By Marta Vallejo, Newswire Intern

The original “Wicked” musical is being forgotten and replaced by the “Wicked” movies.

Nowadays when people think of “Wicked,” they picture the movie. They see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande playing the iconic roles of Elphaba and Glinda respectively. Viewers hear their songs, see their faces and dress up like them.

But what happened to the original Broadway Show?

For over 20 years, “Wicked” has been a theatrical spectacle. It is a Broadway staple, a cultural phenomenon and a musical that has shaped an entire generation of theater lovers. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth – the original Elphaba and Glinda – became legends because of their groundbreaking performances. However, with the release of the new “Wicked” films, backed by a massive marketing campaign and celebrity cast, the movies are now the primary doorway into the story of Oz for millions of people.

It is hard to talk about “Wicked” without mentioning Grande before Chenoweth. Glinda’s iconic pink dress in the movies is a nod to the original “Wizard of Oz” movie, but it is a complete betrayal of the musical’s portrayal of the dress. The Broadway show’s enchanting blue gown is mostly forgotten, with “Wicked: For Good” paying a little bit of homage to the original color of the dress.

When you hear “Defying Gravity,” does the audience think of Menzel’s riff? Why of course not. They think of Erivo’s long and powerful ending to the song. Menzel’s original riff in the song is being overrun by Erivo new one. It cannot be denied, Erivo’s version of “Defying Gravity” is far more popular and widely more recognized than Menzel’s.

The “Wicked” movies will always have the same faces, while the musical will not. On Broadway shows, actors are constantly changing. So while Menzel and Chenoweth were the original Elphaba and Glinda for the musical, many more have come over the years and taken up the mantle of everyone’s favorite witches. 

That is part of the beauty of the musical. Everyone has their own favorite portrayals of Elphaba and Glinda. Every actress plays the characters in a different way. But with the “Wicked” movies, there is only Erivo and Grande.

Who can forget the two new songs the second movie is introducing? With these two songs being added, the movies will deviate from the original musical even more. 

Fans who see the musical for the first time after having watched the movie will be wonder why their favorite song “The Girl in the Bubble” is not in the musical. People will begin to think the Broadway show is an adaptation of the movies, not the other way around.

Lastly, why even go to the theatre when you can just stream the movie at home? Broadway tickets are expensive after all. 

The iconic culture of the Broadway musical is being forgotten and overrun by the new movies. When you look up “Wicked,” there are only a few pictures of the musical, all someone sees is the movie. Searches  now have to specify “”Wicked” musical” in order for pictures of the stage show to pop up.

This has to stop. Both the musical and movies should be celebrated of course. However, people should not favor nor forget one over the other. “Wicked” was popularized as a Broadway show, not as a pair of movies. People should not be disregarding the original musical in favor of the new movies. If they do, in a couple of years, there will be fans who will never watch the musical as they think the movies are “better” and that the Broadway show is just a ripoff.