Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth responded after Wicked star Ariana Grande gave some LGBTQ+ insight into the musical film in which she stars as Galinda with queer Broadway star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba.
Wicked is a two-part film adaptation of the eponymous Broadway musical loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, inspired by the characters in L. Frank Baum's 1990 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 Judy Garland film adaptation.
The book's political commentary also serves as a "cautionary tale" about what happens when society ostracizes and persecutes othered individuals like Elphaba who are unfairly perceived as evil.
While there are no explicit LGBTQ+ themes in the literary prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Wicked has queer nuances, which Grande picked up on as she dug deep into her character and saw another layer to Galinda's identity.
During an interview with the Gay Times, Grande theorized that Galinda, who later drops the "a" and becomes Glinda as an act of solidarity, "might be a little in the closet" regarding her feelings for Elphaba.
In the interview, Grande and Erivo were asked to share thoughts on Wicked's fandom pushing the "Gelphie" ship premise—the femslash (female slash, or relationships between two female characters) between Glinda and Elphaba.
Erivo said her character Elphaba "goes wherever the wind goes," adding:
"I think she loves Glinda, I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection the both of them have."
"They do have a real relationship. It's true love," Grande agreed, and continued:
"Whether it's romantic or platonic…maybe Glinda might be a little in the closet."
The LGBTQ+ ally—who brings her fandom together in surprising ways—said the characters' bond "transcends sexuality."
Grande added that the inherent true love stemmed from a "deep safety within each other and that’s why [fans] probably ship it.”
As to whether or not Gelphie becomes canon, Grande didn't rule it out from the franchise.
"You never know, give it a little more time," she said, adding, "It is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality."
Here is a TikTok clip featuring the discussion.
Kristin Chenoweth, who originated Glinda in the 2003 Broadway cast of Wicked, agreed with Grande's LGBTQ+ hypothesis of their "good witch" character.
Chenoweth responded to an Instagram post that highlighted the pop star's sapphic potential of Glinda and wrote:
"I thought so too way back when…."
Here is a screenshot of Chenoweth's interaction.
@enews/Instagram
Fans lost their minds.
Maguire previously mentioned in an interview that his book does "hint" at something more than just a platonic friendship between the two main female characters.
Those who read the book reminded the internet that Elphaba and Glinda do share a kiss in the novel.
The Wicked stage musical is concurrently running various productions and tours around the world as the first of the two-part movie adaptation opened over the weekend after much hype, emotional press junkets, and NSFW toy tie-ins.
With renewed interest in the theatrical phenomenon, fans revisiting the movie or the stage version a second time may appreciate Wicked from a different perspective based on the latest analysis of the "Gelphie" lore.
Wicked, helmed by Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu, stars Erivo as Elphaba, Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, Ethan Slater as munchkin Boq Woodsman, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Peter Dinklage as the voice Dr. Dillamond, Michelle Yeoh as the Dean at Shiz, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz.
Wicked: Part 1 is now playing in theaters, but audiences will have to endure a year-long intermission until Wicked: Part 2 opens in November 2025.
Based on how Wicked: Part 1 is already "popular," breaking box office records after debuting at $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, the second half should be worth the wait.
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