Wicked is taking the world by storm, and is a bona fide cultural phenomenon. The cinematic adaptation of the hit Broadway musical (itself an adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel) is now the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all time at the domestic box office. Alongside the incredible Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, the titular Wicked Witch, pop superstar Ariana Grande has been a legitimate scene stealer as Glinda. Or as we like to call her, “The Witch Formerly Known as Glinda.” Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda on Broadway, had quite the gift for Grande on set.
Ms. Grande-Butera (as she’s credited in Wicked) had big sparkly shoes to fill. She stepped into the role that originated on stage by the legendary Kristin Chenoweth. As a passing of the torch from one Glinda to another, while filming the movie, Chenoweth gifted Grande with a custom jacket, of which she had a matching one. It featured both women in their witchy personas, standing on the Yellow Brick Road to Oz. (And yes, there were bubbles and rainbows). Chenoweth shared images of her and Grande wearing the matching pink jackets in an Instagram post, which you can see right above.
In the post, Chenoweth said: “Leading my babygirl down the yellow brick road. I surprised Ariana Grande with these jackets on the set of Wicked. A little physical memento of our “passing of the wand.” I’ll lead you down any road you let me, Ari. I’m so, so proud of you baby.” Janan Studio painted the jackets, and Haus of Crystals bedazzled them. The jacket design differentiates the two Glindas properly. In the play, Chenoweth wears a blue dress. In the film, Ariana Grande wears pink, an homage to Billie Burke as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. The pictures of the two wearing their matching jackets are heartwarming. And honestly, we kind of wish they were not one-of-a-kind, because we’d like to purchase them ourselves.