The making of the musical hit


Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked” sought to give a backstory to one of the most haunting figures from L. Frank Baum’s “Wizard of Oz”: The Wicked Witch of the West. The book would inspire a long-running musical, which has proved a hit both on Broadway and on tour. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with Maguire and composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and with the original Glinda and Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, about a show that has become a beacon for anyone who doesn’t fit a conventional mold.



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