Stephen Schwartz, the mastermind behind the music on Broadway’s Wicked, just dropped a bombshell that could shake up the Broadway stage faster than a flying monkey on a sugar rush. Turns out, the iconic musical might get a tiny makeover, inspired by a certain high ponytail-wielding pop queen’s spin on the music for the upcoming Wicked movie.
So, what’s the deal? Apparently, Ariana Grande—aka our new Glinda with the good falsetto—tweaked the ending of the beloved song “Popular” for the film, and Schwartz is now sitting there like, “Why didn’t I think of this 20 years ago?”
Ariana’s ‘La-La Land’ Moment
Picture this: at the end of “Popular,” Ariana cranks it up an octave (because of course she does) and tosses in a few extra “la-la-las” like sprinkles on a cupcake. Schwartz told Buzzfeed UK, “One thing I’d definitely change—and hey, maybe we’ll throw it into the Broadway version—is this new ending for ‘Popular.’ Ariana wanted to keep it real as Glinda, not Ariana pretending to be Glinda. Respect!”
But wait, there’s drama! Schwartz admits Grande initially gave him the side-eye over this new ending. “She was hesitant,” he dished. “I told her, ‘If I’d thought of this back then, I totally would’ve done it.’ And boom, next thing you know, she’s belting it like a glittery soprano angel.”
Glinda Gets a Soprano Glow-Up
Schwartz is now this close to rolling up to Broadway like, “Y’all, we’re updating *Wicked*. Let’s use that soprano magic Ariana reminded us of.” Because apparently, back when Wicked first premiered, no one thought to crank up Glinda’s octave game. Tragic.
So, will the Wicked Broadway show get the Grande-approved remix? No broom-firmations yet, but let’s just say if you’re heading to Oz anytime soon, you might hear Glinda serving some extra vocal fireworks.
Moral of the story: sometimes it takes a little Ariana Grande to make Wicked even more fabulous.
