After the Success of the Movie, Wicked Has Found Broadway’s First Black Elphaba

With a second movie on the way, the Wicked train is not slowing down anytime soon—and now Jon M. Chu‘s hit film has impacted ticket sales for Broadway’s mainstay feature. Not only that, but now the stage production of the musical has cast its first Black Elphaba.

Starting March 4, musical theater enthusiasts and fans of the film who head to see the show live on Broadway will witness Lencia Kebede’s debut as Elphaba Thropp in the story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Kebede will be the first full-time main cast member who is a Black woman to play Elphaba on Broadway, though Black performers such as Saycon Sengbloh and Brandi Massey have stepped in to play Elphaba in the production in the past—and Black performers have similarly portrayed her full-time in the show’s British home on London’s West End.

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This casting has been a long time coming and follows Cynthia Erivo’s revelatory take on the character for the Universal Pictures film.

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Previously, the Broadway show cast Brittney Johnson as the first Black woman to play Glinda in 2022; she’d been an understudy for the role since 2019.

Joining the cast in 2025 opposite Kebede is Allie Trimm, taking over the popular role which was played by Ariana Grande in the 2024 film. Kebede comes off a run as Angelica Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton to play Elphaba, while Trimm steps into the role after being a featured standby for Glinda since 2021.

Take a a look at the casting announcement below from Wicked: The Musical‘s official YouTube.

Wicked: The Musical is currently running on Broadway. Wicked the movie is out now in theaters and digital. And Wicked: For Good opens this Thanksgiving.

Update: This post has been updated to note that Black performers have played the role of Elphaba on Broadway in the past, with Kebede being the first full-time cast member to take on the role.

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