Pink goes good with green: Paul Tazewell on designing the Wicked movie costumes

In case you’ve been living in a bubble, Wicked was released in cinemas last week.

The Jon M Chu-directed adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande concluded its mammoth press tour in London with a European premiere, and team WhatsOnStage were there!

As part of that, features editor Tanyel Gumushan had a sit down with costume designer Paul Tazewell. He’s dressed Founding Fathers (Hamilton), a community in Washington Heights (In the Heights), Jets and Sharks (West Side Story), Suffragettes (Suffs), and made the famed Celie’s pants (The Color Purple), among others.

The multi-award-winning designer spoke all about his famous silhouettes, dressing Erivo and Grande, easter eggs, and how the costumes help to expand the merry old land of Oz in our bonus episode.

Managing editor Alex Wood and chief critic Sarah Crompton host a weekly series on all things theatrical. News, views, frank exchanges and lists offer an unmissable guide to what’s happening on stage (and in film and on television) now, in the past and in future.

The podcast can be listened to on various streaming platforms here. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode! We’ll also be uploading them to YouTube every weekend.