Wicked performers reveal the songs they most enjoy singing

Stars and creators of the musical Wicked have described the songs they most enjoy performing and the challenges behind some of its best-known numbers. Idina Menzel, who originated the role of Elphaba, chose Defying Gravity. She recalled the exhilaration of singing it during the show’s development and rising above the stage in a harness.

Menzel said she had asked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz to raise the final section by an octave, taking responsibility for a change that became part of the song. She also described making a mistake during her audition and repeating the note rather than allowing the error to undermine her performance. Her advice to young performers is to accept mistakes rather than fear them.

Zizi Strallen, who plays Glinda in the current West End cast, selected Thank Goodness. She said the number shows Glinda receiving the recognition she wants while struggling with fame and the need to stand up for Elphaba. Jordan Litz, who has played Fiyero more than 1,700 times in the United States, chose Dancing Through Life.

He said the song initially felt unlike his own personality and that finding its confidence and swagger took sustained rehearsal. Musical supervisor Stephen Oremus selected The Wizard and I, explaining that Schwartz wrote several versions before finding a number that combined Elphaba’s earnestness with a larger dramatic sweep. The performers’ accounts also describe how the musical’s songs evolved before and during its Broadway development, including changes to lyrics, orchestration and vocal arrangements.