Ariana Grande teases new Wicked tunes and hopes for stage show

As Hollywood’s awards season continues apace, Wicked star Ariana Grande sat down with Variety to tease further plans for the next installation in the two-part adaptation of the much-loved stage musical.

Much of the current clamour is around the two brand-new tunes that will feature in the forthcoming film, titled Wicked: For Good. Elphaba actress Cynthia Erivo has already spoken to WhatsOnStage about working with composer Stephen Schwartz on a new number for Elphaba in the film.

Grande has now spilled more beans on the second new standard in the flick, saying: “It’s a pivotal moment in Glinda’s journey… It shows a side of her we’ve never seen before. In the stage show, this transformation happens offstage. But in the movie, we get to see her make the decision that defines who she is. It’s a privilege to sing this song and be the first Glinda to bring it to life.”

She goes on to say that the number is all about Glinda discovering the realities beyond the bubbles she has existed within throughout her life – pun seemingly very much intended.

While Grande and Erivo have unequivocally denied appearing in either the Broadway or West End production for a limited season any time soon, that doesn’t mean that they’re not invested in the future of the stage show – and how it might transform.

Schwartz has already suggested that he wants to integrate the extended version of “Popular” into the theatre version, while Grande has also now expressed hopes to Variety that the new numbers from the film are also integrated into the stage iteration (“Wouldn’t that be lovely?”).

Based on the hit novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Wicked tells the story of two unlikely university friends in the land of Oz, one destined to become Glinda the Good and the other, the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked writers Winnie Holzman (book) and Schwartz (score) are collaborating on the screenplay with Dana Fox.

The following paragraph is relatively spoiler-y for anyone who hasn’t seen Wicked on stage – but if we were to hesitate a guess as to where that number might sit, it’d be between “March of the Witch Hunters” and “For Good” as Glinda discovers what exactly Morrible and the Wizard have been scheming up.

We’ll have to wait and see in November!