Is Kristin Chenoweth in the new 'Wicked' movie? -Deseret News

It's been more than 20 years since Kristin Chenoweth played the good witch Glinda on Broadway — and she still can't get enough of “Wicked.”

With Broadway's fourth-longest-running musical recently turning 21, Chenoweth saw the new film adaptation from start to finish – a few weeks before its release later this month. And she had nothing but praise.

“Oh my God. I just saw the movie and I'm dying. I died. I'm actually dead. I'm not here,” the Broadway star said in a new Instagram video. “People are not going to feel good when they see this movie. It's that good. It’s so special.”

Chenoweth went on to praise “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon Chu for his vision and the film's lead actors: Cynthia Erivo in the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and Ariana Grande, who takes over the role that Chenoweth brought with her in October 2003 Broadway brought to life.

“I was so moved, emotional, happy and full of joy,” Chenoweth said. “Please everyone, watch 'Wicked,' you will be blessed.”

Chenoweth raves about “Wicked,” but she's tight-lipped about at least one part of the film: whether or not she has a cameo.

Is Kristin Chenoweth in the new 'Wicked' movie?

As the premiere draws ever closer, fans are wondering if the original stars will appear in the new film.

When Chenoweth attended the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City earlier this year, she didn't entirely reject the idea of ​​her and her “Wicked” co-star Idina Menzel appearing in Chu's film.

“I can neither confirm nor deny whether we are there or not,” she told reporters. “All I can say is it’s going to be spectacular.”

During his visit to Salt Lake City, Chenoweth reflected on the huge success of the Broadway musical, which had strong fan support from the start.

“When we opened, we didn't get the best reviews and Idina was pretty upset,” Chenoweth remembers. “And I said to her, 'Girl, at the end of Act 1 you're flying and defying gravity.' …It won't matter what the critics think. Let's listen to the audience. And the audience jumped up and we knew we had a hit. Did we know it was going to be a juggernaut? NO.”

Now Grande and Erivo are helping bring the story to a new generation.

What Kristin Chenoweth said about Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

Chenoweth met Grande several years ago when the aspiring artist met her backstage during a production of Wicked. During a 2019 appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Chenoweth recalled how impressed she was after hearing Grande sing a little backstage during that brief meeting.

“I gave her a magic wand and said, 'Remember to follow your passion.' “Do what you love,” Chenoweth said, according to the Deseret News.

Now, in a full-circle moment, Grande is taking on exactly that role.

“I asked myself, 'Would there be a world where my little baby Ariana would play with me?' And that's what happened, and we were both crying,” Chenoweth previously told reporters at RootsTech. “And then Cynthia Erivo is one of the most spectacular artists of our time, that voice is otherworldly.”

The new “Wicked” adaptation will be told in two parts – the first part premieres on November 22nd, the second film will be released in cinemas in November 2025. Some fans were surprised by the two-part format, considering the musical's two-hour, 45-minute running time, as the Deseret News reported. But according to Chenoweth, this is part of Chu's effort to put his own stamp on the story.

“(Chu) said, 'I have to do it completely differently than the original.' I had to do it because you guys (me and Idina) pushed us so hard on it that we had to do something different,” Chenoweth said. I really admire the way he did it.”