【Taiwan】

Wickedis already bursting with stars,Taiwan from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum. But the film takes its star meter up a notch by incorporating three of the most influential figures from the original stage show into the film.

SEE ALSO: 'Wicked' review: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo aspire for movie musical magic

Who has cameos in Wicked?

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in "Wicked." Credit: Universal Pictures

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the original Broadway Elphaba and Glinda, both pop into Wicked for brief cameos that nevertheless had the audience at my screening going wild. They show up in the song "One Short Day," when Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) arrive in the Emerald City for the first time.

While there, Elphaba and Glinda go to a performance of Wizomania, a musical all about the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Goldblum). Wizomaniamakes up a short section of "One Short Day" in the musical, but the film expands on it, adding in a new story about the Wise Ones of Oz, who wrote a book called the Grimmerie that is only legible to those who are magically gifted (like the Wizard). Fittingly, Menzel and Chenoweth play the Wise Ones.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

At an early screening and Q&A about the film, Wicked composer and lyricist Schwartz discussed the new Wizomaniasection and bringing Menzel and Chenoweth into the fold.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"[With Wizomania], we have time to show more of the Wizard's propaganda, how he's getting this fake story out into the world and persuading all of Oz that he has talents that he doesn't," Schwartz said. "Also, we wanted to explain more about what this mysterious book, the Grimmerie, is, because it figures importantly not just in this movie, but extremely importantly in movie two."

Schwartz and Wicked director Jon M. Chu had always wanted to incorporate Menzel and Chenoweth into the film, but couldn't figure out how. Would they be a teacher at Shiz University? Someone's mother? Finally, it was Chu who suggested the Wise Ones, especially since these roles work as a tribute to how Menzel and Chenoweth kickstarted Elphaba and Glinda's onstage lives. Their section also contains some fun connections to their original roles, with Chenoweth shushing Grande in an extremely Glinda-like way, and Menzel hitting us with her original "Defying Gravity" ending riff.

Meanwhile, Schwartz himself makes an appearance at the end of "One Short Day," declaring to Elphaba and Glinda that "the Wizard will see you now!"

---

Related Stories

---

• Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's 44-second 'Wicked' song is catchy
• 'Gladiator II' review: Ridley Scott grapples with modern masculinity in ancient Rome
• Packaging for 'Wicked' dolls includes porn URL
• 'A Man on the Inside' review: Ted Danson and Mike Schur reunite for sweet sitcom gold

Of the experience on set with Menzel, Chenoweth, Erivo, and Grande, Schwartz said, "We basically just shot it, but cried mostly."

Wicked is now in theaters.

Topics Film

• Deals
• Life
• Science
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Tech

• Communicator Breakdown
• Sophie Turner celebrated the 'Game of Thrones' finale with the ultimate Instagram post
• Trevor Noah defends Melania Trump for traveling to Harvey disaster area in heels
• That viral 'Game of Thrones' photo is totally fake news
• If we die in a nuclear blast, at least we can go out laughing at the world’s worst people
• 'Game of Thrones' Season 8: Is Jon and Dany's relationship doomed?
• Gospel singers at Harvey shelter will give you the chills
• This toddler dressed up as the creepy clown from 'It' will haunt your dreams forever
• Don’t Troll, Organize
• Can 'Game of Thrones' come to a satisfying end in Season 8?

• Andy Rubin's Android company Essential teases odd
• Fidget spinners, ranked by design
• New poll shows US drivers started ditching cars for ride hailing apps
• Homer Simpson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. D'oh!
• Future iPhones and iPads might have a special chip just for processing AI
• Sign about harassing female bartenders deserves a standing ovation
• South Korea has the highest concentration of robots in the world
• Burger King upsets actual king with Belgian ad
• 6 podcasts to listen to if you love the internet
• At least 'Baywatch' has one thing going for it (and no, it's not The Rock)

• Plunged Into Darkness
• Dramatic video shows ocean waves on a Texas highway after Harvey
• Mr. Robot goes to war with Elliot in ominous Season 3 trailer
• Police officer busts out extraordinary dance moves, gets hailed the 'undercover raver'
• Projections of Melania
• Sean Spicer finally lived his dream of meeting Pope Francis
• 'Game of Thrones' finale clue is more evidence that Bran is Night King
• Cummins' new all
• Yet another stellar week in hell.
• Game of Thrones

• What So Proudly We Hailed
• Acer Aspire S24 is so thin you can't tell there's a computer inside
• 'No More Heroes' is coming back! The Wii classic gets a Switch sequel
• 'No More Heroes' is coming back! The Wii classic gets a Switch sequel
• Trump’s Baby-Cager
• Police officer busts out extraordinary dance moves, gets hailed the 'undercover raver'
• Google's new Google Maps feature will make parking less of a nightmare
• Acer Aspire S24 is so thin you can't tell there's a computer inside
• Begone, President
• Instagram now lets you post portrait and landscape photos in albums