Wicked: The Grimmerie written by David Cote

Have you heard one of Broadway’s hit musical Wicked? It’s a musical about the two witches, Glinda’s and Elphaba’s life living in The Land Of Oz before Dorothy’s house dropped in and met the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. If you ever wondered how these three main characters become who they are in The Land Of Oz, I would suggest to go see Wicked. It is truly one of my favorite musicals.

If you have seen this musical either on Broadway or the touring show, have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes before and during the show? For example, have you wondered how the makeup crew puts on Elphaba’s green makeup on the actress or how some of the props worked such as the Wizard’s Head.

Not only does The Grimmerie show the behind the scenes, it also shows some sketches of the drafts and ideas behind the songs and when Wicked was at the beginning stages of being created. Also, this book has pictures and interviews from the original cast staring Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda). Yes America, Idina Menzel originally started her acting career on Broadway in the musical Rent as the original Maureen Johnson. Next, she stared in Wicked as the original Elphaba before you heard her amazing singing voice in the movie Frozen singing Let It Go! After Wicked, her first movie that she acted in was Rent playing her original Broadway role, Maureen Johnson. Finally, Idina Menzel returned to Broadway in 2014 to perform in the original cast in a musical called If/Then.

In concluding, let me just add two Wicked facts just to spark your interest First, incase you are wondering why this book is called The Grimmerie there is a reason why. In Wicked Elphaba’s spell book that she always carries with her is called The Grimmerie. Finally, Wicked is actually based on the book written by Gregory Maguire (he has also written two more books in the Wicked series Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men). My warning to you is this, before you rush out and go see the show thinking that it is just like the book, the book and the musical are totally different.

        (the Wicked book is written by Gregory Maguire, this is the Broadway poster as the book cover) 

*** If you haven’t heard Idina Menzel’s voice on Broadway, here are three original soundtracks that you can buy on iTunes:

1)    Rent (also available in the movie soundtrack)

2)    Wicked

3)    If/Then

Here is a link about Idina Menzel’s career if you want to read it:

http://www.biography.com/people/idina-menzel

Trivia Questions:
1) What kind of makeup brush do the makeup crew use to put the green makeup on the actress playing Elphaba?
2) Why did Idina Menzel cuss during her audition for Wicked?

Coté, David. Wicked: The Grimmerie. New York: Hyperion, 2006. Print.

"Idina Menzel." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 13 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 May 2017.