At the time of the release of Gregory Maguire's novel, Wicked, the most notable non-literary media representation of the story of the Wicked Witch of the West was the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz. Probably very few people thought that the first media translation of Maguire's very dark take on the tale would also be a musical, and probably even fewer still imagined that it would be a splashy, big-budget Broadway musical. That Broadway musical turned out to one of the biggest hits of the decade and both launched and revitalized many careers.
Idina Menzel
The green-skinned witch Elphaba, around which Wicked, revolves was originated by Idina Menzel. Menzel burst onto the Broadway scene several years earlier by originating the role of Maureen in Rent. Menzel won a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical for her performance and set the standard by which those who were followed her were compared to, unfairly or not. Unfortunately, Menzel ended her long run as the Wicked Witch on a tragic note: just two performances away from her last she accidentally fell through a trap door and cracked a rib. She was forced to perform out of costume for her farewell trod across the boards.
Kristin Chenoweth
The character of Galinda (Glinda) in the book version was expanded to nearly equal status with Elphaba in the musical version and Kristin Chenoweth originally assayed the role with a final reward, or perhaps punishment, of being nominated alongside Idina Menzel for a Best Actress Tony. Not to worry, however, as Chenoweth already had one Tony Award on her mantel for playing Charlie Brown's sister Sally in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Joel Grey
According to author Gregory Maguire, the kindly and helpful old man behind the curtain who is the Wizard in Oz is actually more akin to a manipulative fascist dictator. Joel Grey replaced Robert Morse who had originated the character in its pre-Broadway tryouts. Grey had earlier won both a Tony and an Oscar for his portrayal of the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret!
Carole Shelley
Madame Morrible is as horrible as her name suggests, so it may come as a quite a surprise to some to discover that the actress that originated the role of the underhanded and untrustworthy headmistress who secret works in collusion with the evil Wizard originally found fame as one of the rather silly and flighty Pigeon sisters in The Odd Couple, a character she played in both the movie and the TV series.
Norbert Leo Butz
One of the enormous differences between the book and the musical is that in the book Fiyero is not turned into the Scarecrow. Fiyero, the Winkie prince with a shallow love for Glinda that develops into a passionate and profound love for Elphaba was originally played by Norbert Leo Butz. He would received a Tony Award for Best Actor for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels a couple of years later.
Michelle Federer
Nessarose, Elphaba's tortured sister who will eventually become the Wicked Witch of the East, was originally portrayed by Michelle Federer. Federer's post-Wicked career has not reached the heights of on-stage sister nor of Chenoweth, but she does have one claim to fame that outshines every other member of the original cast: Federer portrayed Nessarose longer than any of the other actors played their parts.
Christopher Fitzgerald
The character of Boq is another whose role in the musical is substantially different from the book. The role was originated by Christopher Fitzgerald. The actor took on another diminutive role in the Broadway version of the Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein when he played Dr. Frankenstein's assistant Igor, a role that earned him a Tony nomination.
