Elphaba Thropp /ˈɛlfəbə ˈθrɒp/ is the protagonist in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, and in its musical theatre adaptation Wicked. The character is identified with the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba | |
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The Wicked Years character | |
First appearance | Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) |
Created by | Gregory Maguire |
Based on | Wicked Witch of the West by L. Frank Baum |
Portrayed by | Idina Menzel (musical adaptation) Cynthia Erivo (two-part film adaptation) Others (see below) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Elphaba Thropp |
Alias | Wicked Witch of the West |
Family | Oscar Diggs (father) Nessarose Thropp (half-sister) |
Significant other | Fiyero Tigelaar |
Children | Liir Thropp (son) |
Nationality | Ozian |
In the Baum novel, the Witch is unnamed and little is explained about her life; Wicked creates a backstory for her and explores the world of The Wizard of Oz from her perspective. Elphaba is modeled after Margaret Hamilton's portrayal in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz: green-skinned, clad entirely in black and wearing a tall peaked hat. Maguire formulated the name "Elphaba" from the pronunciation of Baum's initials — "L.F.B.".
The role was originated on Broadway and the West End by Idina Menzel, who won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The role is currently slated to be played by Cynthia Erivo in the upcoming two-part film adaptation of the musical.
Actresses billed in the lead role in various productions include:
Mexico City
Chicago, Illinois
Los Angeles, California
San Francisco, California
West End (London) Production
UK & Ireland Tour
Stuttgart, Germany
Oberhausen, Germany
Scheveningen, The Netherlands
Gothenburg, Sweden
South Korea
The Actors in Korean production shared performances of the role [54]
Brazil
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