heft to the two faced nature of Morrible, as she is the musical's true villain. If anything actually I would rather the wizard be minimized in favor showing Morrible actually pulling the strings being the true "woman" behind the curtain.

I realize that it is a Hollywood movie, and the producers are thereby bound by tradition to populate the cast with enough marginally talented current pop culture stars to ensure that the final product settles to a level of mediocrity that will enable the film to fade from our memories even faster than the “flavor of the month” stars. However, knowing a little more about theater than I do about pop culture, the first two names that came to mind for me were Solea Pheiffer as Elphaba and Stephanie Styles as Glinda. Not gonna happen, but I would go see that movie if it did.

Updated On: 1/4/20 at 12:11 PM