Wicked Stars Turn Greenwich Green

Wicked Stars Turn Greenwich Green

21-11-24

Look to the Western sky! The stars of Wicked switch on the Greenwich Meridian Line laser at the Royal Observatory, precisely where the Eastern and Western hemispheres meet, to celebrate Universal Pictures’ spectacular new cinematic event, which soars into cinemas on November 22.

Grammy, Emmy and Tony winning powerhouse and Academy Award® nominee Cynthia Erivo, pop culture icon Jeff Goldblum, Olivier Award winner and Emmy nominee Jonathan Bailey and director Jon M. Chu attended the magical photocall, in which, after the green laser divided the night’s sky, surrounding buildings from the Queen’s House to the Old Royal Naval College lit up green in honour of Erivo’s character, Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West.

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To celebrate the film’s release, the Royal Borough of Greenwich was temporarily renamed “GreenWitch” by Mayor Jit Ranabhat last week. From now until the 24th November, fans and visitors to the newly named “GreenWitch” can collect a map (either from the GreenWitch Tourist Information Centre or by downloading from the visitgreenWitch website) and embark on a spell-binding walking trail, spotting several road signs and directional signs as soon as you come out of Greenwich Station, up through GreenWitch High Road and past the perfectly named The Green Café and GreenWitch Picturehouse cinema. Visitors will be dazzled by the magical roof installation at GreenWitch Market, with an enthralling new sign at each entrance to the market. After this, fans and visitors can carry on to the GreenWitch Tourist Information Centre and GreenWitch Foot Tunnel to view the newly unveiled plaque, before making their way past the University of GreenWitch to see the final Ozian signs at the top of King William Walk.
Partners involved in “GreenWitch” include VisitGreenwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich Market, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Student’s Union, Greenwich Picturehouse.

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman misunderstood because of her unusual green skin who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman gilded by privilege and ambition who has yet to discover her true heart.

The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

The film also stars Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University’s regal headmistress and Dean of Sorcery Madame Morrible; Olivier Award winner and Emmy nominee Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers) as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince; Tony nominee Ethan Slater (Broadway’s Spongebob Squarepants, Fosse/Verdon) as Boq, an altruistic Munchkin student; Marissa Bode in her feature-film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba’s favoured sister; and pop culture icon Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The cast of characters includes Pfannee and ShenShen, two conniving compatriots of Glinda played by Emmy nominee Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and Bronwyn James (Harlots); a new character created for the film, Miss Coddle, played by Tony nominee Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) and four-time Emmy winner Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as the voice of Dr. Dillamond.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights), Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on November 28, 2025.

Wicked is produced by Marc Platt p.g.a. (La La Land, The Little Mermaid), whose films, television shows and stage productions have earned a combined 46 Oscar® nominations, 58 Emmy nominations and 36 Tony nominations, and by multiple Tony winner David Stone (Kimberly Akimbo, Next to Normal), with whom Platt produced the blockbuster Wicked stage musical. The executive producers are Stephen Schwartz, David Nicksay, Jared LeBoff, Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.

Wicked is based on the musical stage play with music and lyrics by legendary Grammy and Oscar® winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire. The screenplay is by Winnie Holzman and Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The film score is by John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The Broadway stage musical is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, the Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.