Wicked Good
Wicked Good
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28 VERMONT MAGAZINE they bumped heads underwater, both came up, took off their masks, and he said,“ What are you reading lately?” She answered,“ This great book called Wicked about the Wicked Witch of the West. I think it’ ll be your return to Broadway.” He went back to Universal Studios, knocked on the door of Marc Platt, the producer, and said,“ Everybody tells me you’ re not able to get a decent shooting script for this book. I know why— it’ s because since 1939, the world has known that everyone in Oz sings. This book has to sing before it can be filmed. If you give me the permission to put it on Broadway, we can make it into an operation that you can then film in good time.” Marc said,“ Works for me, but you’ re going to have to persuade Gregory, because he has the rights, and he’ s the one who will make the final decision.” Stephen and I met, and he was persuasive. I thought, this is a big economic risk for my family, but I’ m going to follow my instincts and say yes. It became a musical, for which I was paid in the low five figures for the rights. But in the end, that was exactly the right choice to make, because it’ s now a part of world culture. At no point did I think I should write the screenplay or the play myself— I had enough humility to know that I had used the best of my talents to make the novel. What I cared about was that Stephen and book writer Winnie Holzman understood the themes of what I was trying to
achieve. As long as they did, I thought it was the most honorable thing to give them carte blanche to use the best of their skills.
Megan: Before the first Wicked movie came out, you had a chance to watch some of the filming. Did you have the same opportunity on Wicked: For Good?
Gregory: I had purposely not watched any trailers, not listened to any interviews or podcasts about what the second movie was going to look or sound like. On October 27, 2025, as one of the creatives of the play, I saw a special preview by invitation only for people in the Broadway community in New York City. I went home on the train feeling like after 29 years of signing a contract with Universal Studios, I can now retire my ambition to see this on the screen before I die. So, I’ m very happy about that. As I live and breathe, it was out of this world to see.
Gregory’ s latest novel, Galinda: A Charmed Childhood, will be released in September 2026. It is a sister volume to Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, published in March 2025. n