Wicked Costume Designer Shares Experience Of Dressing ‘Goddesses’ Idina Menzel And Kristin Chenoweth For Their Cameos

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As a dedicated theater enthusiast who has spent countless hours immersed in the magical world of Broadway, I must say that the recent cameos by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in “Wicked” were nothing short of enchanting! Their return to the witches’ realm was like a dream come true for fans like me who have followed their careers since the original 2003 production.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who first played Glinda and Elphaba on Broadway in 2003’s Wicked musical, made surprise appearances once again within the world of witches. They were present during the Wizomania when Erivo and Grande took on the roles of Elphaba and Glinda in the Land of Oz. Adhering to the movie’s enchanting and fantastical style, they wore equally enchanting costumes.

In an interview with People magazine, costume designer Paul Tazewell shared his creative thought process behind designing the dresses. “I was pondering how to create something dramatic and fitting for a fantasy realm,” he explained.

Product designer Nathan Crowley envisioned the movie to look like a pop-up book brought to life, sparking Tazewell’s thought to delve deeper into the background of these characters. He explained this to the media: “They are the deities of the Wizomania narrative, and they depict the tale of how Oz originated.

The Oscar-winning costume designer, known for his work in Broadway productions like Hamilton and Death Becomes Her, drew inspiration for his designs from an unconventional source – a Christmas tree made of folded pages. His vision was to create costumes reminiscent of the 19th century, yet light, airy, and filled with a touch of whimsy.

Tazewell aimed to present a stark difference between Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth’s characters compared to their roles in the original Wicked production. He explained, “While we’re accustomed to knowing Idina as Elphaba, I wanted her to embody the ‘light’ character, with Kristin taking on the ‘dark’ role.” To achieve this, he dressed Idina in a soft pastel pink costume and Kristin in a bold, vibrant purple one, thus reversing their typical color associations.

Although they maintain their vibrant colors and shimmer, I aimed to make them contrasting. It turned out to be quite a rush completing everything since everything fell into place almost simultaneously,” he concluded.

Apart from remembering the tight deadline for assembling those ensembles, he noted that there were numerous trips between London and New York involved. However, they managed to complete the task successfully, and he found the entire process quite remarkable.

Wicked is now available in theaters. 

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2024-12-01 18:22