“Wicked” is everywhere right now. The new film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as “Wizard of Oz” witches and best friends Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, is a critical and box office smash, with Variety calling it "a musical masterpiece that is much more than we could have ever expected.”
The film is based on the beloved Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, which is a loose adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum's novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and its classic 1939 film adaptation. That’s a lot of Oz!
Did you know that the original Elphaba is a huge lover of libraries?
Tony Award-winning performer, actress, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist Idina Menzel starred as the green-hued witch in the original run of the musical. Along with her sister, author and educator Cara Mentzel, she served as honorary chair of Library Card Sign-up Month in 2022. The sisters have also written two books together loosely based on their own lives growing up, “Loud Mouse” and “Proud Mouse.”
As honorary chairs of Library Card Sign-up Month, Idina and Cara reminded everyone that one of the best places to find your voice is at the library. They urged everyone to explore all the library has to offer, like access to technology, educational programming, and new children’s books.
"Let your imagination sing at the library," said Idina.
Watch a special video that the sisters recorded specially for I Love Libraries below.
There is also a lot of buzz about the wonderous library featured in the film, which is an homage to “Royal Wedding,” the 1951 musical where Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling. Read more about it in IndieWire.
You can find "Wicked" in all of its forms at your local library!
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Photo: Universal Studios
