In the upcoming second film, the bad the train isn't slowing down anytime soon—and now John M. ChuThe hit movie affected ticket sales for the main Broadway feature. Not only that, but now the stage production of the musical has cast its first Black Elphaba.
Beginning March 4, musical theater lovers and movie fans alike will be able to witness the debut of Lencia Kebede as Elphaba Thropp in the Wicked Witch of the West story.
Kebede will be the first full-time main cast member who is a Black woman to play Elphaba on Broadway, though Black performers such as Saycon Sengbloh and Brandi Massey have stepped in to play Elphaba in productions in the past—and Black performers have similarly portrayed her full-time in the show's British home in London's West End.
This casting has been a long time coming and coming to Cynthia Erivo revelatory take on the character for the Universal Pictures film.
Previously, the Broadway show cast Brittney Johnson as the first Black woman to play Glinda in 2022; he has been an understudy for the role since 2019.
Joining the cast in 2025 opposite Kebede is Allie Trimm, who replaces famous role played by Ariana Grande in the 2024 movie. Kebede appeared as Angelica Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton to play Elphaba, while Trimm steps into the role after being a feature standby for Glinda since 2021.
Check out the casting announcement below from Wicked: The Musicalofficial YouTube by.
Wicked: The Musical is currently running on Broadway. bad the movie is out in theaters and digital. And Wicked: For Good opens this Thanksgiving.
Update: This post has been updated to note that Black performers have played Elphaba on Broadway in the past, with Kebede being the first full-time cast member to play the role.
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