Special Episode: Winnie Holzman

She’s the Tony-nominated and Drama Desk-winning playwright and screenwriter of Wicked who brought the magic of Oz to life through her thrillifying storytelling of its two most famous witches – both on stage with the musical and through the recent two-part blockbuster movies. To mark 20 years of Wicked in the West End and her remarkable adaptation for the stage – which has welcomed more than 13 million people to over 7,500 performances in London alone – we take flight to celebrate two decades at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Direct from her home Stateside, it’s congratulotions all round as she shares wonderful memories of reuniting with her original creatives once again to begin their West End journey back in 2006 and how she sprinkled hidden gems of the original 1939 The Wizard of Oz movie into her musical script and how Gregory Maguire’s original novel, which kick-started this new chapter, inspired this smash-hit show we all love She also walks through the origins of some of her favourite lines in the show, how she built signature scenes around key character arcs for her leading ladies, and her tight collaboration with Wicked’s music writer, Stephen Schwartz. Plus, the joy of having her work translated into different languages and cultures across the last two decades, the key plot throughline of the spoken dialogue – “It’s not lying, it’s looking at things another way” – and why Wicked is constantly asking audiences to “open your mind to a new point of view.” She also talks through the development of the song What Is This Feeling? and why it was workshopped through different drafts and musical options during development, understanding that change is scary for principal characters – and also for humans, as she learnt fast when writing for Glinda – as well as the vitality of exquisite storytelling in her act two opener, Thank Goodness. We also rejoicify her recent double box-office hit with Wicked on the big screen, why fans’ desire for the movie adaptation never went cold throughout the years – and why Wicked: Part One and Wicked: For Good were never about simply repeating the musical in a different medium. And she shares the swankified global power of the original Broadway cast album, memories of meeting Idina Menzel for her first Wicked audition back in 2001 – and how it changed the trajectory of Wicked forever. She also zooms in on Madame Morrible’s denouncement of Elphaba in Defying Gravity, and why spoken word in such a huge act one closing song helps her leading lady step into her power. And why London is “very special to us” as she lauds the remarkable women who have led her show in the West End. Host: William J Connolly Produced by: William J Connolly/Darren Bell wickedthemusical.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices